There are those who say that heroes are not born, they are made. This phenomenon mostly occurs accidentally and more often than not, the least heroic are the ones acting the part. The story of The Fists of a Nation explores this instance in the figure of the famous and charismatic Panamanian boxer, Roberto 'Hands of Stone' Duran. This is a remarkable first documentary feature by Pituka Heilbron that pulls no punches on the exploration of a great positive icon for the whole Region and beyond. During the sixties, seventies and eighties, Panama as well as the rest of Latin America, was looking to position itself before the U.S. presence in the area. In Panama, this presence was even more evident because the United States controlled the Panama Canal. Americans had resided in this country and hoisted their flag on Panamanian soil since the beginning of the 20th Century. In the 1950s, a man was born in El Chorrillo, one of the poorest barrios of the city of Panama
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