A Place Called Dignity
12-year-old Pablo receives a scholarship to attend school in the mysterious and isolated “Colonia Dignidad”, established in Chile by German settlers. He quickly becomes the favorite of the colony's leader, Uncle Paul. Over time, Pablo witnesses the disturbing things that happen there: abuse, disappearances and demon-like creatures used to scare children. But in this wicked world, a revolution is brewing, and it may be the only way for Pablo to escape.
Cast
- Paul Schäfer
- Hanns Zischler
- Pablo
- Salvador Insunza
- Krankenschwester
- Amalia Kassai
- Rudolf
- Noa Westermeyer
A Place Called Dignity
Matías Rojas Valencia
- Fiction
- Production Country / Year
- Chile, Germany, France, Argentina, Colombia 2021
- Language
- es., de. OF mit en. UT
- Format
- DCP, Color, 99min
2.39:1, Discrete 5.1
- Original Title
- Un Lugar Llamado Dignidad
Director & Crew
Matías Rojas Valencia
Born in 1984. Studied Film at the Universidad Mayor in Santiago/Chile. Active as a director and writer.
Filmography
2013 ROOT, Spielfilm
2015 CHILE FACTORY (Co-Regie), Episodenfilm 2021 UN LUGAR LLAMADO DIGNIDAD - A PLACE CALLED DIGNITY, Spielfilm HOF 2022
“The film is freely inspired by real events from the time of the former Colonia Dignidad.
In the early 1960s, a group of Germans founded the ‘Sociedad Benefactora y Educacional Dignidad’ (known as ‘Colonia Dignidad’) near Parral, a good 250 miles to the south of the capital, supposedly to assist the locals. However, the benevolent façade merely served to hide a sectarian and hermetic regime controlled by its founder and leader, Paul Schäfer.
Behind this façade of benevolence and community support, the leader hid systematic torture and sexual abuse of German children and subsequently of Chilean children, as well. This continued for more than 40 years in complete impunity.
How could something like that take place for so long without anybody doing anything about it? That is the first question everyone asks when hearing the story of this place.”
Matías Rojas
- Writer
- Matías Rojas Valencia
- Director of Photography
- Benjamín Echazarreta
- Editor
- Andrea Chignoli
- Production Designer
- Laura Caliguri
- Sound Designer
- Roberto Espinoza
- Producer
- Giancarlo Nasi
- Sophia Ayissi
- Titus Kreyenberg
- Denis Vaslin
- Linus Günther