Country guide · South America
10 Essential Films from Paraguay + 2 Movies Set in or About Paraguay
Paraguay on the atlas: the strongest films of its own cinema, and the films the rest of the world has set there. Every list is curated and ranked by hand.
10 Essential Films from Paraguay
Native cinema in Paraguay’s own creative voice — the passport route that earns visas and citizenship.
-
1. La Redención
A dying veteran of the Chaco War travels with the granddaughter of a fallen comrade to piece together what really happened during and after the brutal 1930s conflict. A Paraguayan drama of memory and reckoning.
Curator’s note: A Paraguayan historical road drama rooted in the Chaco War, local memory, and Paraguayan production.
-
2. Narciso
In 1958, a charismatic young man returns to Paraguay from Buenos Aires with rock and roll in his blood, and under a suffocating military regime his radio show becomes a sensation and a fragile symbol of freedom. A period drama.
Curator’s note: Candidate native film held back by curator: missing accepted native-language fit, sole country-origin evidence, or explicit web-curated primary-country evidence.
-
3. 7 Boxes
On a sweltering Friday night in a chaotic Asunción market, a teenage wheelbarrow porter dreaming of a phone is hired to deliver seven mysterious boxes — and finds himself hunted through the stalls by people who want their contents. A breathless, kinetic thriller.
Curator’s note: Curator validation: native Paraguay cinema candidate with Spanish, Guarani original-language evidence.
-
4. The Heiresses
When her longtime partner is jailed for fraud, a sheltered woman from Paraguay's genteel upper class is forced out of her comfort zone, taking up informal work as a driver for wealthy old ladies and quietly awakening to new possibilities. A subtle, acclaimed drama.
Curator’s note: Candidate native film held back by curator: missing accepted native-language fit, sole country-origin evidence, or explicit web-curated primary-country evidence.
-
5. Los Buscadores
A young Asunción paperboy given a mysterious old map by his grandfather sets off on a treasure hunt for gold said to be buried during a 19th-century war, a caper full of danger and comedy. A crowd-pleasing adventure.
Curator’s note: Curator validation: native Paraguay cinema candidate with Spanish original-language evidence.
-
6. Empty cans
A man obsessively hunts for the gold buried across Paraguay during the devastating 19th-century war, and when he finally strikes treasure, misfortune comes with it. A Paraguayan drama.
Curator’s note: Candidate native film held back by curator: missing accepted native-language fit, sole country-origin evidence, or explicit web-curated primary-country evidence.
-
7. The Last Runway
A hardened former colonel appointed to head Paraguay's anti-drug agency purges his special forces and wages the first battles of a war against traffickers along the Argentine border. A gritty action drama.
Curator’s note: Curator validation: native Paraguay cinema candidate with Spanish original-language evidence.
-
8. Morgue
On his first night shift as a hospital security guard, a young man finds himself locked inside the building — and haunted by unsettling presences lurking in its dark corridors. A Paraguayan supernatural horror.
Curator’s note: Curator validation: native Paraguay cinema candidate with Spanish original-language evidence.
-
9. Killing the Dead
In 1978 Paraguay, under Stroessner's dictatorship, two men who secretly bury the regime's victims discover that one of the bodies is still alive, forcing an agonizing moral choice. A tense, dread-soaked drama.
Curator’s note: Curator validation: native Paraguay cinema candidate with Spanish, Guarani original-language evidence.
-
10. Do Not Enter
Two aspiring young YouTubers sneak into an abandoned mansion to retrieve a lost ball and get lost inside, filming everything for their audience as the house turns menacing. A found-footage horror.
Curator’s note: Do Not Enter ranked among the strongest verified Paraguay-authored features for craft, enduring reputation, influence, and importance within the national cinema.
2 Movies Set in or About Paraguay
Outside filmmakers looking toward Paraguay: optional perspectives for a wider journey.
-
1. Thirst
Set during the Chaco War between Paraguay and Bolivia, this drama follows soldiers pushed to the brink by combat and the merciless desert thirst. A war film.
Curator’s note: Thirst is a strong foreign-authored film whose sustained setting or subject engages with Paraguay.
-
2. Rat Trap
A hopeful young Frenchman travels to Paraguay to start a new life with a rich uncle, but when the miserly relative rejects him, he sinks into the country's hard underside. A South American adventure drama starring Charles Aznavour.
Curator’s note: Rat Trap is a strong foreign-authored film whose sustained setting or subject engages with Paraguay.
Selected by the FilmsAroundThe.World editorial desk
Lists are ranked for craft, enduring reputation, influence, and depth of engagement with place. Native selections require a verified creative relationship to the country; souvenir selections require an outside creative lead and a country-centered story. Read the methodology.
Editorial review: 2026-07-13
Nearby on the atlas
More South America guides: