Daniel Díaz on the Challenges of Documentary Filmmaking in Chile

The screenwriter, documentary filmmaker and co-founder of Pikun Films reflects on the importance of international connections and the challenges facing documentary filmmaking in Chile and Latin America.

Daniel Díaz is a screenwriter, documentary filmmaker and co-founder of Pikun Films. As a filmmaker and producer, he has developed projects that explore different forms of representation and the intersections between documentary and other artistic languages and forms of expression.

One of the areas Pikun Films is currently exploring connects contemporary art with Indigenous cultures, seeking to show how Indigenous identities remain alive and are expressed in different contexts, from rural to urban settings. This approach has enabled the team to connect with communities in other countries and territories that are also seeking to challenge representations of Indigenous cultures as static or belonging to the past.

Another area of their work explores the intersections and boundaries of documentary through dialogue with forms such as performance, experimental film and surrealism.

For Díaz, building international connections plays a fundamental role in the development of documentary professionals, providing access to other experiences and discussions: “I believe the work being done to connect with other industries is extremely important. It is essential for people making documentaries in Chile to go beyond Chile, to explore, learn and immerse themselves in other questions and perspectives.”

His reflections also address some of the structural issues facing the documentary sector in Chile. Díaz points to the limitations of public funding, as well as the sustainability of documentary filmmaking and the working conditions of those in the sector in terms of income and social security: “These are issues that go beyond being challenges for the communities making documentaries. They are structural problems that, in my view, have reached a limit.”

While acknowledging the complexity of these issues, Díaz believes the documentary sector can also make progress by improving working practices, sharing knowledge and encouraging conversations and debates to collectively identify challenges and explore possible solutions.