Acclaimed documentary-maker to visit St Andrews

Patricio Guzmán, best known for his films on Chilean dictator Augosto Pinochet, will deliver a public lecture at the University and take part in two special screenings of his work, during the whistle stop 2-day visit.

Fresh from winning the 2015 Silver Bear Award at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival, the film-maker is making a rare appearance in the UK, in a coup arranged by the University’s Centre for Film Studies.

Guzmán will talk on history and memory in post-Pinochet Chile in a public lecture at the University’s Parliament Hall on Friday (3 April) at 5pm.  The lecture will be followed by a screening and Q&A of The Battle of Chile, Part One at 7pm.  During his time in St Andrews, the film-maker will meet with PhD students of Film Studies at the University.

As part of his visit, Guzmán will also attend a screening of one of his films, Nostalgia for the Light (2010), at the DCA in Dundee on Saturday (4 April) night.  The film was winner of best feature documentary in the 2010 International Documentary Association Awards.

Guzmán (73), hopes that his most recent, award-winning film The Pearl Button (2015) will make its UK premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival this June.

His trip to St Andrews was organised by Professor Dennis Hanlon, a specialist in Latin American, South Asian, and European cinema at the University’s Centre for Film Studies.

He said, “In a career spanning more than four decades, Patricio Guzmán has created films that combine stunning visuals with unusually sophisticated political analysis. Had he only made ‘The Battle of Chile,’ his three part documentary about the 1973 US-backed coup that overthrew Salvador Allende’s government, Guzmán would have earned a place among the greatest documentary filmmakers. And yet he continues to make important films about history, memory and trauma in his native Chile.

“We are extremely pleased to be hosting Guzmán on his first visit to Scotland. Given the strengths of the University of St Andrews in International Relations and Film Studies, this event is a wonderful opportunity for the University community.”

The University of St Andrews Latin American Speakers Series presents Patricio Guzmán in person:

3 April, 5pm Public Lecture at Parliament Hall, South Street, South Street.

3 April, 7pm Screening of The Battle of Chile, Part One. Followed by a Q&A with Patricio Guzmán. School III, St Salvator’s Quadrangle, North Street, St Andrews.  Both St Andrews events are open to the public and free of charge.

4 April, 6pm Screening of Nostalgia for the Light. Dundee Contemporary Arts.

ENDS

Note to Editors:

For further information – and to arrange advance interviews with Patricio Guzmán via skype or email – contact Professor Dennis Hanlon on [email protected]

Issued by the Press Office, University of St Andrews

Contact Gayle Cook, Senior Communications Manager on 01334 467227 or email [email protected]

Ref: Guzman visit 020415