Patricio Guzmán, acclaimed Chilean documentary filmmaker, dies at 85

Renowned Chilean documentary filmmaker Patricio Guzmán has died in Paris at the age of 85. He passed away on September 15, 2026, following a cardiorespiratory arrest.

Guzmán was a central figure in preserving Chile’s historical memory through cinema. He is best known for his monumental trilogy ‘La Batalla del Chile’, which documented the political upheavals and the 1973 military coup led by Augusto Pinochet. His work often focused on resistance and national identity, including acclaimed films such as ‘Nostalgia de la luz’ and ‘El botón de nácar’.

Throughout his career, Guzmán received numerous international honors, including the Silver Bear at the Berlinale, a Goya Award, and the Golden Eye at the Cannes Film Festival. In Chile, he was awarded the National Prize for Representational and Audiovisual Arts in 2023. His passing has drawn tributes from political and artistic communities, recognizing his role in transforming historical archives into works of cinematic resistance.