O exílio chileno pelas lentes do cinema (1973-1983)

Abstract

In this article, we intend to demonstrate, in general lines, the constitution of the Chilean cinema of exile. This cinematographic movement originated in 1973, with the coup d'état that annihilated the Popular Unity government and with the immediate implementation of the repressive dictatorial machine in Chile, led by General Augusto Pinochet. Faced with this authoritarian framework, the artistic field, and especially cinema, was seriously affected. However, many Chilean filmmakers, expelled for political reasons, continued their craft abroad producing a myriad of works denouncing the dictatorship and exposing life in other countries. Among these numerous filmic examples we highlight the documentary trilogy La Batalla de Chile, considered a milestone in Chilean and Latin American documentaries. In addition, the end of Chilean cinema in exile can be located in 1983, a moment in which Pinochet's government was worn down by massive protests accompanied by a relaxation of censorship and the return of expatriate directors.