Film Screening — Nostalgia for the Light

Patricio Guzmán, 2010, 90 min, Chile, Spanish with English subtitles, DCP

-- Introduced by Miguel Rojas-Sotelo (Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies/NC Latin American Film Festival) and Daniel M. Scolnic (Physics/Electrical & Computer Engineering)

Master director Patricio Guzman travels 10,000 feet above sea level to the driest place on earth, the Atacama Desert, where atop the mountains astronomers from all over the world gather to observe the stars. The sky is so translucent that it allows them to see right to the boundaries of the universe. The Atacama is also a place where the harsh heat of the sun keeps human remains intact: those of Pre-Columbian mummies; 19th century explorers and miners; and the remains of political prisoners, "disappeared" by the Chilean army after the military coup of September, 1973.

"Stunningly beautiful. I don't know how you can put more into a film, or make one that's more deeply moving." – Stuart Klawans, The Nation

"An extraordinary film about the unknown and the unknowable." – Sight & Sound

"Such a moving masterpiece.” – B. Ruby Rich