Chilean documentary project on imprisoned motherhood receives important award at Cannes market

25 mayo, 2022

Malqueridas, a feature film participating in the recent edition of Marché du Film’s documentary space, has won the Alphapanda award, consisting of communicational advice.

Four Chilean projects on editing stage were part of Docs-in-Progress Showcase Chile at Cannes Film Festival’s market Marché du Film’s Cannes Docs; Notes for a film, The Fabulous Gold Haversting Machine, Asteroid 2518, and the awarded Malqueridas, were part of it. It is relevant to mention this is the third time Chile has been invited, and Chiledoc has organized its participation.

Malqueridas is the first feature film directed by Tana Gilbert and is produced by Paola Castillo (Genoveva, Frontera) from Errante Producciones, in co-production with Germany’s Dirk Manthey Film UG. The documentary portrays a group of female inmates who reconstruct their motherhood experiences from prison using videos and photographs taken with forbidden cellphones. “Imprisoned motherhood is an urgent issue beyond Chilean and Latin American reality. Besides, we think it is a good sign that different ways of constructing cinematography can be developed at Marché du Film, positively representing documentary’s openness and quest to represent Chilean reality”, Gilbert comments.

The project received the Alphapanda award thanks to its participation at the Chilean Showcase, a French market section yearly bringing together the most prominent market agents in the world. “We are thrilled; this award is a major boost for Malqueridas’ international projection and its connection with audiences. This work poses an important artistic challenge, as well as the urgency to make imprisoned motherhood a visible issue; that is why this advice will be very important”, the documentary’s producer, Paola Castillo, comments.

“This is the second time a Chilean documentary has been awarded at Cannes Docs’ Docs-in-Progress, confirming how our movies are being possitively recognized in international markets. Malqueridas is a female-directed and produced project with a perspective on other women living their motherhoods in prison. This recognition also shows how feminine regard and its problematics are being valued today”, Paula Ossandón, Chiledoc’s director, concludes.

The award consists of two private advice sessions on cinematographic marketing and social media offered by Alphapanda, a European cinematographic industry media agency based in Berlin. In 2017, another Chilean production received this award; Lemebel, an intimate journey into the renowned writer, visual artist, and pioneer of Latin American queer movements’ life, Pedro Lemebel, received this award while participating in Visions du Réel, an international documentary yearly festival taking place in Switzerland.

Chile’s participation at Cannes Docs is organized by Chiledoc, Chilean documentary sectorial brand, and funded by ProChile.