My Imaginary Country

Direct from Cannes comes Chilean master Patricio Guzmán’s latest razor-sharp reflection on his homeland: a chronicle of the Santiago uprising of 2019.

In October 2019, 1.5 million people took to the streets of Chile’s capital. At first in response to a rise in public-transport fares, the protests quickly became about much more, encompassing issues relating to the cost of living, a subpar health system, and insufficient rights for women, students and pensioners. Still emerging from decades of dictatorial rule, Chile’s citizens were awakened to the fact that they were owed their due, taking it upon themselves to demand something better for their country.

For more than 50 years, Patricio Guzmán (The Cordillera of Dreams, MIFF 2019; Nostalgia for the Light, MIFF 2010) has been documenting the evolving face of Chile, in particular the heartbreaking toll of Augusto Pinochet’s despotic regime. Despite having lived in exile since the 1970s, the director’s unwavering love for his homeland is clear. Underneath the gas masks and the scenes of fear, aggression and protest, he finds the indelible potential for hope that his beloved country may one day know peace. As Chile faces a new and exciting future, Guzmán is there to show us how it was bravely fought for.