Raúl Ruiz

Raúl Ruiz (1941-2011) was a Franco-Chilean director, screenwriter, actor, and theater director. Close to the socialist government of Salvador Allende, Ruiz sought refuge in France in 1973 after General Pinochet's coup. It was there that he continued his prolific film career. His filmography (cinema and television, short and feature films) includes over 110 titles. His early films in exile are heavily influenced by theology, philosophy, painting, surrealism, and literature. Possessing encyclopedic knowledge, erudition, and boundless curiosity, Ruiz adapted countless authors, filmed dance, urbanism, sociology, folklore, and theater, giving equal attention to fiction and documentary. Ruiz's films all explore the notion of storytelling, with a pronounced taste for nested structures, mise en abyme, and playful distancing effects. In 2004, Raúl Ruiz filmed Dias de Campo in Chile, an intimate and personal project that marked his return to his homeland after more than thirty years in exile. His last film released in theaters during his lifetime is arguably his masterpiece, Mysteries of Lisbon (2010). The film achieved great success worldwide, particularly in France, where it received the Louis-Delluc Prize. Ruiz was also a theorist and had written several works on cinema, notably Poetics of Cinema.