My Imaginary Country (Spanish: Mi país imaginario) is a 2022 Chilean-French documentary film written and directed by Patricio Guzmán.[1] It features Guzmán narrating how the protests by a group of students in Santiago on October 18, 2019 triggered the most massive popular revolt known in the country's history and the consequences that were experienced.[2][3]

My Imaginary Country
International release poster
Directed byPatricio Guzmán
Written byPatricio Guzmán
Produced byAlexandra Galvis
Renate Sachse
Narrated byPatricio Guzmán
CinematographySamuel Lahu
Edited byLaurence Manheimer
Music byJosé Miguel Tobar
Miguel Miranda
Production
companies
Arte France Cinéma
Atacama Productions
Market Chile
Distributed byPyramide Distribution
Release dates
  • May 20, 2022 (2022-05-20) (Cannes)
  • August 11, 2022 (2022-08-11) (Chile)
  • September 23, 2022 (2022-09-23) (USA and Spain)
Running time
83 minutes
CountriesChile
France
LanguageSpanish

The film was named on the shortlist for Chilean's entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards,[4] but it was not selected.[5]

Narrator

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Release

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Festivals

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It premiered worldwide on May 20, 2022, at the 75th Cannes Film Festival.[7][8] Later, It was screened in July 2022 at the Jerusalem Film Festival,[9] on September 13 of the same year at the 47th Toronto International Film Festival[10] and 3 days later in the Latin Horizons section at the 70th San Sebastián International Film Festival.[11]

Theatrical

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It was commercially released on August 11, 2022, in Chilean theaters,[12] then expanded to the American and Spanish market on September 23, 2022.[13][14]

Reception

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Box-office

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My Imaginary Country sold more than 10,000 tickets in its first week of release in Chilean theaters,[15] while in the rest of the world it grossed a total of $16,191.[16]

Critical reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 94% of 33 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "A poignant meeting of impassioned filmmaker and fraught historical moment, My Imaginary Country surveys the past with care and greets the future with optimism."[17] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 86 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[18]

Accolades

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Year Award / Festival Category Recipient Result Ref.
2022 Cannes Film Festival Golden Eye My Imaginary Country Nominated [19]
Jerusalem Film Festival In Spirit for Freedom Award - Best Documentary Film Won [20][21]
San Sebastián International Film Festival Horizons Award Nominated [22][23]
Oslo Films from the South Festival Best Documentary Nominated [24]
2023 Platino Awards Best Documentary Nominated [25][26]

References

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  1. ^ "'Mi país imaginario', la nueva película de Patricio Guzmán: tráiler, de qué trata y dónde verla". ADN (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  2. ^ "'Mi País Imaginario': el documental de Patricio Guzmán que intenta descifrar el estallido". Interferencia (in Spanish). 2022-08-12. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  3. ^ ""Mi País Imaginario": El documental de Patricio Guzmán empeñado en conservar la memoria chilena". Universidad de O'Higgins (in Spanish). 2022-08-24. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  4. ^ "Hasta el próximo 19 de septiembre los miembros de la #Academia de Cine de Chile, podrán votar para elegir a la película que nos representará como candidata a Mejor Película Extranjera en los #Oscar 2023. ¡Conoce a las 14 películas en carrera!". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  5. ^ Gallegos, Ricardo (2022-08-10). "Oscar a Mejor Película Internacional 2023 – Todas las selecciones oficiales por país". La Estatuilla. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  6. ^ "Mi país imaginario: El lugar donde se produce la primera llama". La Juguera Magazine. 2022-09-01. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  7. ^ "Patricio Guzmán's MY IMAGINARY COUNTRY to Premiere at Cannes". Cinema Tropical. 2022-04-21. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  8. ^ ""Mi país imaginario", de Patricio Guzmán, fue ovacionada en Cannes y anuncia estreno en agosto en Chile". El Mostrador (in Spanish). 2022-05-20. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  9. ^ "My Imaginary Country | Jerusalem Film Festival". 2023-07-25. Archived from the original on 2023-07-25. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  10. ^ ""Mi país imaginario" confirma selección en el Festival Internacional de Toronto". El Mostrador (in Spanish). 2022-08-18. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  11. ^ ""Mi País Imaginario": Documental sobre el estallido abre sección en el Festival San Sebastián". Publimetro Chile (in Spanish). 2022-09-16. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  12. ^ Letelier, Jorge (2022-08-11). ""Mi país imaginario", de Patricio Guzmán: el necesario y simple acto de recordar". CIPER Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  13. ^ Hazelton, John. "'My Imaginary Country' goes to Icarus for North America (exclusive)". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  14. ^ Jiménez, Luis Alberto (2022-09-22). "Mi país imaginario -estreno- 23 sep 2022". Cine para disfrutar (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  15. ^ ""Mi país imaginario" repleta salas, suma nuevas ciudades y confirma paso por Festival de Toronto". BioBioChile - La Red de Prensa Más Grande de Chile (in Spanish). 2022-08-19. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  16. ^ "My Imaginary Country". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  17. ^ "My Imaginary Country - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. 2022-09-23. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  18. ^ "My Imaginary Country". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc.
  19. ^ "Indian film All That Breathes wins top documentary award at Cannes 2022". The Indian Express. 2022-05-28. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  20. ^ "JFF 2022 Winners". Jerusalem Film Festival. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  21. ^ "These are the big winners of the 2022 Jerusalem Film Festival". Time News. 2022-07-28. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  22. ^ "LatAm cinema » San Sebastián presenta el cine latinoamericano "más interesante del año" en Horizontes Latinos". Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  23. ^ Bermúdez, José (2022-09-26). ""Tengo sueños eléctricos" triunfa en el Festival de San Sebastián". Centro Costarricense de Producción Cinematográfica (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  24. ^ "Oslo Films from the South Festival (2022)". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  25. ^ "Premios PLATINO 2023: 'Argentina, 1985' encabeza las nominaciones de la X edición". Fotogramas (in European Spanish). 2023-03-09. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  26. ^ Huston-Crespo, Marysabel E. (2023-04-22). "Ganadores Premios Platino 2023: la lista completa por categorías". CNN (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-07-25.
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