The Highs & Lows of “The Hugo Chávez Show” (full documentary) | FRONTLINE (PBS)

A 90-minute documentary examining Venezuela’s controversial and outspoken late former president Hugo Chávez and the revolution he claimed was turning his country into an anti-capitalist beacon for Latin America and the world. (Aired 2008) This journalism is made possible by viewers like you. Donate to FRONTLINE now: https://bit.ly/47DFzCb And support your local PBS station here: https://www.pbs.org/donate In “The Hugo Chávez Show,” FRONTLINE traveled to Venezuela to offer an illuminating portrait of the country’s then-president, Hugo Chávez. Through interviews with former government officials, Chávez associates and critics, and ordinary Venezuelans, FRONTLINE chronicled how Chávez ascended to power, how he became a dominant figure in recent Latin American history, and how he used broadcast media to spread the “21st-century socialism” he espoused. Memorably, the documentary introduced U.S. viewers to “Aló Presidente” — or “Hello, President” — a weekly televised show that often ran five to eight hours and featured Chávez speaking directly to the people, explaining government policy and mixing in a smattering of songs, poetry and whatever else struck his fancy. Beyond being a venue for Chávez’s personality, the program served as a weekly window into the Venezuelan government, with Chávez often announcing major policy decisions on live television. With Venezuela in the headlines following the U.S. government’s capture of Nicolás Maduro, who was Chávez’s protege and successor, “The Hugo Chávez Show” offers important context on Venezuela’s political history and the accomplishments, failures, appeal and repression of the Chávez era. Praise for “The Hugo Chavez Show”: “This portrait transcends news events.” – David Montgomery, The Washington Post “An even-handed, unillusioned view of a highly perplexing figure.” – Mark Feeney, The Boston Globe “A fascinatingly revealing documentary.” – Kate Taylor, The Globe and Mail “The Hugo Chávez Show” is a FRONTLINE co-production with Ofra Bikel Productions. The producer, writer and director was Ofra Bikel. Explore additional reporting on “The Hugo Chávez Show” on our website: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/do... #Documentary #Venezuela #HugoChavez #Politics Subscribe on YouTube:    / pbsfrontline   Sign up for our newsletter: https://frontline.org/newsletter Instagram:   / frontlinepbs​   Facebook:   / frontline   Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/frontlinepbs... FRONTLINE is produced at GBH in Boston and airs nationwide on PBS. The editor-in-chief and executive producer of FRONTLINE is Raney Aronson-Rath. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, with major support from Ford Foundation. Additional support for FRONTLINE is provided by the Abrams Foundation, Park Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Heising-Simons Foundation, and the FRONTLINE Trust, with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen.