Director · Actor

Patricio Guzmán

1941 – 2026

Who they are

Born: 11 August 1941, Santiago, Chile
Died: 15 September 2026
Known for: The Battle of Chile: Part I, Chile: Obstinate Memory, Nostalgia for the Light

Patricio Guzmán was a Chilean documentary filmmaker who spent much of his career in exile in France. He documented the Allende era and Pinochet's coup in The Battle of Chile, then explored Chile's memory and landscape in a later trilogy. He is a central figure in Latin American political documentary.

Where to start

The Battle of Chile: Part I (1975)Full guide
First part of his landmark trilogy chronicling the final months of Allende's government and the build-up to the 1973 coup.
Chile: Obstinate Memory (1997)Log in to add it to the library
Returns to Chile to show the film footage of the Allende years to those who lived through them, and to younger generations.
Nostalgia for the Light (2010)Full guide
Links the Atacama Desert's observatories with the search for the disappeared, launching his acclaimed later trilogy.
The Pearl Button (2015)In the library
Connects water, Indigenous genocide and dictatorship-era killings in a lyrical essay on Chile's history.
The Cordillera of Dreams (2019)Log in to add it to the library
Closes the trilogy by looking at the Andes as a lens on Chile's past and his own exile.

Their films in the library

Awards

2015 Berlin International Film Festival: Silver Bear for Best Screenplay (The Pearl Button)
2019 Cannes Film Festival: L'Œil d'or for best documentary (The Cordillera of Dreams, shared)

The full list · 35

1965Viva la libertadLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1966Electro showLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1966Mimbre y GredaLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1968Apuntes sobre la tortura y otras formas de diálogoLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1972The First YearLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1975The Battle of Chile: Part ILog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1976The Battle of Chile: Part IILog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1979The Battle of Chile: Part IIILog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1983The Compass RoseLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1987En nombre de DiosLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1988Moon Over ParadorLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Family Member
1992The Southern CrossLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1995Pueblo en viloLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1995Barriers of SolitudeLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1997Chile: Obstinate MemoryLog in to add it to the libraryDirector · Actor as Self - Narrator (voice)
1999Robinson Crusoe IslandLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2001The Pinochet CaseLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2002MadridLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2004Salvador AllendeLog in to add it to the libraryDirector · Actor as Self - Narrator (voice)
2005My Jules VerneLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2008Capturing RealityLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self
2010Nostalgia for the LightLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2010José Maza, Sky TravellerLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2010Chile, a Galaxy of ProblemsLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2010Oscar Saa, Technician of the StarsLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2010María Teresa and the Brown DwarfLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2010Astronomers From My NeighborhoodLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2012Luc Moullet (et Patricio Guzmán) à Manosque IIILog in to add it to the libraryActor
2015The Pearl ButtonLog in to add it to the libraryDirector · Actor as Narrator (voice)
2018Santiago, ItaliaLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self - Filmmaker
2019The Cordillera of DreamsLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2020Nas Asas da Pan AmLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Himself
2022My Imaginary CountryLog in to add it to the libraryDirector · Actor as Self
2022Film: The Living Record of Our MemoryLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self
2022O Grande Irmão: O Dia que Durou 21 Anos 2Log in to add it to the libraryActor as Self

Filmography data from TMDB. The profile text is a draft written for Cinespective.