Miguel Littin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Miguel Littin
Miguel Littin in 2018
Member of the Constitutional Council
In office 7 June 2023 – 7 November 2023
Constituency	O'Higgins Region (8th)
Personal details
Born	(1942-08-09) 9 August 1942 (age 82) Palmilla, Chile
Political party	Socialist Party (PS)
Spouse	Elizabeth Menz
Children	Four

Miguel Ernesto Littin Cucumides, born on August 9, 1942, is a well-known Chilean film director, screenwriter, film producer, and novelist. He creates movies, writes stories for them, helps make them, and even writes books! His father was from Palestine, and his mother was Greek.

Miguel Littin's Film Career

Miguel Littin became famous for directing the film El Chacal de Nahueltoro in 1969. This movie helped him become a key person in a new style of filmmaking from Latin America.

Life in Exile

In 1973, a military coup in Chile removed President Salvador Allende from power. Because of this, Miguel Littin had to leave Chile and live in Mexico. His 1973 film, The Promised Land, was shown at important film festivals like Cannes and the Moscow International Film Festival.

While in Mexico, he directed several other movies:

• Letters from Marusia: This film was about a miners' strike in Chile. It was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film!
• El Recurso del Método (also known as Long Live the President): This movie was made with help from Mexico, France, and Cuba.
• The Widow of Montiel: This film starred Geraldine Chaplin and was based on a short story by the famous writer Gabriel García Márquez.

After Mexico, Miguel Littin went to Nicaragua to make Alsino and the Condor. This movie was based on a book called Alsino. In 1981, he was part of the group that judged films at the 12th Moscow International Film Festival.

Secret Return to Chile

In 1984, after moving to Spain, Littin decided to go back to Chile in secret. He wanted to make a documentary film to show what life was like in the country under the government at that time. The famous writer and Nobel Prize winner, Gabriel García Márquez, wrote a book about Littin's secret trip. The book is called Clandestine in Chile: The Adventures of Miguel Littin. It tells the story of how Littin secretly filmed and exposed the situation in Chile.

Return to Filmmaking in Chile

Eventually, Miguel Littin was able to return to Chile. He continued to make important films there. Some of these include:

• Tierra del Fuego: This movie was about the adventures of an explorer named Julius Popper.
• Dawson, Isla 10: This film told the story of political prisoners sent to Dawson's Island during the time of the military government.

Littin also served as the mayor of his hometown, Palmilla, from 1992 to 1994, and again from 1996 to 2000.

Awards and Recognition

Two of his films, Actas de Marusia (Letters from Marusia) and Alsino and the Condor, were nominated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Best Film in a Foreign Language. Alsino and the Condor also won the Golden Prize at the 13th Moscow International Film Festival. His 2005 film, The Last Moon, was shown at the 27th Moscow International Film Festival.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Miguel Littin para niños