Pedro Chaskel

Pedro Chaskel is one of the main precursors of the socalled New Chilean Cinema as a director cameraman and editor of numerous short and feature length films An early emigrant from Germany at the age of seven Chaskel became a Chilean national in 1952 and studied architecture at the Universidad de Chile from 1951 to 1954 That year he became a founding member and animator of the Cine Club Universitario de la Federación de Estudiantes de Chile FECH A conspirator in the exhibition of films that did not come to Chile through the regular commercial circuit Chaskel promoted together with a group of contemplative people a custom that was not very common in Chile the cinema forum or the debate organized after the film screenings that he did at the Central House of the Universidad de Chile It was there that classics of German expressionism Italian neorealism and any film they had available were shown for the first time in Chile In 1973 due to the military coup suffered by the government of President Salvador Allende Chaskel is expelled from the Universidad de Chile by the military authorities and travels abroad Between 1974 and 1983 he settled in Cuba where he worked as an editor at the Cuban Institute of Art and Cinematographic Industry ICAIC and since 1979 as a director and filmmaker for the same institute In 1983 he returns to Chile He works in film and video as an independent professional working as an editor and director of documentaries From 1997 to date he has taught film at many Chilean universities