Augusto Góngora, author, political journalist, and television host, dies at 71 and will be mourned in Chile. Góngora’s life was documented in, The Eternal Memory, Sundance-winning film directed by Maite Alberdi. Góngora died of Alzheimer’s on May 19th.
The Eternal Memory follows the love story between Góngora and Paulina Urrutia, his wife who was also an actress. During their time together, Urrutia took care of Góngora after his Alzheimer’s diagnosis at 62, which was made public soon after. He allowed Alberdi to document the journey of Alzheimer’s and the love Urrutia and Góngora maintained. MTV Documentary Films has bought the worldwide rights to The Eternal Memory with plans to do a theatrical release in the U.S. in the summer.
The Chilean President, Gabriel Boric, and Minister of Culture, Jaime de Aguirre, praise Góngora. As a journalist, he documented the light in the dark of Chile’s worst days under the dictatorship of Den. Augusto Pinochet. He opposed Pinochet and later went on to work in television to report the crimes of Pinochet. Góngora helped to restore the nation’s cultural vitality. So, after the diagnosis, Góngora said, “I have to tell everybody because I always showed the life of others, so I’m going to show my own life.” Góngora brought back culture to Chile after being censored from all aspects of culture. He was a symbol of hope.
Urrutia is now trying to adjust to her new life without her partner, who she has been with for over two decades. Góngora’s legacy is documented in The Eternal Memory, the three-volume work Chile: La Memoria Prohibida, and his other journalistic contributions.
Alberdi said, “His family is proud, and Paulina is proud, and we know that he would be so proud of the film…because the film communicates all these stages [of his life], not only the last one, so you understand the person in fragility and in power, in all of his dimensions.”
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