Double Bill Screening – Chile: ‘503’ and After Pinochet

503

On a dreary day in Autumn 1998 a picket formed in London to campaign for General Augusto Pinochet’s extradition to face trial in Spain and they remained there for 503 days. Although unsuccessful, this film picks up on 11 December 2006 the day after Pinochet’s death where another protest forms outside the Chilean Embassy and speaks to those who felt they brought the dictator a little closer to justice.

Director: Isabel Rodriguez
Length: 34 mins

After Pinochet

After Pinochet is an investigation into the healing of Chile’s wounded heart, one year into the presidency of Michelle Bachelet, South America’s first female president, and six months after the death of Augusto Pinochet. It speaks to the survivors of the ex-dictator’s brutal regime and asks whether the country has yet recovered from its painful past.

It is also a personal journey for Annabel Aguirre, whose great Pedro Aguirre Cerda led Chile as president from 1938 to 1941. His cabinet included the country’s first socialist politician, Salvador Allende, the man who was ousted from power in 1973 by Pinochet’s army. 

After Pinochet looks at modern Chile, a nation that hopes never to return to the days of dictatorship and torture.

Director: Annabel Aguirre
Length: 59 mins