Special Circumstances

At age 16, Hector Salgado was arrested and tortured by Augusto Pinochet’s forces in Chile. By 20, Hector was without a country, living in exile in the U.S., the very place whose devastating foreign policies in Chile caused the death and torture of thousands of Chileans. Special Circumstances follows Hector as he returns to Chile almost 30 years later, camera in hand, to confront the perpetrators and his former captors, looking for answers and justice. In the process, Special Circumstances takes an unflinching look at U.S. foreign policy in Latin America in the 1970s and the legacy of Pinochet with which Chile still struggles today.

Directed and produced by Marianne Teleki and Hector Salgado. Co-directed by Jennifer Maytorena Taylor; co-produced by Deann Borshay Liem and Shirley Thompson; edited by Shirley Thompson.

For a current screening schedule and broadcast information, please visit www.specialcircumstancesthemovie.com.

To purchase a DVD, please visit: http://www.newday.com/films/SpecialCircumstances.html.

"Hector Salgado is one of 35,000 Chileans who were incarcerated and tortured by Pinochet's dictatorship. After many years of exile in the U.S. he decides to return to Chile with a camera to show the world the face of his perpetrators.

A dozen cowardly military officers appear before us incapable of explaining or taking responsibility for their acts. This documentary, simple and direct, gives audiences around the world a lesson in political memory. I ask myself what would have happened if each one of us 35,000 political prisoners would have done the same as Hector. Surely we would have a much better democracy than the one we have today. Congratulations to the entire production team!" Patricio Guzmán, Documentary Filmmaker- BATTLE OF CHILE, CASE OF PINOCHET

"Marianne Teleki is a sensitive and talented filmmaker who has been able to record in Salgado's personal tragedy, the troubles of a country under a brutal dictatorship…" –Isabel Allende, Author