A feature-length documentary investigating the hidden role of Britain in the destruction of Chile's democracy and support for Pinochet.
by Pablo Navarrete in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom
The £4,000 we asked for initially just about covers the direct production costs of the filming we did in Chile in June. In September, we conducted some important interviews in London for the film and we will now plan to do a second round of interviews and filming in the UK later in the year. This extra money will help cover some of these production costs.
***Keep up to date with the film's progress here.***
**We have extended our appeal target. Read more here.**
What is 'Britain and the Other 9/11'?
A feature-length documentary co-directed by documentary filmmaker Pablo Navarrete and investigative journalist John McEvoy.
For most people in Britain, 11 September marks the anniversary of the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centres in New York.
In Chile, the date resonates for another reason.
On 11 September 1973, a military coup was launched against Chile’s socialist president, Salvador Allende. That morning, British-made Hawker Hunter jets bombed La Moneda, Chile’s presidential palace, while tanks patrolled the surrounding streets of Santiago.
By the end of the day, Allende was dead and the Chilean military had taken power. What followed was a 17-year-long military dictatorship led by General Augusto Pinochet, under which thousands of civilians were killed, and tens of thousands more were tortured.
The US government’s role in the Chilean coup is well known. US President Richard Nixon infamously ordered the CIA to “make the economy scream” in Chile, and launched a series of covert operations against Allende’s government.
The UK government’s role in the death of Chile’s democracy and the rise of the Pinochet regime is less known.
Britain and the Other 9/11 explores the secret history of British interference in Chile’s democracy, the friendship that emerged between Margaret Thatcher and Pinochet, and the New Labour government’s decision to allow the Chilean dictator to evade justice for crimes against humanity.
The film draws on years of archival research and Freedom of Information work by John McEvoy.
In June 2023, we travelled to Chile to meet and interview the relatives of British nationals who were killed by the Pinochet regime, torture survivors, award-winning Chilean journalists, and former Chilean officials. We also spoke with Pablo Sepúlveda Allende, the grandson of the former Chilean president, about Britain’s hidden hand in Chile.
We are now filming in the UK and plan to release the documentary in early 2024.
If you like this project, please select a reward and become part of making Britain and the Other 9/11 a reality. Your contribution will help to cover the costs of filming in the UK and Chile, as well as further archival and Freedom of Information work.
Why is this film important?
The British public deserves to know what the UK government does in its name, while the Chilean public deserve to know the full extent of foreign meddling in their country.
As we mark the 50-year anniversary of the coup, the UK government is still refusing to release key documents on Chile, while many others have been destroyed.
Britain and the Other 9/11 peels back a layer of official secrecy through extensive archival research, Freedom of Information work, and interviews with key actors.
The film makes a number of startling revelations, with new information on MI6 activities in Chile, covert propaganda operations against Allende, secret support for the Pinochet regime, and the Anglo-Chilean machinations which allowed Pinochet to escape justice for crimes against humanity.
The documentary also highlights the human cost of British foreign policy in Chile through interviews with British and Chilean citizens who were persecuted by the Pinochet dictatorship.
Who are we?
Pablo Navarrete is a British-Chilean journalist and documentary filmmaker focusing on Latin America. He is the founder and co-editor of Alborada, an independent voice on Latin American politics, media and culture. He was the Venezuela researcher for John Pilger’s documentary ‘The War on Democracy‘ (2007). He is the director of Alborada Films and has produced and directed eight documentaries since 2009.
John McEvoy is a PhD candidate, investigative journalist, and regular contributor to British independent media outlet Declassified UK. He has previously unearthed evidence about Britain’s hidden hand in Brazil’s 1964 coup d’état, British support for the CIA’s covert operations in Cuba, Britain’s role in the 2019 coup in Venezuela, and the secret activities of British oil corporations BP and Shell across Latin America. His investigations have been used as evidence at the UN Security Council and UK Parliament, and covered across the mainstream media.
From left to right: Pablo Navarrete, Andreas Jakob (cameraman), John McEvoy
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