Dovunque la morte ci possa sorprendere

Dovunque la morte ci possa sorprendere is the informal slogan of 24fps, the filmmaking collective, associated with Che Guevara. Its meaning—that death might surprise them wherever they were—gave words to the risks of bearing witness beyond the stories official television networks chose to cover.

Meaning and Use

The slogan did not reserve danger for spectacular acts such as urban guerrilla action. A single police officer, a racist white vigilante, or an ordinary mistake could put the crew at risk while it filmed in the shadows and brought neglected events to light. The phrase made that exposure part of the group’s working outlook, though recognizing the danger intellectually did not mean its members could readily believe it would happen to them.

Risks Behind the Slogan

The danger became bodily familiar through batons, fire hoses, and tear gas; the crew’s first-aid cabinets accumulated painkillers enough to rival the collections of bikers and record executives across the coast. DL, responsible for security, regarded the young filmmakers as sometimes too careless. At the College of the Surf in Trasero County, the threat became immediate: after the final offer to surrender, every route out of campus was blocked, the phones were cut off, and the media remained at a safe, unreachable distance. On that last night, 24fps alone had footage of what was happening—if anyone survived to carry it out. The slogan thus joins the act of filming to its peril: the camera can bear witness, but it cannot guarantee the witness’s safety.