Oct 24, 2023

Argentine Short Film "Verified: Zaika vs. Disinformation

Buenos Aires-based animation studio Clubcamping recently partnered with Brazilian organization Vero in the fight against disinformation in Latin American politics and media.

The two organizations collaborated to create "Verificables: the film features a neon-clad superheroine who fights fake news, teaching viewers how to identify and debunk disinformation.

Clubcamping was founded in 2018, meaning the pandemic had a major impact on its formative years. According to the studio, "After the pandemic, we felt compelled to create a distinctive short film with a Latin American flair that would address the pressing issue of disinformation in our "post-truth" era."

To that end, the studio teamed up with Vero, a group of Brazilian researchers and content creators dedicated to transforming the Internet into a healthier and more sustainable environment for all users.

"The initiative grew out of the recognition that election disinformation is a transcontinental and coordinated phenomenon, with tactical operational patterns," explains Vero.

"Thus, there is an opportunity for learning among countries in the Latin American region that are facing this phenomenon."

According to the club camp team, "Our creative challenge was twofold.

to make the film more accessible to the audience, because if viewers find it offensive, they are more likely to stop watching it without learning anything. In other words, when designing the evil characters in this short, the artists had to be careful not to overdraw the familiar. They wanted to make the disinformation sellers recognizable, but not so much that anyone in the real world could identify them in their work. Nevertheless, the Clubcamping team admits that "if you look closely, squint a little, and turn your head to the side, you will recognize some of the assholes."

The villains in "Verified" are depicted with ugly, disproportionate features and proportions, making them much easier to spot than real-life villains.

Zaika, on the other hand, is depicted with more realistic proportions and features, representing her relationship to the truth. She and, in time, several other everyday superheroes are depicted in bright colors and move fluidly so as not to mistake them for being on the right side of the battle.

The short takes place in Latin America, and the backdrop is influenced by some of the region's best-known cities, including Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Bogotá, Santiago, Rio de Janeiro, and Lima. It is not a specific setting, but it is certainly familiar to anyone who has spent time in a major South American city.