In September 2001 Bartley and O'Briain began a documentary on the charismatic and unorthodox Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez. They were still shooting in April when the found themselves in the middle of a coup. The media played a major role in the drama, as private television stations actively supported the coup by spinning the truth for the world press. Their film records what was probably history's shortest-lived coup d'état. It's a unique document about political muscle and an extraordinary portrait of the man The Wall Street Journal credits with making Venezuela "Washington’s biggest Latin American headache after the old standby, Cuba." MODERATORS: Dr. Beatriz-González Stephan and Dr. Luis Duno-Gottberg, Hispanic Studies, Rice University The New Latin American Left Film Festival is sponsored by the Department of Hispanic Studies, Political Science and History at Rice University. The Department of Political Science at the University of Houston and Cinema Tropical.