Chacabuco, memoria del silencio

Chacabuco is the name of a former mining town in the north of Chile. Following the military coup in September 1973, the village was converted into a concentration camp, where thousands of adherents of president Salvador Allende were imprisoned. After more than a quarter of a century, a group of former prisoners returns to the camp. The documentary registers their memories of the forced stay in Chacabuco. Despite the severe conditions at the time, the captives managed to build up a flourishing cultural life, including theatre performances, poetry contests, chess tournaments and musical shows by Los Chacabucanos. Their descriptions are complemented by accounts from employees and from writer Hernan Rivera Letelier, who witnessed the construction of the camp. With this film, director Gaston Ancelovici has filled a gap in the collective memory of Chile.