Dir. Patricio Guzmán. 2010, 90 mins. 35mm. In Spanish with English subtitles. For this aesthetically staggering and deftly intellectual documentary, Chilean filmmaker Patricio Guzman travels 10,000 feet above sea level to the Atacama Desert, where astronomers from all over the world gather to observe the stars. The Atacama is also a place where the harsh heat of the sun keeps human remains intact, from Pre-Columbian mummies to the remains of political prisoners “disappeared” by the Chilean army after the military coup of 1973. In this otherworldly place, the past melds with the present, as archaeologists dig for ancient civilizations, women search for their dead, and astronomers scan the skies for new galaxies. Nominated for four Cinema Eye Honors awards including Best Nonfiction Feature.

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