P.O.V.: The Judge and the General

Tuesday, August 19 at 10 p.m.

When in 1998 Chilean judge Juan Guzmán was assigned the first criminal cases against the country’s ex-dictator, General Augusto Pinochet, no one expected much. Guzmán had supported Pinochet’s 1973 coup — waged as an anti-Communist crusade — that left the democratically elected president, Salvador Allende, and thousands of others dead or “disappeared.” The filmmakers trace the judge’s descent into what he calls “the abyss,” where he uncovers the past — including his own role in the tragedy. P.O.V.: The Judge and the General, airing Tuesday, August 19 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV 21 (cable 11)and WXXI-HD (cable 1011 and DT 21.1), reveals one of the 20th century’s most notorious episodes and tells a cautionary tale about violating human rights in the name of “higher ideals.”

P.O.V. (a cinema term for “point of view”) is PBS’ award-winning showcase for independent non-fiction films. Fresh on the heels of its 2007 Emmy Award for Excellence in Documentary Filmmaking, P.O.V. returns for its 21st season with a collection of films that will enlighten, challenge and inspire. The powerful and provacative slate of films explore the human stakes in such American election-year issues as war and peace, health care, border issues, and race relations.

For more information, visit www.pbs.org/pov.

Pictured: Judge Guzmán announces his decision, December 2004.
Photo Credit: Martin Bernetti/AFP/Getty Images