SPYWITNESS

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President Antonio Saca (left) and his brother Dr. Ricardo Saca.
Credit: Armando Arorizo – The Perfect Exposure

Novel promotional ploys are a dime a dozen in Hollywood. But it’s very unusual for the leader of a Latin American country to plug a specific cinematic project .

El Salvador’s President Antonio Saca hosted a cocktail party at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Saturday to hype “Flights of Fancy.” The film will depict the life of his older brother who took low-paying jobs around L.A. after he arrived in 1976 as an illegal alien. Eleven years later Dr. Ricardo Saco graduated from U.C. Irvine med school, went on to do his residency at UCLA and now practices in Chino.

“I want to use my abilities as president and as a communicator to support my brother,” said President Saca, 43, a former broadcast journalist. “His experience proves that, whether the goal is to become a physician or a president, we can each achieve our dreams.”

The president claims his brother’s rags-to-riches saga inspired him to run for office.

“The movie’s message is not to validate illegal entry into the U.S. but to encourage people to aim high,” President Saca said after meeting María Conchita Alonso, Laura Ceron, Alex Mendoza, Eddy Martin and other cast members.

-BY JOEL STRATTE- McCLURE