BASTARD, THE LEGACY OF A CRIMINAL

by Pepe Rovano

  • Chile, Italy, Sweden / 2023 / 82 min.
  • Documentary
  • A co-production: Totoral Media Lab SpA (Cile) / Stefilm International s.r.l. (Italia) / Laika Film & Television AB (Sweden) 
  • With the support of: Piemonte Doc Film Fund, Torino Film Lab “Audience Design Fund 2021”, Consejo Nacional de las Culturas, las Artes y el Patrimonio, Torino FilmLab e Creative Europe - MEDIA program
  • Special Mention at Santiago Festival Internacional de Cine (SANFIC), 2023.

SYNOPSIS

At the age of 35, Pepe, director and human rights activist, discovers that his biological father, whom he never has seen, is a convicted of crimes against humanity under the orders of the chilean dictator Pinochet. He decides to face it and at the same time meet the relatives of his father's victims. His 15-year torment ends in the same period as the uprising of the Chilean people: by successfully overthrowing the system of impunity that still persists in the country 50 years after the establishment of the violent dictatorship, Pepe and the Chileans can finally free themselves from their terrible legacy.

DIRECTOR'S P.O.V.

It is difficult for me to talk about this story, my story. I grew up with my mother, without a father. As a unrecognized son of a police chief during the Pinochet dictatorship, I embarked on a 15-year journey to find him and confront him. I filmed every moment. During this trip, I searched for and met the children of my father's victims. I also looked for and met my peers whose fathers committed murders on behalf of the regime. My experience evolved into a project to recover memory, truth and justice in a country unable to deal with its dark past, where most of the political crimes are still unpunished. Impunity has been granted to most of them.

This is a story of betrayal, for some, of nobility for others. Bastard offers insight into the Chilean post-dictatorship patriarchy and how we can collectively take responsibility for the historical legacy o murder and human rights violations to build a sustainable and equitable future for all.

Italian Premiere

Turin Premiere

CULTURIZARTE Review

La Prensa Austral Review

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