The Sky Is Red

(El cielo está rojo)
Francina Carbonell | Documentary

2020 | 77 minutes | Chile

In 2010, 81 inmates died in a huge fire at the San Miguel prison in Chile’s capital city, Santiago. Justice remains elusive as the trial fails to assign blame. With full access to the judicial files, this reconstruction sheds light on the utter failure of the prison administration, which housed twice as many prisoners as allowed.

Synopsis

In 2010, 81 inmates died in a massive fire at the San Miguel prison in Chile’s capital city, Santiago. Inside, they were trapped behind bars. Outside, dozens of family members waiting for visiting hours to begin looked on helplessly as their loved ones shouted for help. The doors remained locked. Justice remains elusive as the trial fails to assign blame. With full access to the judicial files, this reconstruction sheds light on the utter failure of the prison administration, which housed twice as many prisoners as allowed.

We hear fragments from telephone conversations between prison officials and emergency services in which shocking and harrowing discussions occur about whether to cut open the locks. Survivors and relatives of the dead tell of how corruption and mismanagement erased the rights of detainees. The evidence gathered for the trial – the security camera footage, photos, news clips, and audio recordings from inside and outside the jail – brings the events to life and reveals the full scale of the tragedy.

Citation
Main credits

Carbonell, Francina (film director)
Carbonell, Francina (screenwriter)
Carbonell, Francina (film producer)
Sandoval, Gabriela (film producer)
Núñez, Carlos (film producer)
Muñoz, Ignacia (screenwriter)

Other credits

Cinematography, Ignacia Muñoz; editing, Andrea Chignoli, Christopher Murray, Francina Carbonell.


Citation
Cataloging
Keywords
Human rights,incarcerated people,prisons,criminal justice,criminal justice,crime,judiciary,police reform,corrections,criminal law,judicial system,justice department,prosecution,judgement,criminal law,courts and corrections,corrections institutes,sociology,anthropology,psychology,sociological,sociological perspectives,conflict theory,human conflicts,sociological thinking,conflict perspective,topics in sociology,sociology topics,sociology studies,social studies,people and cultures,human relations,human relationships,cultural studies,culture studies ,political science,micropolitics,macropolitics,political theory,political education,political movements,political thinking,political criticism,poly sci,polysci,political sci,political sciences,political history,history of politics,political systems; "The Sky Is Red "; Pragda Films; latin american studies,caribbean american studies,island studies,latin american culture,latin american history,latin american politics, caribbean american culture,caribbean american history,caribbean american politics, latin american languages,latin american and caribbean studies,hispanic american studies,hispanic people,hispanic culture,hispanic politics,history,context,narrative,past,chronicle,lore,annals,historic,personal history,archive,record,saga,biography,memoir,study
Clips
No clips are available yet.
Festivals

IDFA; Berlinale; Cinélatino Rencontres de Toulouse - Signis Award; Lima Film Festival PUCP - First Special Mention to Best Documentary; Guadalajara International Film Festival -
Best Ibero-American Documentary Film; Mar del Plata Film Festival -
FEISAL Award, Best Latinamerican Film; LASA Film Festival - Lasa Award of Merit; Doc Montevideo; Montreal International Documentary Festival RIDM;

DIRECTOR: Francina Carbonell

NATIONALITY: Chile

YEAR: 2020

GENRE: Documentary

LANGUAGE: Spanish

COLOR / B&W: Color

GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School, College, Adults

SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE

AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE

Existing customers, please log in to view this film.

New to Pragda? Register to request a quote.