Happy 79th Birthday, Patricio Guzmán! Born today in 1941 as Patricio Guzmán Lozanes, this Chilean actor, cinematographer, screenwriter and film director is internationally renowned for his documentaries.
As an adolescent in the late 1950s, became drawn to documentary filmmaking when he had the opportunity to see some of the films of French writer, photographer, documentary film director, multimedia artist and film essayist Chris Marker.
Guzmán was also drawn to French film director, screenwriter and producer Louis Malle and French film and television director Frederic Rossif. Guzmán later matriculated at Pontificiaad Católica de Chile from 1963–1966.
Post studying filmmaking at the Film Institute at the Catholic University of Chile, he later enrolled at the Official School of Film in Madrid, Spain, where he obtained his degree in Film Direction in 1970.
The following year, Guzmán returned to Chile to write and direct his first documentary. This was the 1971 Chilean/Spanish documentary film 'El Primer Año' ('The First Year').
The film covered the first twelve months of the late Chilean president, democratic socialist politician and physician Salvador Guillermo Allende Gossens' government.
It was shown in commercial theaters that very year. Marker, who was passing through Chile at the time, happened to see the film and offered to help screen it in France.
Four years later, Guzmán became internationally renowned for his three-hour 1975 Venezuelan/French/Cuban black and white documentary film 'La Batalla de Chile: La insurrección de la burguesía' ('The Battle of Chile: Part 1: The Insurrection of the Bourgeoisie').
Produced by Marker, he sent film stock to Guzman to complete the film after the United States had pulled supplies due to ideological differences. He told Guzmán that what he was trying to do was insane.
The last two installments were the 1977 Cuban/Chilean/French black and white documentary film 'La Batalla de Chile: El golpe de estado' ('The Battle of Chile: Part 2: The Coup d'Etat'.
This was followed by the 1979 Chilean/Cuban/Venezuelan black and white/color world cinema/documentary film 'La Batalla de Chile: El poder popular' ('The Battle of Chile: Part 3: The Power of the People'). Marker had still obliged to produce the last two installments.
Guzmán is also internationally renowned for directing the 2004 Belgian/Chilean/French/German/Spanish/Mexican documentary film 'Salvador Allende'. The film chronicles the life and legacy of the titular former 28th President of Chile.
Allende had served in office from 1970-1973, and was head of the Popular Unity political coalition government. Allende was the first ever Marxist to be elected president in a country with liberal democracy.
Six years later, Guzmán directed the S25E12 episode for the critically acclaimed American documentary series POV (1988–present). This was the film for which he is best known for writing and directing.
This was the 2010 Chilean drama/documentary film 'Nostalgia de la luz' ('Nostalgia for the Light'). It was released in the United States on March 17, 2011 but aired on October 25, 2012.
The film tells about how in Chile's Atacama Desert (one of the driest places in the world), widows search for the bones of loved ones.
These were left by the atrocities of Chilean general, politician and dictator Augusto Pinochet, of whom had governed between 1973-1990.
For the documentary, Guzmán later received a nomination for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Documentary Screenplay.
According to Guzmán's personal life, he currently resides in France. He is married to Renate Sachse, of whom has collaborated on many of her husband's films.
They have two daughters together: Chilean film director Camila Guzmán Urzúa and Andrea Guzmán Urzúa. The latter is currently a cultural manager, filmmaker, and co-artistic director of the international documentary film festival DocumentaMadrid.
Guzmán also teaches documentary film classes in Europe and Latin America, and is the founder and director of the International Documentary Festival of Santiago (FIDOCS).
Guzmán has been active from 1964–present.
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