With 8 million people on the run, Venezuelans form one of the largest contemporary diasporas in the world. Many of them end up in Peru and Chile. But just as in the US, political changes have taken place there, making life increasingly difficult for newcomers.
Diego De Ridder and Jeremy Lebedoff travelled through the region, seeking out stories from refugees, humanitarian workers, and political opponents of the migration flow. The route they took has long been used by people fleeing their homes in South America.
For example, by the mother of Nomad Diego, who fled General Augusto Pinochet’s bloody dictatorship in Chile in the 1970s. But she fled from Chile, whereas people are now trying to enter the country en masse.
The documentary follows this route from north to south, starting from the Peruvian city of Tacna and ending in the Chilean capital, Santiago. Along the way, the Nomads pass through the northern Chilean cities of Arica and Antofagasta.
During this journey, the political and humanitarian situation of the Venezuelan diaspora in Peru and Chile becomes clear. But just as the documentary seems to be drawing to a close, everything suddenly changes with the kidnapping of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro by the United States.
