Patricio Guzmán Lozanes (August 11, 1941 – September 15, 2026) was a Chilean documentary and feature film director, and screenwriter. He is most known for his film trilogy The Battle of Chile (1975–1979) and more recently for another trilogy; Nostalgia for the Light (2010), The Pearl Button (2015) and The Cordillera of Dreams (2019). Guzmán also taught documentary film classes in Europe and Latin America, and was the founder and director of the International Documentary Festival of Santiago (FIDOCS). He lived in France. His 1983 film The Compass Rose was entered into the 13th Moscow International Film Festival. His 2015 film The Pearl Button screened in the main competition section of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival. He received a nomination for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Documentary Screenplay for his 2010 film Nostalgia for the Light. Guzmán died from cardiorespiratory arrest on September 15, 2026, at a hospital in Paris. He was 85.
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Biography from TMDB.
- August 11, 1941
- September 15, 2026 (aged 85)
- Santiago, Chile
- Director, writer, editor, actor and cinematographer, also producer
- 7 on MovieCove · 34 credits in all
What are Patricio Guzmán's films like?
Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Self.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 8
Light 0 · Serious 2 · Dark 6
Grounded 5 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0
Gentle 3 · Charged 3 · Intense 2
Steady 4 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0
Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0
A split, not a type: Casual 1 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 4
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 3
A split, not a type: Resolved 4 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet3
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Patricio Guzmán's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 1 of their 7 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Patricio Guzmán's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted.
Filmography
34 credits, 7 with a MovieCove page; 6 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
My Imaginary Country(2022)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
The Cordillera of Dreams(2019)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
The Pearl Button(2015)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Luc Moullet (et Patricio Guzmán) à Manosque III (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Nostalgia for the Light(2010)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Astronomers From My Neighborhood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Chile, a Galaxy of Problems (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
José Maza, Sky Traveller (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
María Teresa and the Brown Dwarf (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Oscar Saa, Technician of the Stars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
The battle of Chile (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
My Jules Verne (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Salvador Allende(2004)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Madrid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
The Pinochet Case (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
La bataille du Chili (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Invocación (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Los Jaivas en Sacsayhuamán (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Robinson Crusoe Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Chile: Obstinate Memory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Barriers of Solitude (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Pueblo en vilo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
The Southern Cross (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Moon Over Parador(1988)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films
En nombre de Dios (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
The Compass Rose (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
The Battle of Chile: Part III (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Battle of Chile: Part I (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
The First Year (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
Apuntes sobre la tortura y otras formas de diálogo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Electro show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
Mimbre y Greda (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
Viva la libertad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Career shape
A full career of 34 titles from 1965 to 2022.
Biggest box office
Santiago, Italia (2018)
Highest rated
The Battle of Chile: Part II (1976)
Most popular right now
Santiago, Italia (2018)
Film career
- 2015Screen debut· The Pearl Button
- 2015First top-billed film· The Pearl Button
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Patricio Guzmán's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 93rd percentile, the median of all 7; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 92nd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up6
- 25th to 49th1
Shape of the crowd
None of their 7 titles divides audiences: 4 are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved4
- Crowd Pleaser2
- Broadly Agreed1
Reviewers score the atmosphere 75/100 and the pacing 58/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Patricio Guzmán work with?
People who share at least 2 of Patricio Guzmán's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Renate Sachse shares the most, 4.
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- José Miguel MirandaShared titles: My Imaginary Country (2022), The Pearl Button (2015), Nostalgia for the Light (2010)See all 3 shared titles with José Miguel Miranda
- José Miguel TobarShared titles: My Imaginary Country (2022), The Pearl Button (2015), Nostalgia for the Light (2010)See all 3 shared titles with José Miguel Tobar
- Emmanuelle JolyShared titles: The Cordillera of Dreams (2019), The Pearl Button (2015), Nostalgia for the Light (2010)See all 3 shared titles with Emmanuelle Joly
- Samuel LahuShared titles: My Imaginary Country (2022), The Cordillera of Dreams (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Samuel Lahu
Producers
- Renate SachseShared titles: My Imaginary Country (2022), The Cordillera of Dreams (2019), The Pearl Button (2015), Nostalgia for the Light (2010)See all 4 shared titles with Renate Sachse
- Nicolas LasnibatShared titles: The Cordillera of Dreams (2019), The Pearl Button (2015), Nostalgia for the Light (2010)See all 3 shared titles with Nicolas Lasnibat
- Antonino BallestrazziShared titles: Nostalgia for the Light (2010), Salvador Allende (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Antonino Ballestrazzi