
One day, without warning, a revolution exploded. It was the event that master documentarian Patricio Guzmán had been waiting for all his life: a million and a half people in the streets of Santiago, Chile, demanding justice, education, health care, and a new constitution to replace the strident rules imposed on the country during the Pinochet military dictatorship. Urgent and inspired, MY IMAGINARY COUNTRY features harrowing front-line protest footage and interviews with dynamic activist leaders and powerfully connects Chile's complex, bloody history to contemporary revolutionary social movements and the election of a new president.
“It’s a vindication, not just for the nation, but for its most clear-eyed, full-hearted chronicler. Would that all countries were so lucky as to have a Patricio Guzmán, to help with the painful process of recovering what has been lost and, as with “My Imaginary Country,” occasionally to celebrate what has been gained.” —Jessica Kiang, Variety
“With civil liberties in America under attack, those willing to fight to keep the liberties we have in place could learn a thing or two from the Patricio Guzmán documentary My Imaginary Country.” —Valerie Complex, Deadline
“Guzman’s heart and soul investment in the film and the snapshots of people power in action make for an emotional and involving documentary.” —Allan Hunter, Screen International
“Immensely moving.” —Kees Driessen, Business Doc Europe
“Critics' Pick! Patricio Guzmán, Chile’s cinematic conscience, chronicles the uprising that shook the country starting in 2019.” —A. O. Scott, The New York Times
“Despite all the sorrow from the ever-present trauma of young lives lost or permanently scarred, My Imaginary Country drips with the contagious thrill of hope... it is hard not to be moved.” —Rafaela Sales Ross, The Playlist
“Raw and immediate… a powerful portrait of Chile.” —The Economist
“Guzmán is one of the most preeminent visual historians of his country’s recent past.” —The Wrap
“A vital, powerful and illuminating documentary.” —NYC Movie Guru
“Rousing… a sense of hopeful possibility infuses the documentary.” —Art Fuse
“We need more filmmakers who are willing to take risks like this and be unabashed with their politics.” —Disappointment Media
“The sense of excitement and possibility they feel— even wonder—is exhilarating.” —The Boston Globe
“An essential documentary for anyone interested in learning about an ongoing revolution that actually succeeded—and one that has been too-little covered by the American media. Chileans have shown the world how it’s done—now it’s up to others to follow their lead.” —Film Forward
“A moving vision of hope for those in dire straits…and those dreaming of a future of change.” —KPFK Film Club
2022 Cannes Film Festival
2022 Toronto International Film Festival