‘Hangar Rojo,’ a striking black-and-white feature directed by Juan Pablo Sallato exploring the moral conflicts of a military officer during the 1973 Chilean coup, has received its first official local screening ahead of its October 1 theatrical release and its selection as Chile’s official entry for the 2027 Goya Awards.
The Bottom Line
- The Milestone: Hangar Rojo held its first official screening in Chile ahead of its October 1 theatrical run.
- The Stakes: The film has been selected to represent Chile in the Best Ibero-American Film category at the 41st Goya Awards in February 2027.
- The Source: The drama draws directly from Fernando Villagrán’s book Disparen a la bandada, detailing military officers who resisted orders to torture prisoners.
Inside the Moral Labyrinth of ‘Hangar Rojo’
Director Juan Pablo Sallato’s Hangar Rojo examines the agonizing internal friction of an Air Force captain tasked with converting a cadet school into an illegal detention center.
Speaking at the film’s first official domestic screening, Sallato emphasized that the narrative centers on personal responsibility. The movie investigates “the importance of the decisions personales that may seem minimal, but suddenly, in a small gesture, transform a part of his world, of his life, and manage to rescue a bit of that humanity in the middle of barbarism,” according to the director.
Shot in stark black-and-white, the feature tracks a man caught inside the rigid machinery of military discipline, forced to weigh direct orders against basic human morality.
From Real-World History to the Big Screen
The cinematic framework rests on documented history. Hangar Rojo adapts the book Disparen a la bandada by journalist Fernando Villagrán. The text chronicles the true accounts of Chilean Air Force (FACh) officers who refused to participate in the torture of detainees in the immediate aftermath of the coup.
Among those caught in the historic upheaval was Alberto Bachelet, father of former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, alongside Jorge Silva, who serves as the central figure of Sallato’s film. On September 11, 1973, Silva initially remained outside the primary coup plotting due to his past involvement in thwarting an earlier assassination attempt against President Salvador Allende.
That marginalization resulted in his assignment to oversee the cadet school converted into a detention camp. Villagrán himself survived passing through that very facility—where he was redirected toward the National Stadium rather than executed—and subsequently collaborated directly on the screenplay adaptation.
International Acclaim and the Goya Trajectory
Before touching down for its Chilean premiere, Hangar Rojo built momentum on the global festival circuit. Following its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, the picture accumulated 19 international awards.
| Milestone / Event | Timeline / Status |
|---|---|
| World Premiere | February (Berlin International Film Festival) |
| International Accolades | 19 awards secured globally |
| Chilean Theatrical Release | October 1 |
| Goya Awards Target | 41st Edition (February 2027) – Best Ibero-American Film |
With its domestic theatrical rollout locked for October 1, the picture carries momentum into the upcoming international awards cycle. By viewing the military apparatus from the inside out, Hangar Rojo offers audiences a look at dissent within the ranks during one of South America’s historical chapters.
