The bloody military coup that shook up Chile in 1973 would not be as well known around the world without the remarkable documentary trilogy made by Patricio Guzman, The Battle of Chile (La batalla de Chile). After the coup, Patricio was imprisoned in the infamous soccer stadium where so many disappeared from; then he went into exile in Cuba, Spain and France. The film reels were secretly taken out of Chile by the Swedish embassy and were restored by Patricio, who screened the films all over the world. Chile has remained in his soul and in his films, as his Chile, Obstinate Memory (Chile, La memoria obstinada,1997) attests. That film movingly documents his return to his native land to screen The Battle of Chile to young generations who had no idea about the atrocities committed by the military, as the truth had been censored and hidden from them.
Over the years, Guzman has made other award-winning films, including another trilogy exploring the geography of his beloved country, from the starry deserts in the North in Nostalgia for the Light (Nostalgia de la luz, Cannes 2010) to the chilly coastal waters in the South in The Pearl Button (El botón de nácar, Silver Bear for Best Script, Berlin 2015) to the snowy peaks of the Andes mountains in The Cordillera of Dreams (La cordillera de los sueños, Golden Eye Award, Cannes 2019). In those three films, he turns his attention to the environment and, inevitably, human rights, particularly the struggles of the indigenous Mapuche people. This year he is returning to Cannes, where he premiered his Battle trilogy in the 1970s, with the new documentary My Imaginary Country (Mi país imaginario). At long last he has reason to celebrate, as Chile has reaffirmed its democracy and elected a new president, student leader Gabriel Boric. In the film, Guzman interviews women who were at the forefront of the 2019 protests that lead to a revolutionary reawakening in Chile. Patricio finds that collective memory is alive and well, and dares to hope that his dreams can become a reality. –Patricia Boero
