The Chilean Documentary will have the largest exhibition of its history in Paris

19 mayo, 2020

Chili, cinéma obstiné is the name of the tribute that will feature more than 40 national documentaries between 1958 and 2020.

– The exhibition, which had to start in April and was suspended due to the wake of the pandemic, will finally begin its screenings on September 11, 2020.

– It will be held in the Public Library of the Pompidou Center and in the network of cinemas of the Documentary Film Library.

The unprecedented retrospective highlights the cultural and professional value that the documentary audiovisual sector has acquired worldwide. This is made clear by Harm Pietr Bos, programmer of La Cinémathèque du Documentaire and curator of the exhibition: «The two red threads of the cycle are, on the one hand, the role played by Chilean documentaries as tireless and obstinate chroniclers of life and society in Chile; and on the other hand, the influence of the very particular topography of the country, a topography that is not only a simple decoration, but also a true driving force in films ”

The tribute reveals the diverse regards that exist throughout the country. It highlights the work of young filmmakers and the commitment of the numerous collectives that testify the social situation existing in Chile but at the same time emphasizes the most striking works of three leading figures in national cinema: Patricio Guzmán, Carmen Castillo and Ignacio Agüero.

Diego Pino, director of Chiledoc, the sectorial brand of the national documentary, explains the relevance of the exhibition for both the sector and those who are behind the productions: “That a program of Chilean films like this one takes place at the Pompidou Center is not just a historical moment, but it is also an opportunity, for the entire Chilean documentary sector, to give an account of the cinematography that we have and the quality of our works, which is being highlighted by such an important cultural space as the Pompidou in such a cinema consuming country like France. The retrospective opens a door to not only show what we are doing and the productions that are being carried out, but also as an excellent moment to open new exhibition windows around the world, which in turn allows us to expand the commercial opportunities for the filmmakers behind these films »

For Bos, who knew the national documentary thanks to the films created by Patricio Guzmán and Carmen Castillo, and who was in Chile before as a jury at FIDOCS, the tribute comes from wanting to make visible, understand and support what is happening in the country: “The three months cycle (from September 11 to December 18) will not be enough to try to better understand the complexity and the historical and social dimension of a country where the persistence of the struggles only corresponds to the tenacity of filmmakers who film them. But with a perhaps chimerical ambition: to bring a little of the spirit of Santiago to the Parisian cinemas ”

The documentaries: the guests of honor

The exhibition, which will have more than 70 screenings, is organized by the Public Library of the Pompidou Center in Paris, in collaboration with La Cinémathèque du Documentaire, and will begin on Friday, September 11 with El viaje espacial, directed by Carlos Araya and produced by María Paz González and It will end on Friday December 18 with the exhibition of La ciudad perdida, directed and produced by Francisco Hervé.

Here are the titles:

Beyond My Grandfather Allende – Marcia Tambutti Allende
Arcana – Cristóbal Vicente
In the name of God – Patricio Guzmán
One hundred children waiting for a train – Ignacio Agüero
Chile, no invoco tu nombre en vano – Gastón Ancelovici
Cofralandes 1: hoy en día (Rapsodia chilena) – Raúl Ruiz
Como me da la gana – Ignacio Agüero
Como me da la gana II – Ignacio Agüero
Cuentos del futuro – Pachi Bustos
Crónica de un comité – José Luis Sepúlveda, Carola Adriazola
God – Colectivo MAFI
Desordenado y desaliñado – Carlos Flores del Pino
The Pearl button – Patricio Guzmán
The Pinochet Case – Patricio Guzmán
The Chilean Building – Macarena Aguiló
The Young Butler – Marcela Said
El país de mi padre – Carmen Castillo
Harley Quinn – Carola Adriazola, José Luis Sepúlveda
I never climbed the Provincia – Ignacio Agüero
The other day – Ignacio Agüero
The battle of Chile 1. The Insurrection of the Bourgeoisie – Patricio Guzmán
The battle of Chile 2. The Coup d’Etat – Patricio Guzmán
The battle of Chile 3. The Power of the People – Patricio Guzmán
City of Photographers – Sebastián Moreno
The Lost City – Francisco Hervé
The cordillera of dreams – Patricio Guzmán
La flaca Alejandra – Carmen Castillo
El chileno Charles Bronson (o idéntico al mismo) – Carlos Flores del Pino
El viaje espacial – Carlos Araya Díaz
The crosses – Carlos Vásquez Méndez, Teresa Arredondo
The dreams of the castle – René Ballesteros
The Grown-Ups – Maite Alberdi
No olvidar – Ignacio Agüero
Nostalgia for the light – Patricio Guzmán
Cuando la gente despierta – Andrés Racz
Calle Santa Fé – Carmen Castillo
If you listen carefully – Nicolás Guzmán
Surire – Bettina Perut, Iván Osnovikoff
Tierra de Agua – Carlos Klein
Solitary Land – Tiziana Panizza
Ultraman, la historia solitaria de Erwin Valdebenito – Cristián Leighton

Without a doubt, the pandemic has affected our documentary audiovisual industry, however, there are different alternatives in order to cope in a good way with the context we are experiencing. Events that were canceled are rescheduled, digital platforms like Filmarket Hub keep the markets going, organizations like Nosotras Audiovisuales raise new calls and there will always be documentaries to accompany us in these days of quarantine.

Our stubborn industry keeps going, be part of it.