UK Premiere: The Jackal of Nahueltoro (El Chacal de Nahueltoro)

Miguel Littín’s extraordinary debut feature is based on the true story of Jorge del Carmen Valenzuela Torres, a peasant who, seemingly inexplicably, murdered a widow and her five young children in cold blood. The news shocked the nation and set in motion a fierce debate about penal reform; which the film revisits, taking a hard look at class, accountability, and the state's duty to its people. 

Integrating documentary material and exceptional performances from key actors of the time with haunting cinematography by Héctor Rios, the unforgiving landscape acts as a silent witness to human tragedy.  

Eschewing easy answers, The Jackal of Naheultoro lets extensive research into the crime and social circumstances speak for themselves encouraging audiences to do their own work in considering culpability. Considered by some as the best Chilean film of all time, it heralded the arrival of a new strong political voice in Latin American cinema, working across both fiction and documentary forms.   

A 4K digitalisation of the original negatives that were found at Estudios Churubusco in Mexico, which were later remastered by Cineteca Nacional de Chile.

With thanks to the Cineteca Nacional de Chile and the Littín-Menz family.