Patricio Guzmán, Acclaimed Chilean Documentary Filmmaker, Dies at 85
Patricio Guzmán, the renowned Chilean director known for documenting the 1973 coup and the Pinochet dictatorship, has died in Paris at age 85 following a cardiorespiratory arrest.
Patricio Guzmán, the acclaimed Chilean filmmaker whose work chronicled the political turmoil of the 1970s and the subsequent dictatorship, died on Tuesday in Paris. He was 85 years old. According to reports from the Chilean news outlet Emol, his death followed a cardiorespiratory arrest.
Born in Chile in 1941, Guzmán initially worked in advertising before studying film in Chile and Madrid. He became internationally recognized for his documentary trilogy, "The Battle of Chile," which detailed the events leading up to and including the 1973 coup against President Salvador Allende. The three parts of the series were released between 1975 and 1979: "The Insurrection of the Bourgeoisie" (1975), "The Coup d’État" (1976), and "Popular Power" (1979). French filmmaker Chris Marker assisted Guzmán by supplying film stock and connections that were vital to completing the project.
Guzmán’s career was marked by personal danger during the regime of Augusto Pinochet. He was arrested during the dictatorship but eventually released. However, his cinematographer, Jorge Müller, and Müller’s girlfriend, Carmen Bueno, were arrested, tortured, and disappeared in 1974.
After spending a quarter-century in exile, Guzmán returned to Chile in the mid-1990s to make "Chile, Obstinate Memory." In 2001, he completed "The Pinochet Case," a documentary following the former dictator's arrest in London in 1998.
Later in his career, Guzmán shifted toward more poetic and metaphysical works. This included a trilogy starting with "Nostalgia for the Light" in 2010, which explored Chile's landscape and history. His final film, "The Cordillera of Dreams," covered the social protests that took place in Chile in 2019.