All events at 'Camino a FIDOCS 30' are free. The performances of UC Extension Center Cinema Room, admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Chris Marker's masterpiece, an epic meditation on the gradual dissolution of the left after 1967. Constructed from personal footage filmed in various locations around the world over decades and diverse archival sources, the film is divided into two parts. The first, "Fragile Hands," recounts the influence of the Vietnam War on progressive movements of the time, the death of Che Guevara, and the events of May '68. The second, "Severed Hands," begins with the Prague Spring and the disillusionment caused by the Soviet invasion and moves to Chile, where it addresses the experience of Salvador Allende and the Popular Unity government up to the 1973 coup.
In 'The Bottom of the Air Is Red,' Chris Marker brings together images of revolutions, uprisings, and defeats to interrogate the political cycle that swept the world between 1967 and 1977. Within this grand cinematic essay, Chile occupies a crucial place: the experience of the Popular Unity government and the coup d'état appear as one of the deepest fractures in the transformative hopes of the era. Marker also maintained a close friendship and working relationship with Patricio Guzmán. After seeing 'The First Year' (1972), Marker obtained Guzmán's address and unexpectedly knocked on his door. He then took the film to Europe and prepared a new French version, for which he wrote a prologue and directed the dubbing. Later, he raised funds and commissioned the necessary film reels to finish 'The Battle of Chile.' On the road to FIDOCS 30, returning to 'The bottom of the air is red' is to rediscover a fundamental work of essay film and also to celebrate a filmmaker whose relationship with Chile was built both inside and outside of his films.
Chris Marker (1921-2012). French filmmaker, writer, photographer, and multimedia artist; one of the leading figures of the essay film movement. Associated with the Left Bank of the French New Wave, he developed a body of work focused on memory, history, and contemporary political conflicts. His work combines a personal perspective with a strong collaborative and political dimension. Among his most acclaimed films are 'La Jetée' (1962), 'Le Joli Mai' (1962), 'Le fond de l'air est rouge' (1977), and 'Sans Soleil' (1983).