• The Tiger of the East, a documentary produced by Calama-based Mixie Araya and directed by Valparaíso filmmaker Jorge Acevedo, received the Rise and Shine Award in the industry section Docs-in-Progress Showcase, which features films in the final editing and work-in-progress stages.
• In the same section, Chilean-Belgian documentarian Felipe Bustos received the Al Jazeera Documentary Award for his film Everybody to Kenmure Street.
For the fifth consecutive year, Chilean documentaries have received significant recognition at Cannes Docs, the documentary industry space of the Marché du Film at the Cannes Film Festival. In this edition, The Tiger of the East, a film whose creators come from different regions, and Everybody to Kenmure Street, by a filmmaker whose Chilean father was exiled during the military regime, both in the final stages of editing, received awards. Once again, Chilean documentary filmmaking stood out in this global showcase of works from around the world.
The Tiger of the East won the Rise and Shine Award, which is given “to the project with the best international potential that does not yet have a sales agent,” according to the festival. Director Jorge Acevedo emphasizes that the recognition is especially meaningful to him: “Everyone gathered at Cannes Docs is an expert — they see, breathe, and work with cinema all year round. We feel that by receiving this award, the quality and universality of The Tiger of the East are being recognized. Even though it’s about a Chilean living in the mountains, the film speaks to something very universal: the desire to pursue a dream.”
Both director Jorge Acevedo and producer Mixie Araya come from regions outside the Metropolitan area. Araya remarks, “Making films in Chile is very difficult — and trying to produce them from regional areas is even more so. That’s why we believe it’s especially meaningful that The Tiger of the East has received this recognition in a space that has taken a great deal of effort to reach, but to which everyone has the right to apply. In this sense, the work of institutions that promote the internationalization of documentary cinema, like Chiledoc, is absolutely essential.”
The Tiger of the East tells the story of Custodio, a young Chilean muleteer and self-taught musician who decides to leave his hometown to fulfill his lifelong dream: becoming a real musician and performing in Mexico. His desire to dedicate a song he wrote to Los Tigres del Norte becomes the motivation that finally propels him on this important journey.
Meanwhile, the Al Jazeera Documentary Award was given to Chilean-Belgian filmmaker Felipe Bustos , who participated in the Scotland Showcase with his film Everybody to Kenmure Street, a documentary he directs and which is produced by Ciara Barry. Bustos Sierra’s project addresses the immigration crisis in the UK, portrayed through the collective action of neighbors and activists who rush to surround an immigration van that has detained two residents in one of Scotland’s most diverse communities.
For Felipe Bustos, “The protest at Kenmure Street in my Glasgow neighborhood in Scotland was a moment when people consciously rejected the UK government’s ‘hostile environment’ immigration policies — not out of ideology, but out of a shared sense of humanity. It’s a powerful reflection of how many people truly feel about immigration: not as a threat, but as a scapegoat too often used to fuel fear and division.”
Bustos notes that it is a personal topic for him because “as the son of a Chilean exile, growing up in a country I was often told was not mine, I have seen firsthand the strength and richness that come from being part of a multicultural community, where most people are simply trying to build a decent life. That kind of life is built through cooperation, not division. This protest went beyond the noise, showing how much a community has benefited from migration and how far its solidarity has come.”
Chiledoc director Paula Ossandón had the opportunity to be present once again at Cannes Docs, this time during the awards ceremony, and she highlights, “We are grateful for the opportunity Cannes Docs has raised visibility for Chilean documentaries. Alliances, co-productions, and awards for the sector have been forged there. We are very happy with the turnout of our showcase in recent years, which has sparked curiosity among a room full of festival programmers, sales agents, and distributors from around the world.”
Chilean Filmmakers Who Have Previously Succeeded at Cannes Docs
In previous editions of Cannes Docs, long-established documentarians like Ignacio Agüero, with Notes for a Film, and Maite Alberdi, with The Mole Agent, have participated.
But the list of Chilean films awarded at the Docs in Progress Showcase is prolific. In 2024, Aliyá, Yeridá, directed by Rafael Guendelman and produced by Joaquín Echeverría, received the Al Jazeera Award. That same year, Viajero Inmóvil, directed by Fernando Lavanderos and Sebastián Pereira, and produced by Francisco Hervé, took home the Rise and Shine Award.
In 2023, Life, directed by Antonio Cárdenas and produced by Michel Toledo, received the Think-Film Award. In 2022, Malqueridas, directed by Tana Gilbert and produced by Paola Castillo, won the Alpha Panda Award. In 2021, Meeting Point was awarded the VOSTAO Award.
Chiledoc Press: Natalia Raipan | periodista@ccdoc.cl
internacional@chiledoc.cl
@copyright Corporación Chilena del Documental CCDoc
