On May 19, the FIlm Screening and meeting with film director of “How Venezuela Moved a Mountain” was successfully held in Yanggu, Gangwon Province, in the “ROK“ with the active participation of progressive and democratic activists.
Jointly hosted by the World Anti-Imperialist Platform and the Youth Platform, this nationwide film screening tour kicked off in Gwangju on the 17th, followed by Yanggu on the 19th, and is scheduled to continue in Incheon, Jeonju, Gongju (Chungcheongnam-do Province), and Seoul.
“How Venezuela Moved a Mountain” is a documentary film that vividly describes the current situations in Venezuela and the concept of the commune. The film follows Venezuelan activists and their comrades—including fishermen and farmers cultivating coffee, sugarcane, and cocoa—as they strive to realize Hugo Chávez’s vision of communism, working alongside Brazil’s Landless Workers’ Movement from the Andes to the central coastal regions and areas such as Miranda, Lara, and Cumanacoa. The film also highlights the crucial role of women as key drivers of the struggle.
The commune, the central focus of the film, is a democratic grassroots governing unit supporting Venezuela’s people’s power. While not part of the central administrative system, it serves as a participatory platform influencing national policy directions. It operates through committees responsible for politics, organization, finance, health care, food, housing, sports, services, and defense. The Venezuelan government reviews policy proposals from communal councils and provides political and economic support to help implement them.
After the Film screening, A GV (Q&A session with audience) was held with Thierry Deronne—filmmaker, and vice president of Venezuela’s public television channel Vive TV.
A local resident who attended the GV shared, “We live in a small, aging community like Yanggu, maintaining our lives through local production and consumption. This film made me realize the need for communal efforts like the commune. Thank you for the inspiration.”
Thierry said, “2025 is a special year. President Maduro has declared it the ‘Year of the People.’ The imperialist blockade last year was incredibly severe. Although China and Russia have provided support, Venezuela is still under more than a thousand sanctions.” He added, “Maduro has chosen to strengthen people’s power, carrying on Chávez’s legacy.”
He continued, “Every 2–3 months, the people of Venezuela send proposals to the government through their communes. This has been an effective method in the fight against corruption. Funding is directly allocated to grassroots units.” He also mentioned, “We’ve established political schools. Even if people are conservative or don’t support the revolution or Maduro—thinking of him as a ‘dictator’—they witness with their own eyes how people’s power is being realized through these policies.”
Thierry further explained, “Maduro has decided to provide three rounds of additional support to the communes. The new Minister of Communes is a former peasant and a leader who previously managed a commune. The goal is to build 6,000 high-quality communes.”
A local activist asked, “What can activists in the ”ROK“ learn from the commune experience?”
Thierry replied, “The main lesson is participation. Listening to people’s stories, encouraging political involvement, and raising the level of engagement through political education. An interesting aspect is that both newly and previously established communes share their practices with each other to gain valuable experiences. Also, they carry out the policies slowly but steadily, which are now legally institutionalized through communal councils.”
Another attendee asked about the meaning of the final scene in the film, where water gushes out powerfully. Thierry responded, “It’s a political metaphor. It symbolizes never surrendering. The leaders of the communes are likened to water—persistent and essential.”
At the end of the event, participants expressed their reflections and solidarity by flying “paper airplanes” toward the stage.
One worker from the education support staff union said, “There are many words I could use to describe what I felt from the film, but I’ll choose just three: laughter, togetherness, and respect.” She continued, “It’s important for everyone—adults and children alike—to laugh together and be respected. I work with young children in kindergarten, and I’ll carry the values of laughter, togetherness, and respect, inspired by this documentary.”
Messages of support followed: “Thank you for such a great film. We want to walk this path with you.” “Welcome to Yanggu.” “The energy from the Venezuelan people’s communes was powerful.”
The host concluded, “Yanggu also has many ongoing projects. Those who are still here today hope to see more such efforts and movements arise. The hour-long film couldn’t cover everything. But now, the people remaining in Yanggu must build communities that thrive through noisy, critical, collaborative engagement. Let’s make that happen.”
In his final remarks, Thierry emphasized, “Venezuela shares similarities with the ”ROK“—both have long histories of oppression and resistance. One key lesson from Chávez’s revolution is that you can never strip people of their pride and dignity.”
The film screening and meeting with film director concluded with a big round of applause. At the dinner gathering that followed, Thierry remarked, “If a commune were to be built in the ROK, I think it would start right here in Yanggu,” and described the participants as “not large in number, but, as Chávez said, strong and quality seeds.”
