Documentary films underpin the Latin American presence at the Marché du Film.

14 julio, 2021

By Latam Cinema
JUNE 23, 2021

This year, a variety of Latin American projects, films and creators will be part of Cannes Docs, a Marché du Film’s documentary dedicated section, from July 6 to the 15, including the Doc Day’s celebration on the 13th.

Almost 30 projects from all over the world will be part of the Docs-in-Progress program and eligible for different prizes in cash and services.

In partnership with Doc in Progress, seven film institutions (festivals, funds or cinematographic organizations) organize an exhibit of a sample, each made up of four feature films in post-production. These films are looking forward to beginning their exhibition circuits in the coming months or even weeks.

The Chilean documentary, under Chiledoc’s brand, will be one of the seven represented at Docs-in-Progress, presenting titles that examine themes such as memory and native rights’ violations: «Bastard. The inheritance of a criminal» by Pepe Rovano (Totoral Media Lab); and the debut films «Meeting point» by Roberto Baeza, «Edita» by Pamela Pollak (Austral Content, Pollak Films) and «Under Suspicion: Zokunentu» by Daniel Díaz (Pejeperro Films).

The Ecuadorian documentary «The Beach of Enchaquirados» is presented in Docs-in-Progress as part of the Sheffield Doc Fest program. The film, directed by Iván Mora Manzano, arrives at Cannes after being part of other development and work in progress instances, such as DocLisboa or DocMontevideo’s Rough Cut Lab. Starring Vicky, a transgender fisherwoman living on the coast, this is the fourth feature film of the Guayaquil-based director, who expects to premier his upcoming fiction feature, «Yellow Sunglasses.»

On the other hand, the Project «God is a Woman» by the Brazilian director Barbara Cunha is part of the selection made by Circle, a laboratory for projects led by women. Produced by the Brazilian Chá Cinematográfico in co-production with Colombia and Estonia, the film follows Alexya Salvador, a trans Afroamerican indigenous woman who, by defying the orthodox church religious values, promotes a transformation of her community.

The Spotlighted Projects section shows a selection of 16 documentary projects in different stages of development, including the Colombian feature film «Alis«. The film is directed and produced by Clare Weiskopf («Amazona») and Nicolas Van Hemelryck (Casatarantula) in co-production with the Romanian production company Defilm and the Chilean Patanlla Cines. «Alis», at an early stage of production, has received the support of IDFA Bertha Fund, Sundance, Catapult, Ibermedia and Proimimages, and has participated in DocMontevideo and La Fabrique. This space offers a session of speed meetings with potential co-producers.

In the program of associated festivals activities, the Brazilian festival É Tudo Verdade proposes a dialogue between João Moreira Salles and Jorge Bodanzky to document the Amazon.