Editor's Note:
In 1970, Salvador Allende won the Chilean presidential elections on the Popular Unity coalition ticket. For three exhilarating years the country witnessed massive changes, including land reform, nationalizations of foreign-owned companies, and the empowerment of workers and peasants. In 1973, the country's brief experiment with social justice was abruptly ended by a military coup, resulting in a 17-year dictatorship under General Augusto Pinochet.
The tragic events of the period have often been chronicled in film, most famously by Chilean exile Patricio Guzman, the director of "The Battle of Chile" and "The Pinochet Case." Yet a recent wave of works made by younger directors has also provided new perspectives by delving into little-examined aspects of the historical events and following the politics of the democratic transition. Three of the documentaries listed below are new productions that expand our understanding of the coup and subsequent dictatorship. LAVA also takes the opportunity to revisit a 1983 documentary on the ICTUS theater group, which used creative performance to challenge the oppressive atmosphere of the Pinochet regime.
To order any of these videos, contact us by email at info@lavavideo.org, by phone 212-243-4804, or by fax 212-243-2007. Our website, www.latinamericanvideo.org, allows for secure purchases by credit card.
