A wave of left-wing leaders in the 21st century triggered a U.S. response, culminating in the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in 2026.
Populism, foreign intervention, and fierce domestic strife: this final episode depicts how 21st century power struggles are transforming Latin America. The film traces the “pink tide” from Hugo Chávez’s victory in Venezuela in 1998, through new leaders such as Brazil’s Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva and Bolivia’s Evo Morales, to the emergence of a new breed of Argentine female president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. This was a period of dramatic change, with corruption scandals, drug trafficking, the immigration crisis, and Brazil’s polarization from Lula to Jair Bolsonaro and back again. It was also a new era of intervention by the United States, from its support for President Álvaro Uribe’s hardline strategy in Colombia to the January 2026 attack on Venezuela and abduction of President Nicolás Maduro.
Now, as China’s influence grows and U.S. government rhetoric hardens, the question “What path lies ahead for Latin America?” is being answered. Pressures on democracy from dictators, militias, and resurgent authoritarian populism also need to be considered.
Combining first-hand accounts, expert insights, and rare archives, the film reflects how the fate of Latin America appears to be tied to U.S. ambitions, and yet driven by its own highly complex politics of survival, dreams of justice and stability, and peace.
Published February 23, 2026
