This Chilean presence at IDFA is strong in 2023 with 5 films in official selection, an interactive Project in DocLab competition, several projects across Forum and Docs for Sale and a 16-strong industry delegation, a dozen of which are women.
The Eternal Memory, directed by Maite Alberdi and produced by Micromundo and Fábula, which had its world premiere at Sundance, is selected for IDFA’s new Signed section, as is Argentine-Chilean co-production Mixtape La Pampa, whichpremiered this year at San Sebastian
Meawhile Malqueridas, directed by Tana Gilbert and produced by Paola Castillo, and which had its world premiere at the Venice Critics’ Week, is in Best of Fests.
In Special Screenings is Socialist Realism. Originally filmed by Raúl Ruiz in 1973 but left incomplete, it was finished by Valeria Sarmiento this year and produced by Poetastros. The film had its world premiere at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in 2023.The First Year, directed by Patricio Guzmán in 1970 and produced by María Teresa Guzmán is selected for the 16 Worlds on 16 Focus.
Chiledoc’s Diego Pino, deputy director of the sectorial brand, comments: “The Chilean documentary sector is once again demonstrating its international consolidation with many films and projects selected at the world’s most important documentary film festival. This year, there is a special emphasis on the diversity of generations of directors and thematic richness and languages, reflecting the quality and diversity of Chilean productions. This strong presence of Chile at IDFA shows the sector’s great capacity to create partnerships and internationalize with high-quality films and projects.”
In IDFA DocLab Competition is Going Back Home: MOTHER VR, directed by Catalina Alarcón and produced by Daniela Camino, María Ignacia Court, and Catalina Alarcón, a virtual reality documentary short film (360 video + 3D space) co-created with a group of incarcerated women who dream of reconnecting with their children. “Through virtual reality, families can send 360 video messages to the imprisoned women, offering the fleeting chance to return home for a few seconds,” say the makers.
The overall Chilean delegation in 2023 is composed of twelve women: Chamila Rodríguez, Alexandra Galvis, Daniela Camino, Catalina Alarcón, Maite Alberdi, Tana Gilbert, Paola Castillo, María José Díaz, Carola Fuentes, Ximena Pereira, Francisca Silva and Claudia León, plus the producers Fernando Fuentes, Niles Atallah and Antonio Luco. Diego Pino, the deputy director of Chiledoc, is also part of the delegation.
Chilean Minister of CultureCarolina Arredondo, who supported the delegation, comments: “Chile enjoys recognized international prestige in the field of documentary filmmaking. Works by Raúl Ruiz, Patricio Guzmán and Maite Alberdi lead this year’s participation of our country in the 36th edition of IDFA, as part of a predominantly female delegation that will undoubtedly keep the name of the local audiovisual industry high. The commitment of institutions such as Chiledoc and the Ministry of Cultures itself is fundamental in this, for which we value and thank the work of those who once again allow Chilean cinema to have this important European showcase”.
Two Chilean projects in development were presented this year in IDFA Forum. Celestial Twins – The Bardo VR is “a first-person experience in which the user, via the perspective of an avatar, Fenix9, must save the fragile balance of The Bardo, a virtual forest on the verge of disappearing. The experience immerses the user in a journey of reflection on the relationship between technology and ecology.” The work is directed by Niles Atallah and produced by Giancarlo Nasi, Fernando Arriaza, and Alba Gaviraghi.
Knowing Your Nature is a mixed reality experience, directed by Francisca Silva and produced by María José Díaz, in which “the biodiversity of a native forest is explored, offering multiple practices of mindfulness and training skills such as concentration, calmness, perspective, and compassion, among others. As you delve into the forest, you will discover the fascinating connections between the surrounding nature and the richness of your own mind.”
Chilean films in Docs For Sale include The Broken Goddess, a documentary directed by Ximena Pereira and produced by Ximena Pereira and Carolina Dávila; In the Shadow of Light, directed by Isabel Reyes Bustos and Ignacia Merino Bustos and produced by María José Díaz and Francisca Barraza. The festival titles The Eternal Memory, Mixtape La Pampa, and Malqueridas, are also selected for Docs For Sale.
In addition to all of the above titles, Chilean delegates are representing several projects during the networking activities at the IDFA market. These are documentaries in the development stage such as The Conference, directed by Rodrigo Marín and produced by Valentina Roblero; Antártida: In Search of Adaptation, directed by Jota Loyola and produced by Carola Fuentes and Rafa Valdeavellano; The Mutant, directed by Constanza Tejo and produced by Valentina Roblero; Not All Girls, directed by Carolina Astudillo and produced by Macarena Aguiló; Volcano, directed by Stefanne Prijot and produced by Claudia León and Sebastián Lavados; Garden City, directed by Javier Zoro and produced by Macarena Aguiló; The Snowy Winter in the South directed by Sebastián Vidal and produced by Sebastián Vidal and Sebastián Lavados; Dream Democracy, directed by Rafa Valdeavellano and produced by Carola Fuentes; Ruiz desde el silencio, directed by Galut Alarcón and produced by Chamila Rodríguez; and Oasis, directed by Felipe Morgado, Tamara Uribe and produced by Diego Pino, Alba Gaviraghi and Antonio Luco.
