18 Peniques (2010)

The Chilean filmmaker Peter McPhee (REFUGIO DE SILENCIO, EL ULTIMO TEXTO, EL ROPERO DEL PUEBLO) devotes his his short film drama 18 PENIQUES to a historical massacre. Chile 1907: Thousands of workers go on a general strike to demand better working conditions in the salt mines and a minimum wage of 18 PENIQUES. Mining is one of the most important sources of income in Chile. The foreign mine owners are only interested in keeping up their profits and so the army is sent it to break up the strike. In a school occupied by the strikers, workers discuss with the students whether the fight should be continued. But before any agreement is made, the soldiers open fire. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary a monument was erected to commemorate the two thousand dead. The Chilean government accepted its responsibility and called for a nationwide mourning day. 18 PENIQUES was presented at the Internacional de Cine de Mar del Plata. "I have always been obsessed with history, and, social issues are inevitably bound to it. Whenever you observe a person, a place, a social group or read about a social phenomenon, you are witnessing a consequence of history." (Peter McPhee)