● Acclaimed filmmaker Carmen Castillo will present the international premiere of “We Are Still Alive” (“Lo que en nosotros calla”) in the Signed section of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).
● Two other films with Chilean involvement will screen in Best of Fests, while two projects have been selected for IDFA Forum: “La Linda” for Forum Pitch and “Artificial Clouds” (“Nubes artificiales”) for Rough Cut Presentations.
● Chiledoc, together with Chile’s Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage and Film Commission Chile, will also organise a programme of industry events during the festival, which runs from November 12 to 22.
Chilean documentary filmmaking will have a presence across several areas of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), one of the world’s leading events dedicated to nonfiction cinema. This includes films selected for the official programme, projects seeking to build international co-production partnerships, and activities designed to bring industry professionals together.
The Chilean presence includes three films with Chilean production involvement and a fourth directed by Chilean-Scottish filmmaker Felipe Bustos Sierra, as well as two projects selected for IDFA Forum, the festival’s co-production and co-financing market, and three productions available through Docs for Sale, the market’s professional viewing platform. A delegation of industry professionals will also attend, alongside events organised by Chiledoc and Film Commission Chile to expand opportunities for international collaboration.
Carmen Castillo Presents “We Are Still Alive” in Signed
One of the highlights of this year’s edition is Carmen Castillo’s “We Are Still Alive” (“Lo que en nosotros calla”), selected for Signed, a section showcasing filmmakers known for their distinctive artistic visions.
A co-production between France, Chile and Switzerland, the film will have its international premiere at IDFA, following screenings at the Biarritz Film Festival in France and FIDOCS in Chile. It will be the film’s first screening outside its co-producing countries.
In the film, Castillo revisits a deeply personal experience: the death of her newborn son during Chile’s dictatorship and the lasting impact of that loss on her life. Through encounters, conversations and a ritual intended to rescue his memory from oblivion, she reflects on motherhood, grief and political commitment half a century later.
The film is produced by Camille Laemlé, Macarena Aguiló, Silvana Bezzola and Pamela Varela, through Les Films d’Ici, El Espino Films, Cinédokké and Tentativa Arts.
Three Films in Best of Fests
Best of Fests, a section bringing together standout films from the international festival circuit over the past year, will feature three more films with ties to Chile.
“Az Zeeb”, directed by Rafael Guendelman Hales and produced by Joaquín Echeverría, is a Chile–Qatar co-production from Brisa Films and Al Jazeera that had its world premiere at FIDMarseille in June 2026. Following his grandmother’s death, the director discovers a family Super 8 film that leads him to explore his Jewish and Palestinian roots. Connecting Chile with Israel and Palestine, the documentary traces family histories shaped by displacement, exile and resistance.
The section will also feature the short film “For the Opponents” (“Para los contrincantes”), directed by Federico Luis and produced in Chile by Fernando Bascuñán. A co-production between Mexico, Chile, France and the United Kingdom, it had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Short Film Palme d’Or. The film follows a boy from Mexico City’s Tepito neighbourhood who dreams of becoming a boxing champion. Its production companies are Planta, Cárcava, Fiasco and Deptford Film.
Rounding out the selection is “Everybody to Kenmure Street”, directed by Chilean-Scottish filmmaker Felipe Bustos Sierra, who also produced the film alongside Ciara Barry. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, where it received the Special Jury Award for Civil Resistance. This UK production recounts how Glasgow residents mobilised to prevent the deportation of two members of their community. The film is included in both Best of Fests and Dead Angle: Common Ground, one of the festival’s thematic programmes.
All four films will have their Dutch premieres at the festival.
“La Linda” and “Artificial Clouds” Take Part in IDFA Forum
Chile’s presence will also extend to IDFA Market, particularly IDFA Forum, a leading international platform connecting documentary projects with producers, funding bodies, sales agents and other industry professionals.
“La Linda”, directed by Francina Carbonell and produced by Gema Juárez Allen and María Paz González, has been selected for Forum Pitch, where projects are presented to international industry professionals. The Argentina–Chile co-production, developed by Gema Films and María Una Vez, is currently in production.
The story follows Tatuna, an 89-year-old woman living in a mansion in Mendoza, Argentina. When her daughter returns from Chile, an inheritance dispute erupts, as debts, unproductive land and events from the past strain family relationships.
Meanwhile, “Artificial Clouds” (“Nubes artificiales”), directed by Josefina Buschmann Mardones and produced by Daniela Camino Valdivia, will participate in Rough Cut Presentations, a platform for projects in the advanced stages of editing and post-production. The Chile–France–Mexico co-production is currently in post-production and brings together Mimbre Films, Les Films Invisibles and Autonauta Films.
Beginning with the disappearance of an artificial intelligence agent, the film charts a journey from the ocean to the Chilean desert, tracing technological infrastructure such as cables and antennas to explore ecological and existential questions.
Industry Events to Strengthen International Connections
Alongside the festival and Forum selections, Chiledoc and Film Commission Chile will organise events aimed at fostering professional exchange and building connections within the documentary industry.
These include the Producers Breakfast sessions on November 16, 17 and 18, bringing together international producers accredited for the market and Chilean producers to encourage professional exchange and explore co-production opportunities.
On Tuesday, November 17, the two organisations will also host a promotional networking event at Het Documentaire Paviljoen, open to festival-accredited guests and designed to connect international industry professionals with the Chilean delegation.
In this context, Osvaldo Marinao, ProChile’s Trade Commissioner in the Netherlands, highlighted the importance of maintaining a sustained presence at major international documentary events:
“For ProChile, supporting the Chilean delegation’s participation in IDFA is essential, as it allows us to remain visible and actively engaged in a festival circuit and market that value the work and content of Chilean creators. Chiledoc’s presence at IDFA reflects an established public-private effort to promote Chilean documentaries at the world’s most important documentary event. This year will also provide an opportunity to showcase our Film Commission, which also helps strengthen Chile’s audiovisual industry”.
The programme will be complemented by a delegation associated with the films, projects and companies taking part in this year’s edition, including filmmakers, producers and Chiledoc representatives.
Producers Selected for a Ministry-Supported Delegation
A delegation of producers selected through the International Markets Participation Support Programme of Chile’s Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage (MINCAP) will also attend. Their participation aims to strengthen ties with the international documentary industry and create opportunities for co-production, financing and distribution.
The delegation includes Maximiliano Scheleff of Pajareza Films, with “Carne de cañón” and “Cosa juzgada”; Carola Fuentes of La Ventana Cine, with “Moriré chileno” and “Folil, un viaje a las raíces”; Francisco Hervé of Juntos Films, with “Viajero inmóvil” and “Una señora invisible”; Rocío Romero of Mimbre Films, with “Llegará el silencio y me habré ido” and “De agua y muerte”; and Vicente Barros of Ursus Films, with “Reina madre” and “De agua y muerte”.
Three Chilean productions will also be available through Docs for Sale, the market’s professional viewing platform for distributors, sales agents and festival programmers: “Pariah” (“Paria”), “The Memory That Remains” (“Hijos, la memoria que queda”), and the documentary series “Diary of an Infiltrator” (“Diario de un infiltrado”), from Bioesférica Filmes, which will present its first three episodes.
For Diego Pino Anguita, Executive Director of the Chilean Documentary Corporation (CCDoc), this presence at IDFA reflects both the breadth of Chilean documentary production and the importance of maintaining public support mechanisms that enable its international circulation.
“The fact that IDFA, one of the world’s most significant documentary film events, is once again recognising and celebrating Chilean filmmaking by including a wide range of films, projects and perspectives from our country in its programme reaffirms the richness of Chilean documentary cinema. It also demonstrates its ability to connect with international audiences and strengthen its standing within the global film industry, thanks to the continuity of public programmes and support mechanisms that we hope will continue to grow stronger”.
Chile’s participation in IDFA 2026 thus spans multiple stages of documentary filmmaking, from development and financing to the exhibition and international circulation of completed works. This presence is supported and funded by Chile’s Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage through initiatives aimed at strengthening the international reach of the country’s audiovisual sector.
About Chiledoc
Chiledoc promotes Chilean documentary talent, films and series worldwide. It is committed to helping the sector grow through strategic promotion, building and strengthening networks, and encouraging collaborative practices.
Chiledoc is a public-private initiative supported by ProChile, part of Chile’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Chilean Documentary Corporation (CCDoc).
Press contact: periodista@ccdoc.cl
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