The Red Hangar () is a 2026 political thriller film directed by Juan Pablo Sallato and written by Luis Emilio Guzmán, starring Nicolás Zárate, Boris Quercia, Marcial Tagle, Catalina Stuardo, and Arón Hernández. A Chilean-Argentine-Italian co-production, the film is based on Fernando Villagrán's book Disparen a la bandada and dramatizes events surrounding the 1973 Chilean coup d'état from the perspective of a Chilean Air Force captain. It was shot in black and white and is Sallato's first fiction feature.
Premise Set in Santiago de Chile on 11 September 1973, as the military coup unfolds, the film follows Captain Jorge Silva, a former head of Air Force Intelligence who trains cadets at an Air Force facility. He is ordered to transform the school into a detention and torture center. Silva initially believes that the repression will be temporary, but the arrival of Colonel Jahn, an old rival, places him in an increasingly difficult position between military obedience and his personal convictions.
Cast Nicolás Zárate as Captain Jorge Silva Boris Quercia as Colonel Soler as Colonel Mario Jahn as Rosa Arón Hernández as Sergeant Hernández Francisco Carrasco as Lieutenant Carrasco Juan Cano as Sergeant Mujica
Production The screenplay by Luis Emilio Guzmán is based on Disparen a la bandada, a book by Chilean journalist and writer Fernando Villagrán that recounts events involving Chilean Air Force personnel during and after the 1973 coup. The story centers on Jorge Silva, a real-life Air Force captain whose actions during the coup form the basis of the film's central moral conflict.
The film was produced by Villano, Brava Cine, Rain Dogs, Caravan, Berta Film, and TVN. It received support through Ibermedia, as well as from Chilean and Argentine film funds and incentives, including Corfo, INCAA, and the Mendoza Audiovisual Rebate. It was shot entirely in Mendoza Province, Argentina, in November 2024.
The Red Hangar is Sallato's first fiction feature. He previously directed the documentary Ojos rojos (2010) and television series including Libre and La cultura del sexo. The film was shot in black and white and has a running time of approximately 81–82 minutes, depending on the release version.
Release The film had its world premiere in the Perspectives section of the 76th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2026. It subsequently screened at festivals including the Málaga Film Festival, the Guadalajara International Film Festival, the Seattle International Film Festival, the Miami Film Festival, the Festival Internacional de Cine de Lima PUCP, and the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema.
It was released theatrically in Spain on 8 May 2026 and in Italy on 9 July, where it was distributed under the title L'Hangar Rosso. In Chile, Storyboard Media scheduled its theatrical release for 1 October 2026.
Reception Jonathan Romney of ScreenDaily described the film as "at once impressionistic and very precise", praising its black-and-white photography and depiction of Silva's moral crisis.
David Katz of Cineuropa praised the film's visual style and its treatment of Silva's ethical conflict, while noting that it had "a certain televisual efficiency" and describing it as a "suspense 'finger exercise' for the creatives behind it".
Matthew Joseph Jenner of the International Cinephile Society rated the film three out of five stars and described it as "a fascinating and disconcerting morality tale about a man who believes that violence is necessary".
Elsa Fernández-Santos of El País described the film as a "notable" debut and highlighted its focus on Silva's conflict between military duty and individual principles.
Accolades
| rowspan = "18" | | rowspan = "4" | 29th Málaga Film Festival || Silver Biznaga for Best Actor || Nicolás Zárate || || rowspan = "4" | |- | Silver Biznaga for Best Editing || Valeria Hernández, Sebastián Brahm || |- | colspan = "2" | Critics' Jury Special Prize || |- | colspan = "2" | El País Audience Award || |- | rowspan = "5" | 41st Guadalajara International Film Festival | colspan = "2" | Best Ibero-American Fiction Feature Film || || rowspan = "5" | |- | Best Director || Juan Pablo Sallato || |- | Best Performance || Nicolás Zárate || |- | Best Screenplay || Luis Emilio Guzmán || |- | colspan = "2" | Best Technical-Artistic Achievement || |- | rowspan = "5" | 30th Lima Film Festival | Best Director || Juan Pablo Sallato || || rowspan = "4" | |- | Best Cinematography || Diego Pequeño || |- | Best Actor || Nicolás Zárate || |- | colspan=2 | APRECI Award for Best Film in the Latin American Fiction Competition || |- | Special Jury Mention for Best Direction, Ibero-American Competition || Juan Pablo Sallato || || |- | rowspan=2 | Malaysia International Film Festival || Best Screenplay || Luis Emilio Guzmán || || rowspan=2 | |- | Best Cinematography || Diego Pequeño || |- | International Film Festival of Uruguay || Best Actor || Nicolás Zárate || || |- | Seattle International Film Festival || Special Jury Mention for Best Direction || Juan Pablo Sallato || ||
The Academy of Cinema of Chile selected the film as Chile's submission for the Goya Award for Best Ibero-American Film at the 41st Goya Awards, which are scheduled to be presented in 2027.
References