# The Silence of the Mole

The Silence of the Mole (Spanish: El silencio del topo) is a 2021 Guatemalan documentary film directed by Anaïs Taracena. It tells the story of the journalist Elías Barahona, better known as The Mole, who between 1976 and 1980 was infiltrated as press secretary of the Guatemalan Ministry of the Interior. It was selected as the Guatemalan entry in the Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards, but was not nominated.

## Synopsis

Throughout the 1970s, journalist Elías Barahona, alias El Topo (The Mole), infiltrated the heart of one of Guatemala's most repressive governments. By revealing the story of this reserved and unique individual, The Silence of the Mole captures the moments when revelations from the past open cracks in the walls of silence of a story that remains hidden.

## Release

The film had its world premiere at the end of April 2021 at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival 2021 in Toronto, Canada. The film was released commercially on 2 June 2022, in Guatemalan theaters. It had a limited release on 10 February 2023, in Mexican theaters.

## Accolades

| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
| 2021 | Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival | Best Documentary | The Silence of the Mole | Nominated |
| 2021 | Sheffield International Documentary Festival | Tim Hetherington Award | Anaïs Taracena | Won |
| 2021 | Sheffield International Documentary Festival | Youth Jury Award | Anaïs Taracena | Nominated |
| 2021 | Dokufest International Documentary and Short Film Festival | Truth Award | The Silence of the Mole | Nominated |
| 2021 | Dokufest International Documentary and Short Film Festival | Special Mention – Truth Award | The Silence of the Mole | Won |
| 2021 | International Documentary Film Festival of Mexico City | Best Documentary | The Silence of the Mole | Won |
| 2022 | New Creators Film Awards | Best International Documentary | The Silence of the Mole | Won |
| 2022 | LASA Film Festival | LASA Award of Merit in Film | The Silence of the Mole | Won |
| 2022 | Cine Las Americas International Film Festival | Best Documentary Feature | The Silence of the Mole | Won |
| 2022 | Acampadoc 2022 | Best International Documentary | The Silence of the Mole | Won |
| 2022 | Latin American Eye Sucre International Human Rights Festival | Pukanawi Award | The Silence of the Mole | Won |
| 2022 | Majordocs Festival | Audience Awards | The Silence of the Mole | Won |
| 2022 | Jeonju International Film Festival | Special Jury Prize | The Silence of the Mole | Won |
| 2022 | Málaga Spanish Film Festival | Best Documentary | The Silence of the Mole | Won |
| 2022 | Macondo Awards | Best Ibero-American Feature Film | The Silence of the Mole | Won |
| 2022 | Atlantidoc | Best First Feature | The Silence of the Mole | Won |
| 2022 | Ibero-Latin American Film Festival of Yale | Best Documentary | The Silence of the Mole | Won |
| 2022 | Rosario Latin American Film Festival | Human Rights Award | The Silence of the Mole | Won |
| 2022 | Trieste Ibero-Latin American Film Festival | Special Mention | The Silence of the Mole | Won |
| 2022 | La Plata Latin American Film Festival | Special Mention | The Silence of the Mole | Won |
| 2022 | LatinUy Film Festival | Best Documentary | The Silence of the Mole | Won |
| 2022 | Icarus Festival | Best Central American Documentary Feature Film | The Silence of the Mole | Won |
| 2022 | International Festival of the New Latin American Cinema of Havana | Special Choral Award of the Documentary Feature Jury | The Silence of the Mole | Won |
| 2022 | Geneva Film Festival and Human Rights Forum | Gilda Vieira de Mello | The Silence of the Mole | Won |
| 2022 | Izmir International Documentary Festival | Best Documentary Film | The Silence of the Mole | Won |
| 2023 | Platino Awards | Best Documentary | The Silence of the Mole | Nominated |