A look back at the film “The Red Hangar”, featuring an introduction and Q & A by Dr. Daniela Vicherat Mattar
On Friday, October 9, the film The Red Hangar was screened at the Leiden International Film Festival. The film portrays the 1973 Chilean military coup led by Augusto Pinochet through the story of young Captain Jorge Silva, a paratrooper in the Chilean Air Force who had previously thwarted an assassination attempt on President Salvador Allende. Although Silva plays no leading role in the coup, he initially remains loyal to the military code and follows his superiors’ orders. He turns an aircraft hangar into a temporary prison and torture complex. But how long can he keep this up? Will he continue to obey every order, even at the cost of his own moral principles? And what happened to other Chilean military personnel who turned against their own army during the coup.
On behalf of LeidenGlobal, Dr. Daniela Vicherat Matter, Latin American Expert at Leiden University, introduced the film before the screening. This story is set in Santiago, the capital of Chile. It is based on a true story: Jorge Silva was a real person. The film is shot in black and white, creating a chilling atmosphere for its viewers. Although the story takes place in Chile, most of the filming was done in Argentina, as the subject remains sensitive in Chile. The Chilean coup took place on September 11, 1973, when the military overthrew the democratically elected government. Through Silva’s story, the film shows the fate of military personnel who opposed the coup. The leaders tolerated no dissent, responding with torture and executions.
Dr. Matter also discussed the US-established ‘School of the Americas’ (SOA), founded in 1946 to train Latin American military personnel. Its graduates included several of Pinochet’s co-conspirators and coup leaders from other South American nations.She draws a worrying parallel between the former SOA and President Trump’s “Shield of the Americas,” launched in 2026 to protect the US from cartels. However, dr. Matter questions this justification and fears the initiative may be a continuation of the old SOA.
The Red Hangar humanises the contradictions within the military. Militaries exist primarily to protect the people of the nation they represent. Jorge Silva chose to save the lives of two Chileans but was severely punished for it. When military orders conflict with moral judgment and international law, one must have the courage to refuse to obey. This issue remains highly relevant in today’s world, just as it was in 1973...
By Alexander Rhodes, LeidenGlobal
October 2026