Chavez Opens Doors for Stone; THE Gulf between North and South America Is Food for Oliver Stone as SHEREEN LOW Discovers

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Byline: SHEREEN LOW

EVER since tackling subjects such as the Vietnam war and the assassination of President Kennedy, filmmaker Oliver Stone has courted controversy. And his latest documentary film South Of The Border is once more causing contention in the States.

It features interviews with seven presidents in South America and Cuba, including Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez who Stone says has been "99% demonised"by the US media.

"When it comes to South America, we hear negative things about these people, especially Chavez," he says.

"I went down there because I was curious, and I didn't really want to get involved because I knew it was going to be …