A Pioneer of Resistance Cinema Angelina Vázquez Riveiro (b. 1948) is a foundational figure in Chilean cinema and a pioneer among women directors who emerged in the early 1970s.
She wrote and directed the landmark documentary “Crónica del salitre” (1971), a film that also marked the debut in cinematography of Jorge Müller, the legendary cameraman of The Battle of Chile who was disappeared by the dictatorship in 1974.
Following the 1973 military coup, Angelina was forced into exile in Finland, where she became an essential voice for the Chilean diaspora and the resistance. Her filmography is a vital record of memory, gender, and human rights.
We are currently digitizing Angelina Vázquez Riveiro’s film Gracias a la vida (1980) in 4K quality. This work has been selected among the 1001 most important documentaries of the century (1920–2020) for preservation by UNESCO. We need your help to raise the final €6,000 and ensure that this legacy of memory and justice endures for generations to come.
Duration: 45 min
Gracias a la vida (1980), directed by Angelina Vázquez, has been selected for the international “1001 Documentaries” collection, in association with UNESCO, in recognition of its importance as a significant work of global documentary heritage.
The current restoration initiative aims to create a 4K archival master that meets UNESCO preservation standards, thereby ensuring the film’s long-term inclusion in international memory and heritage programs.
A Human Portrait: Gracias a la vida (or the little story of a battered woman) is not just a film; it is the testimony of a refugee in Finland struggling with the aftermath of torture. It is a work that brings together political violence and gender-based violence, decades ahead of its time.
A Pioneer of Women’s Cinema: Angelina Vázquez Riveiro is one of the clearest and most compelling voices of Chilean exile cinema. Alongside figures such as Valeria Sarmiento, Marilú Mallet, and others, she helped break the silence surrounding women in Chilean filmmaking.
World Heritage: Its inclusion in the UNESCO register confirms that its value goes beyond national borders: it is a universal lesson in resilience that the world cannot afford to lose.
Active Preservation: Physical film deteriorates over time. 4K digitization is not a luxury; it is the only way to ensure that the film can be screened in festivals and modern cinemas without losing the texture and soul with which it was originally made.
Universal Access: Once digitized, the film will be able to live on in the National Film Archive of Chile and in other archives around the world, fulfilling UNESCO’s mission of making culture accessible to all.
Donating now is urgent because Gracias a la vida is a fundamental work of Chilean cinema and of the memory of exile, and it is now at risk of being lost if its preservation is not completed. Restoring it in 4K is not a luxury, but the only way to ensure that this testimony of political violence, gender, and resistance can remain alive for future generations, with the quality and standards its heritage value demands.
Moreover, its selection among the 1001 most important documentaries of the century, in association with UNESCO, confirms that this is not only about saving a film, but about protecting a legacy of universal significance. Only €6,000 remain to complete this final stage: every contribution brings this work closer to permanent preservation and to future access in archives, film libraries, and memory institutions around the world.
Thanks to Life (or the little story of a battered woman)
Finland, 1980, 48 min., color, 16 mm
Director: Angelina Vázquez Riveiro
Producer: Jouko Lehmuskallio
Executive Producer: Angelina Vázquez Riveiro
Screenplay: Angelina Vázquez Riveiro
Assistant Director: Anita Mikkonen
Cinematography: Jouko Lehmuskallio
Sound: Johan Enbom
Editing: Rodolfo Wedeles (Chile)
Original Music: Jaime Kächelle
Chile Camera Unit: Pablo Perelman and Antonio Ríos
Featuring:
Silvana Barrientos, Tulio Gáez, and Loreto
With: Anita Mikkonen, José Luis Rojas, Reino Hietala, Gloria Hietala, Olga y José Barrientos, Kai Salminen, Rodolfo Candia, Gloria Miranda, María Ormeño, and many others accompanying and supporting
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