Film About the Children of the Pinochet Era Finds Its Subject in San Francisco Bay Area As A Chilean Court Lifted Immunity To Former Dictator Augusto Pinochet

Peruvian born prolific filmmaker Mabel Valdiviezo is determined to bring to screen the story of Soledad Gonzalez, a Chilean woman who embodies the forgotten drama of victims of human rights abuses living in the Bay Area.

(PRWEB) June 19, 2005 -- Peruvian born prolific filmmaker Mabel Valdiviezo is determined to bring to screen the story of Soledad Gonzalez, a Chilean woman who embodies the forgotten drama of victims of human rights abuses living in the Bay Area.

Every time I pitch the film to someone, Latino, Palestinian or American, I am always asked if Soledad Is Gone Forever is based on someone I know. I feel I am doing my job right," says Valdiviezo.

A story based on real accounts, the film is an intimate portrait of a young Chilean exile and survivor of the Pinochet era who struggles to recover her memory in order to preserve her sanity. No other US-made narrative film based on the Chilean experience has addressed this critical issue from a psychological perspective.

It is looking like Pinochet will never be tried for the murders and abductions under his regime – some 3000 by official count, including children that were tortured in front of their parents.

I realized I tapped into a very dramatic story when I started meeting Chilean survivors and exiles from other third world countries that have been under military rule. I decided to explore further what has happened to the minds and bodies of thousands of children in Latin America who witnessed, first-hand, human rights violations," says Valdiviezo. "Many of these children migrated to the US and started a new life. They are adults now but have they ever being able to cope with their past or have they blocked their memory of what happened to their families? The psychological scars are still here twenty years later."

The filmmaker recalls a poignant moment when a Chilean survivor of torture told her, We feel that justice has not been done until criminals of war like Kissinger and Pinochet go to jail. We want the new generation of Chileans to remember that but they dont want to think about the past."

Valdiviezo and her production team made a grass roots effort to reach out to the disenchanted younger generation of Chileans whom she feels are close to the protagonist of the film.

Many like Soledad wouldnt admit that they were affected by Pinochets legacy. However, I felt that our collaboration suddenly took a dramatic turn when I asked them for their feedback on the script. They helped me out to enrich Soledads heartbreaking journey of recurring visions and nightmares and her harrowing struggle to keep her sanity. They brought authenticity to the voice of Soledad Gonzalez. That is how Soledad Gonzalez became a real character."

Today, "Soledad Is Gone Forever" has enlisted an international cast and crew including Chileans as dialogue coaches, non-professional actors playing forensic doctors and musicians such Lichi Fuentes for her upcoming fundraising for the film on June 25th at the Red Poppy Art House in San Francisco.

The film will cost approximately $50,000 to make. In order to raise money Valdiviezo is arranging a cocktail party event at Red Poppy Art House, corner of 23rd and Folsom streets on Saturday, June 25 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to the event will cost $25 per person. The event will include Chilean and live music; food, wine, door prizes, raffles and an auction featuring art work from prominent artists in the Bay Area.

I am making 'Soledad Is Gone Forever' to contribute to the healing of this forgotten community of exiles whose lives are still deeply affected by a bloody dictator. In doing so I hope to enlighten others to ensure that these types of atrocities are never repeated," remarks the filmmaker.

Mabel Valdiviezo is a Peruvian writer, director and producer of short films and TV series who was married to a Chilean and spent a great deal of time working within the US Chilean community. She has been invited to attend the prestigious Squaw Valley screenwriting workshop this summer for her script of Soledad Is Gone Forever. The film continues to gather attention, even as its being made. Contributions to the film may be tax-deductible.

Contact:
Mabel Valdiviezo
415-614-9697
haikufilms@aol.com

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