Synopsis

Two Chilean adoptees, haunted by fragmented memories and dreams, embark on separate journeys to their homeland: one to the Mapuche territory, seeking truths—often painfully— about his adoption, and the other on a quest for identity in a land that feels both lost and forgotten.

Team

• René

  Ballesteros

  Director

  (Chile, 1975). René is a psychologist, film director, and screenwriter. After working in juvenile prisons and with street children in the Araucanía region, he studied film at the University of Paris VIII and Le Fresnoy (France). In 2010, his first feature-length documentary, The Burn, won the Joris Ivens Award at Cinéma du Réel, Best Documentary at Documenta Madrid, and Best Chilean Director at SANFIC 2010, among other accolades. In 2011, he was selected for the Résidence de la Cinéfondation at the Cannes Film Festival. As a screenwriter, he co-wrote Oblivion Verses, directed by Alireza Khatami, which won the Orizzonti Award for Best Screenplay at the 2017 Venice Film Festival. His second documentary, The Dreams of the Castle, premiered at the 2018 Valdivia International Film Festival, where it won the Award for Best Chilean Film.

• Nicole

  Bonilla

  Producer

  (Chillán, 1990) Executive producer, audiovisual creator, and cultural manager with a degree in Social Communication. Throughout her career, she has focused on projects that blend audiovisual language, innovation, collaborative work practices, and decentralisation. She is the founder of the production company La Madre, where she serves as the executive producer for the documentary Travesti Odyssey by Nicolás Videla, which premiered at IDFA in 2021. She is also the executive producer for upcoming releases such as Landless Children by René Ballesteros, Angelitas by Libertad S. Galli Lillo, It’s Like Singing Happy Birthday Without Eating Cake by Tania Paz, and Hola Ulises, soy Paulina (Hello Ulises, It’s Paulina) by Paulina Soto.

Technical Info

Year of Production: 2025
Format: 4K
Duration: 90 minutes
Countries: France – Chile
Director: René Ballesteros
Executive Producers: Camille Laemlé, Nicole Bonilla and Johanne Schatz
Production Companies: Les Films D’Ici, La Madre, and La Ballesta

Awards and Official Selections

France:
CNC – Aide au développement
CNC – Aide au développement renforcé
CNC – Fonds Images de la diversité – Aide à la production
CNAP Pays de Loire – Aide au développement

Chile:
Fondo de Fomento Audiovisual – Apoyo al Fortalecimiento de proyectos audiovisuales
Fondo de Fomento Audiovisual – Apoyo a la Coproducción Minoritaria