Ignacio Agüero Honored at Las Palmas Film Festival

Chilean documentary filmmaker Ignacio Agüero will be honored with a retrospective at the 25th Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival, scheduled from April 23 to May 3, 2026. This tribute will celebrate Agüero's influential career, showcasing seven of his films, including notable works such as “Cien niños esperando un tren” (One Hundred Children Waiting for a Train) (1988), “El otro día” (The Other Day), and “Nunca subí el Provincia” (I Never Climbed the Provincia) (2019). The festival's programmers highlight Agüero's filmography as pivotal in Latin American modern cinema, emphasizing his unique approach to documenting Chile's political history by focusing on memory rather than direct activism.

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Born in Santiago in 1952, Agüero's early life was shaped by the political upheaval following the military coup led by General Augusto Pinochet in 1973. This period of repression stifled many filmmakers, yet Agüero remained in Chile, driven by a desire to witness and document the realities of life under dictatorship. His first film, “No olvidar” (Don’t Forget), filmed covertly, chronicles the tragic story of a father and his four sons, reflecting the societal violence of the time. Agüero's subsequent works, including “Como me da la gana” (This Is the Way I Like It), marked a turning point in his career, as he navigated the challenges of filmmaking amid oppressive conditions.

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Agüero's films often feature conversations that explore the relationship between individuals and their environments, as seen in “Aquí se construye. O ya no existe el lugar en donde nací” (Under Construction, or the Place Where I Was Born No Longer Exists) (2000). His latest feature, “Cartas a mis padres muertos” (Letters to My Dead Parents), intertwines personal and political themes, reflecting on the impact of the Pinochet coup on his family and Chilean society. Agüero describes his filmmaking philosophy as one that does not aim to convey specific messages but rather to create situations that allow reality to unfold naturally.

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As Agüero approaches his seventies, he reflects on the current state of documentary cinema amidst rising global tensions. While he acknowledges the parallels between contemporary political climates and the Pinochet era, he emphasizes the importance of personal engagement in documentary filmmaking. “There’s no certainty of anything. There is doubt everywhere,” he states, underscoring the necessity for filmmakers to confront the world in a personal manner.

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• “From a period that was very promising, a sunny future…suddenly everything broke down,” — Ignacio Agüero, Filmmaker

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• “That was the principal thing — we had no fear to work.” — Ignacio Agüero, Filmmaker

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• “Filmmaking is a way to contact the world and to know the world.” — Ignacio Agüero, Filmmaker

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• “There’s no certainty of anything. There is doubt everywhere. You have no leaders. No truths,” — Ignacio Agüero, Filmmaker

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Agüero's retrospective at the Las Palmas Film Festival not only honors his contributions to cinema but also invites reflection on the role of documentary filmmaking in challenging times.

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