Antonio Skármeta

After the 1973 coup, thousands of Chileans emigrated to East Germany. Some collaborated with the DEFA film company on more than 50 films. These films address, both personally and collectively, that turbulent period of political violence and exile. These films remain almost unknown until now.

A poor postman in Isla Negra, Chile, befriends Pablo Neruda and asks his help in writing poems to the woman of his dreams.

Present day. Chile. Legendary bank robber Vergara Grey is getting out of prison after 5 long years and is looking forward to a quiet, uneventful life together with his wife and son whom oddly he hasn't heard from in years. But soon his resolve is tested when he meets 19 year old Angel a young thief who insists the two join up to score the biggest heist of all time. Though tempted, he resists until he finds out that his beloved wife has gone off with a millionaire and his son wants to change his last name. Then Victoria, a graceful and mysteriously mute dancer living in a conservatory, steps into the picture. She captivates Vergara and Angel, as well as all others that cross her path, drastically changing their lives.

The sierras of southern Brazil, 1963. The son of an French man and a Brazilian woman, Tony is a young man with a profound love of cinema and poetry. After graduating from college he returns to his small town in rural Brazil, to find out that his father had left for good, back to France. Tony then looks for the company of his fathers friends in search of information and references of a lost male role-model. He becomes a school teacher and a male figure to kids, in an attempt to provide them with something he lacks himself. A series of developments lead him to a surprising final lead on his fathers' whereabouts and reasons for leaving.

Two life stories. That of Malou, a French woman, married to a German Jew, a refugee stranded in South America: a picture of the pre-war generation reflected in the unusual destiny of an individual woman. And that of Hannah, an alert, independent, modern woman, seeking after freedom and her own identity, and trying in present-day Berlin to save her shaky marriage.

In the film, Antonio Skármeta, who had to flee Chile in 1973 due to the military dictatorship, interviews various Chilean artists who are also living in exile in Europe. How are work opportunities changing for artists far away from their homeland? What problems do they face? What do they gain from their special situation?

Documentary about internationally-renowned author Ariel Dorfman, the third generation of his family to know exile. His father's leftwing beliefs saw the family uprooted from both Argentina and the US, before settling in Chile. When Allende came to power, Ariel was a prominent member of his circle, but the bloody 1973 coup saw many of his friends and colleagues killed or disappeared and Ariel forced into exile again. Peter Raymont journeys with Ariel as he looks back on his life. (Storyville)

A fictitious country in South America: the military has taken power in the state and rules with an iron hand. Anyone who expresses criticism of the system is imprisoned. In a rebellious small town, however, the citizens show solidarity with the numerous political prisoners - until all the town's inhabitants are arrested. Now "peace reigns in the land" again.

A poor postman in Isla Negra, Chile, befriends Pablo Neruda and asks his help in writing poems to the woman of his dreams.

A poor postman in Isla Negra, Chile, befriends Pablo Neruda and asks his help in writing poems to the woman of his dreams.

Present day. Chile. Legendary bank robber Vergara Grey is getting out of prison after 5 long years and is looking forward to a quiet, uneventful life together with his wife and son whom oddly he hasn't heard from in years. But soon his resolve is tested when he meets 19 year old Angel a young thief who insists the two join up to score the biggest heist of all time. Though tempted, he resists until he finds out that his beloved wife has gone off with a millionaire and his son wants to change his last name. Then Victoria, a graceful and mysteriously mute dancer living in a conservatory, steps into the picture. She captivates Vergara and Angel, as well as all others that cross her path, drastically changing their lives.

It follows Chilean writer Antonio Skármeta as he celebrates the end of the autocrats. Cheerful farewell rituals accompany others facing political persecution on their way to fly home.

It follows Chilean writer Antonio Skármeta as he celebrates the end of the autocrats. Cheerful farewell rituals accompany others facing political persecution on their way to fly home.

In the film, Antonio Skármeta, who had to flee Chile in 1973 due to the military dictatorship, interviews various Chilean artists who are also living in exile in Europe. How are work opportunities changing for artists far away from their homeland? What problems do they face? What do they gain from their special situation?

In the film, Antonio Skármeta, who had to flee Chile in 1973 due to the military dictatorship, interviews various Chilean artists who are also living in exile in Europe. How are work opportunities changing for artists far away from their homeland? What problems do they face? What do they gain from their special situation?

Martin Becker, a drug addict, journeys to Colombia seeking direct access to supply but vanishes. When his mother Lore is summoned to identify his body, she discovers the corpse isn’t her son, but just someone using his passport. With the aid of adventurous pilot Blain, she uncovers a jungle-backed drug ring where addicts are enslaved by the mafia. Filmed on location in Ecuador, this crime adventure follows their perilous quest for the truth.

In Nicaragua, 1977, corruption and abuse of power are everyday occurrences under the Somoza family’s dictatorship. Eruptions of violence lead to a civil war, which the Sandinista revolutionaries win – at least for the time being. Against this backdrop, the conflict between a young soldier of the Somoza regime and his family, who sympathize with the insurgents, is illustrated.

A fictitious country in South America: the military has taken power in the state and rules with an iron hand. Anyone who expresses criticism of the system is imprisoned. In a rebellious small town, however, the citizens show solidarity with the numerous political prisoners - until all the town's inhabitants are arrested. Now "peace reigns in the land" again.

The young Marcela leaves her small Chilean village and travels to Santiago in order to find work as a secretary.

A cyclist decides to go for everything and win the 'Tour of Chile' Race, so he can finance the medical treatment for his ill mother with the prize. However, he must soon recognize that the sporting event is corrupted by commercial and marketing interests, in addition to the political goals of the military regime.

Untracked, even confused, but not unfunny, this attempt by two old people to escape. It has become too cramped in the Berlin apartment shared by three generations of a Chilean immigrant family when the paralyzed grandfather decides to return to his Chilean homeland. Under the suspicious gaze and accompanied by impotent attempts at action by the other family members, he sets off with his wife and an uncle. Their odyssey through Berlin lasts exactly one day.

Untracked, even confused, but not unfunny, this attempt by two old people to escape. It has become too cramped in the Berlin apartment shared by three generations of a Chilean immigrant family when the paralyzed grandfather decides to return to his Chilean homeland. Under the suspicious gaze and accompanied by impotent attempts at action by the other family members, he sets off with his wife and an uncle. Their odyssey through Berlin lasts exactly one day.

After moving to Germany from Chile with his family, 16-year-old Lucho tries to find his feet in his new home. His interests hardly differ from those of his German schoolmates: Lucho is interested in the latest pop songs and pretty girls.