Salvadoran civil war replay: the affective strategies of joy and play in Voces inocentes

In 2004, Voces inocentes premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Though the Salvadoran government waged a battle against the film by refusing its production in El Salvador, Voces inocentes brought to the screen an award-winning story with a poignant condemnation of the country’s civil war (1979–1992). Crucially, it was also a story that disrupted the genealogy of representations that Central American migrants have been forced into by US hegemonic media. Focusing on the affective strategies of joy and play that made this film different from others about El Salvador and its peoples, I argue that this film emerges as an important testament to Salvadoran resilience. Notwithstanding the paucity of scholarly work on Voces inocentes, this article urges its recognition as an important cultural product for Salvadorans in the isthmus and in the diaspora.