• Unwelcomed, directed by Amilcar Infante and Sebastián González, and produced by Sebastián González and Esteban Sandoval, will have its European premiere in the Journeys section of Sheffield DocFest.
• Meanwhile, two projects from production companies DosBe Producciones and La Ventana Cine have been selected for the festival’s MeetMarket. Brisa Films and Juntos Films will also attend with support from the Chilean Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage (MINCAP).
>>> Check out the Chilean documentary catalogue at Sheffield here.
From June 18 to 23, the 32nd edition of Sheffield DocFest, one of the UK’s most important documentary film events, will take place, once again showcasing a strong Chilean presence.
Unwelcomed will have its European premiere in the Journeys section. The documentary, which begins with the burning of migrants’ belongings in northern Chile, explores the human side of the migration crisis. Its world premiere took place this past April in Canada as part of the International Competition at the prestigious Hot Docs Festival, where it received the Emerging International Filmmaker Award. The film is directed by Amilcar Infante and Sebastián González, and produced by Sebastián González and Esteban Sandoval of Amilcar Films and Pejeperro Films, respectively.
Two Chilean projects are included in the Official Selection of MeetMarket: The Safest Place, directed by Milena Castro and Magdalena Hurtado, and produced by Ignacia Merino and Isabel Reyes, and Chilean Untitled Documentary, directed by Carola Fuentes, and produced by Rafael Valdeavellano, Ina Fichman, Mandy Chang, and Simón Kilmurry.
“As the Ministry of Cultures, we remain committed to the audiovisual sector, supporting the presence of Chilean works and projects in major documentary markets and festivals, such as the Chilean delegation at Sheffield DocFest. This is a joint effort we will continue to develop alongside representatives from the sector, always aiming to improve the conditions for the internationalization of our industry—growing and supporting local creators in Chile and around the world», says Carolina Arredondo, Minister of Cultures, Arts and Heritage.
The Chilean documentary delegation traveling to Sheffield includes Francisco Hervé (Juntos Films), Sebastián González and Amilcar Infante (Amilcar Films), Joaquín Echeverría (Brisa Films), Magdalena Hurtado and Isabel Reyes (DosBe Producciones), Carola Fuentes (La Ventana Cine), and Diego Pino, executive director of Chiledoc, who comments: “Chile arrives at this important festival with Unwelcomed, a documentary about the human side of the migration crisis in Chile, which was recently awarded the Emerging International Filmmaker Award at Hot Docs in Canada. The projects selected for the market tell bold and often denunciatory stories that we believe will capture the attention of producers and audiences alike.”
Official Selection at MeetMarket
The Safest Place
Selected for the MeetMarket, this documentary from DosBe Producciones is already completed. It tells the courageous story of three women who, after years of silence, come together to reconstruct the memory of the sexual abuse they suffered as children—abuse perpetrated by family members in their own homes. Through an intimate and poetic narrative, they attempt to rebuild the safe space that was taken from them so many years ago.
Chilean Untitled Documentary
The creators behind Chicago Boys (La Ventana Cine) return with a powerful new project that already enjoys strong international backing despite being in early pre-production. Its title remains undisclosed due to the sensitivity of the subject. Chilean Untitled Documentary follows an international team of journalists investigating the long-term impacts left by multinational corporations in Latin America. International producers include Ina Fichman (Canada), Mandy Chang (United Kingdom), and Simon Kilmurry (United States). The project also has the support of the Ford Foundation and Chicken & Egg Pictures.
Chilean Projects
Renowned Chilean filmmakers and producers with projects in development will also participate in this important event. Their participation is supported by the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage through its Support Program for the Attendance at International Competitive and Training Events, and is coordinated by Chiledoc.
Brisa Films presents the Chilean documentary Aliyá, Yeridá, a co-production with France, Tunisia, and Qatar. In Hebrew, aliyá means “to go up” and refers to immigration to Israel, while yeridá means the opposite—“to go down” and emigrate. In 1970, the director’s father, of Jewish descent, emigrated to Tel Aviv. He later returned to Chile and married a Palestinian woman. By exploring untold family histories and juxtaposing his father’s Super 8 footage with his own, the director seeks to understand how a Zionist ideal is constructed—and ultimately fractured.
Brisa Films also presents You The Artists, a film that follows a young director as she works on her first feature while documenting the country’s political landscape fifty years after the military coup. Disillusioned by the defeat of the plebiscite for a new constitution and unable to find answers, she abandons the project—only for it to evolve into a community television channel.
The production company Juntos Films comes to the market with The Stationary Traveller, a film in which two filmmakers propose to cult Chilean director Cristián Sánchez to make a movie under one condition: he must resurrect the characters from his classic works, but as zombies. He struggles to defend his artistic principles but ends up trapped inside his own film.
Another project from Juntos Films is An Invisible Lady, a documentary that begins with the discovery of the decomposed body of an elderly woman in a neighboring house in the small roadside town of Curacaví. The event disrupts the filmmaker’s life, as she begins to feel haunted by the woman’s enigmatic presence. To confront her fear, the director searches the town for traces of the woman and uncovers a deeper horror: the invisibility of the elderly.
About Chiledoc
Chiledoc promotes the talents of Chilean documentary filmmakers and their films and series worldwide. Our commitment lies in fostering the sector’s expansion through strategic promotion, creating and strengthening networks, and promoting associative practices. We are a collective force.
Chiledoc is a public-private organization supported by ProChile under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Chilean Corporation of Documentaries (CCDoc).
Press Contact:
Natalia Raipan
periodista@ccdoc.cl
internacional@chiledoc.cl
@copyright Corporación Chilena del Documental CCDoc
