Patricio Guzmán

“A country without documentary films is like a family without a photo album,” says Guzmán, whose films, often about his native Chile, explore themes of history and memory. The Battle of Chile, his masterful cinéma-vérité account of the 1973 military coup, is a landmark political documentary. He returned to Chile in the late 1990s to show this film — banned for decades — to a new generation: Chile: Obstinate Memory documents this fascinating exercise in retrieving suppressed history. “What Guzmán passionately and sharply observes serves for the whole world,” says Ariel Dorfman. Guzmán teaches film and is the founder/director of Santiago’s International Documentary Festival.

Selected Filmography

My Jules Verne (2005)

Salvador Allende (2004)
Lima Latin American Film Festival — Best Documentary
Barcelona Film Awards — Best Documentary

The Pinochet Case (2001)
San Francisco International Film Festival — Best Documentary
Marseille Festival of Documentary Film — Grand Prix

Chile: Obstinate Memory (1997)
Marseille Festival of Documentary Film — Audience Award

In God's Name (1987)
Florence Film Festival — Grand Prize
Berlin International Festival — Honourable Mention

The Battle of Chile (3 parts: 1975-79)
French Syndicate of Film Critics — Critics Award
Leipzig DOK Festival — Special Jury Prize
Grenoble International Film Festival — Grand Prix (twice)
Benalmadena International Film Festival — Grand Prix
Havana Film Festival — Grand Prix
Brussels International Film Festival — Grand Prix