In the 1970s, the East German DEFA Studios responded to the military coup in Chile in 1973. They produced films about Chile and Chilean exiles that were not simply reactions to the political upheavals or demonstrations of solidarity with the Chilean people. In many cases, Chilean artists were directly involved in the creation of these films or were central to the film’s story.

This program of six short documentaries features Chilean music (Aparcoa, 1977) and tells daily stories of Chilean exiles in their new East German homeland (A Chilean Wedding, 1977; Copihuita, 1977). The three films by the legendary H&S Studio, a private East German film group, are part of their 10-film Chilean Cycle (1974-1985). They use rare footage to picture the situation at the presidential palace La Moneda on September 11, 1973, the day of the military coup (Fellow Citizens, 1974), and investigate dictator Pinochet’s politics (Psalm 18, 1974) and underground resistance (Money Troubles, 1975).

The playlist Chilean Experiences in East German Cinema includes the following six shorts with English and/or Spanish subtitles. The films can also be rented as single titles.

The films are also available for a Digital Site License for educational partners. Please find more information here.

A Chilean Wedding (East Germany, 1977, dirs. Valentin Milanov, Rainer Ackermann, 8 min., b/w, doc.)

Aparcoa (East Germany, 1977, dir. Jürgen Steinheisser, 6 min., color, doc.)

Copihuito (East Germany 1977, dir. Günter Jordan, 14 min., color, doc.)

Fellow Citizens (East Germany 1974, dirs. Walter Heynowski, Gerhard Scheumann, 7 min., b/w, doc. original 1975 English version)

Money Troubles (East Germany, 1975, 6 min., dirs. Walter Heynowski, Gerhard Scheumann, b/w & color, doc., original 1975 English version)

Psalm 18 (East Germany, 1974, 5 min., dirs. Walter Heynowski, Gerhard Scheumann, b/w, doc.)