• Chiledoc and Proimágenes Colombia, two key institutions that have maintained a close relationship for years, come together to strengthen and increase the visibility of Latin American documentary cinema in one of the most important film markets in the world.
• Each country will select two projects in the final stage of editing or post-production, which will take part in this initiative designed to showcase the best of documentary filmmaking.
Chile and Colombia are taking a new step in their international projection. Setting a new precedent, both countries are joining in a strategic alliance to present the Docs-In-Progress Chile & Colombia Showcase, an initiative that will take place at Cannes Docs within the framework of the Marché du Film 2026, one of the most relevant markets in the European and global film industry, to be held from May 12 to 20 in Cannes, France.
An Organic Alliance Arriving in France
This collaboration has been highlighted by Pierre-Alexis Chevit, Head of Cannes Docs, who explained the reasoning behind this joint initiative: “I believe these two countries deeply resonate in their passion for creative documentary, with so many strong authors across different generations, and an incredibly rich documentary tradition. In addition, they have two very active organizations dedicated to supporting the genre—Chiledoc and ProImágenes Colombia—so it felt very natural to bring them together through this initiative.”
Chevit added that this platform allows them to “connect artistic, aesthetic, and political points across different countries on the continent, promoting a powerful and inspiring transnational perception of Latin America as a whole, something that feels more important today than ever.”
The presence of Chilean documentary at Cannes Docs has been sustained over time. Across five previous Chilean showcase editions, 20 films have been presented, six of which have received awards, including a co-production with the prestigious broadcaster Al Jazeera and awards from Rise & Shine.
“Cannes Docs has become a fundamental window to increase visibility and accelerate the international circulation of Chilean documentaries. Participating in this experience has allowed filmmakers to enhance the prestige and positioning of their films among festivals, sales agents, distributors, and exhibitors,” says Paula Ossandón, Director of Chiledoc.
In 2026, for the sixth time, Chile will be part of Cannes Docs—this time, in an unprecedented alliance with Colombia.
“It is the first time that two Latin American countries have organized a joint showcase at Cannes Docs. This breaks with the traditional logic of fragmented representation and proposes a regional cooperation strategy, demonstrating that Latin America not only exports films, but also builds collaborative ecosystems”, adds Ossandón.
From Colombia, Carlos Moreno, Director of Promotion at ProImágenes Colombia, highlights the complementary nature of both ecosystems:
“A Chilean-Colombian showcase brings together two complementary documentary ecosystems to expand opportunities for promotion, circulation, and international partnerships. It acknowledges the positioning of Chilean documentary with names such as Guzmán or Alberdi and fosters shared learning.”
He also emphasizes that participation in this initiative enables “effective engagement with key industry players, fostering international alliances to support the completion of the works presented in this space, within one of the most important markets in the world. Thus, participating projects are positioned to secure international partners who may join as co-producers”.
The Showcase
Each country launched its own open call, inviting feature-length documentary projects—including international co-productions—that are in the final stage of editing or post-production to apply.
Four projects will be selected—two per country—and each team will have the opportunity to deliver a three-and-a-half-minute on-site pitch, along with the screening of a ten-minute excerpt of the film before industry representatives specializing in documentary.
For Pierre-Alexis, this new alliance is presented “as a possible prelude to a future renewal of the Cannes Docs Docs-in-Progress Showcases, as we seek to incorporate greater diversity of projects from a broader range of countries and regions around the world”.
internacional@chiledoc.cl
@copyright Corporación Chilena del Documental CCDoc
