Democratizing memory: Intersections of past and present in Chilean documentary cinema

This article examines the role of Chilean documentary cinema in shaping political memory, focusing on the intersections between past and present temporalities. From the 1973 coup d’état to the 2019 social uprising, documentary cinema has captured the traumas of dictatorship and contemporary resistance movements, raising critical questions: who constructs memory, and from what subjective position? The study analyses how three recent documentaries – Mi país imaginario ( My Imaginary Country ) (), Resistencia, Voz y Voto (‘Resistance, voice and vote’) (Nosotras Audiovisuales 2022) and Punto de encuentro ( Meeting Point ) () – articulate these temporalities and contribute to collective memory in Chile. Three key themes are identified: the representation of the 2019 social uprising; the role of women as political subjects in the narration of memory; and the ability of documentary cinema to democratize history by integrating diverse voices and interpretations. Memories of state violence during the dictatorship are found to shape contemporary social struggles. By recontextualizing historical trauma within current sociopolitical demands, these documentaries demonstrate their potential as a tool for both resistance and transformation. Documentary cinema offers an active process of memory-making that bridges temporal divides, delivering a critical reflection on Chile’s political history while envisioning pathways for future societal change.