The Penal Colony

The Penal Colony 1970 Directed by Raúl Ruiz La colonia penal

A foreign journalist arrives on a small Pacific island 200 miles off the coast of South America. Once a leper colony, the island was later transformed into a prison and then, under U.N. mandate, made into an independent republic. Yet despite democratic structures, the inhabitants--who speak a strange dialect composed of Spanish and English--still obey the old prison rules. After sending back detailed accounts of the torture and repression seen everywhere, the journalist realizes that she has fallen into the trap created for her by the islanders: lacking natural resources, the island's main export is news.

Country Spain

Production Country Chile

Language Spanish

Spoken Language Spanish

Gnere Drama

Production Company Alcaman

Release Date 1 January 1970

67 mins