Campaign activity for the 1988 plebiscite in the city of Temuco. This initiative came from Osacar Arias and colleagues like Juan Ñanculef (who is featured in this recording( in the NGO CAPIDE (Advisory Center of Palnning and Development). The video was made in different Mapuche communities, including the Peñeipil Community in Galvarino and the Cuyinko community in Cholchol.
On October 5, 1988, Chile faced a fundamental plebiscite for the future of the country and its people. This documentary examines the environment and the situation in the country in the months prior to the realization of this transcendental dilemma. If the “Yes” vote won, the dictator Augusto Pinochet would continue directing, as de facto President, the destinies of Chile. If the “NO” vote won, the Military Junta should call free, informed and internationally supervised presidential elections within a year. They are the protagonists of this historical moment and the anonymous people of this country, who make us discover the situation that existed at that time.
In this polarized climate between black and white, between YES or NO, some residents tell us what the people felt. Their hopes and their fears, while facing the harsh conditions of life mired in poverty.
They make us feel this climate of uncertainty at the gates of a plebiscitary decision, whose results and consequences were unpredictable. But they also tell us about what they hope will happen, once the victory of the no is known, in which joy, bewilderment and mistrust are mixed, but also a deep hope and optimism about the future of them and of the country, in the midst of the presidential campaign in that Don Patricio Aylwin Azócar would be elected, who would be the First President of the Republic after the dictatorship, and it would be up to him to lead the difficult stage of the beginning of the democratic transition.
Difficult, fragile and dangerous stage, where the dictator was still Commander-in-Chief of the Army and, as such, threatened this nascent democratic stage, with a blatant warning: “I do not threaten, but if they touch a single one of my men, ends the rule of law!”
This series narrates important milestones in the history of Chile. Chapter 5 of the first season focuses on the day of the plebiscite. Directed by Marcelo Ferrari, Buen Puerto and Invercine Producciones
This documentary examines the widespread repression of the military regime, including several of the most emblematic cases of human rights violations. Then, it narrates the journey of the social and political forces towards the campaign for the 1988 plebiscite, culminating in the victory of the NO. Directed by Dragomir Yankovic. (Museum of Memory and Human Rights)
This documentary focuses on the important role that the television slot played in the success of the NO campaign, which began the transition to democracy in Chile. The documentary includes interviews with professionals and creatives who worked on the campaign, including José Manuel Salcedo, Juan Forch and Ignacio Agüero. Directed by Juan Forch.
This documentary examines the role of exile, the world of culture and the international press in the success of the NO campaign that marked the beginning of the return to democracy in Chile. How was the day of October 5 experienced from the different countries of exile? What do those who did not return think of today’s Chile? Directed by Carolina Espinoza Cartes, Ingrid, Ormeño and Kika Valdés.