{"id":7364,"date":"2025-11-09T20:17:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-09T23:17:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chiledoc.cl\/en\/?p=7364"},"modified":"2025-11-11T12:41:50","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T15:41:50","slug":"from-emerging-voices-to-established-filmmakers-chiles-strong-presence-at-europes-most-important-documentary-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chiledoc.cl\/en\/from-emerging-voices-to-established-filmmakers-chiles-strong-presence-at-europes-most-important-documentary-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"CHILE AT IDFA: From Emerging Voices to Established Filmmakers"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Emerging Voices to Established Filmmakers: Chile\u2019s Strong Presence at Europe\u2019s Most Important Documentary Festival<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u25cf Among the highlights of Chile\u2019s participation at IDFA<\/strong> this year is Blue Silence<\/em><\/strong> (Silencio Azul), by young filmmaker Mat\u00edas Rojas Ruz<\/strong>, which will have its world premiere in the International Short Film Competition, followed by Letters to My Dead Parents<\/em><\/strong> (Cartas a mis padres muertos) by Ignacio Ag\u00fcero<\/strong> and Invisible Life<\/em><\/strong> (Vida Invisible) by Bettina Perut and Iv\u00e1n Osnovikoff<\/strong> in the Signed section; and Dead Tongue<\/em><\/strong> (Lengua Muerta) by Jos\u00e9 Jim\u00e9nez<\/strong> in Best of Fests.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Two emerging Chilean filmmakers\u2014Sidka Saavedra and Jos\u00e9 Jim\u00e9nez<\/strong>\u2014were selected for the IDFAcademy <\/strong>program. In addition, Ignacio Ag\u00fcero will serve as a juror for the Envision Competition. \u201cChile arrives at IDFA with a vibrant and diverse presence that celebrates both new voices and master documentarians, reaffirming the creative strength and international recognition of our cinema,\u201d<\/em> says Flor Rubina<\/strong>, Deputy Director <\/strong>of Chiledoc<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

CHILEAN FILMS AND PROJECTS AT IDFA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

CHILE\u00b4S LINE UP AT IDFA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

From November 13 to 27<\/strong>, the 38th edition of IDFA, the largest and most important documentary festival in Europe, will take place in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. At this key global meeting point for the nonfiction industry, Chile will stand out for the diversity of voices and career paths represented within its delegation, which includes a group supported by the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage through its program for participation in international markets.<\/p>\n

With its diverse, innovative, and artistically rich focus, the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam has consolidated itself as a key platform for showcasing new voices and perspectives in documentary filmmaking. \u201cWe are pleased to accompany the Chilean delegation at IDFA, one of the world\u2019s most prestigious and competitive nonfiction events, which opens doors and highlights the creative strength of Chilean documentary cinema,\u201d says Rubina.<\/p>\n

In the project market, around a dozen documentaries in various stages of development and formats will be represented by their filmmakers. \u201cAs a Chilean delegation, we stand out for our documentary production marked by consistency, thematic diversity, and a constant search for formal innovation. IDFA and its market provide the ideal environment to share this creative vitality and strengthen ties with professionals from around the world gathered in Amsterdam around documentary cinema,\u201d Rubina adds.<\/p>\n

WORLD PREMIERE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Off the coast of Manquemapu, Chile, buried beneath indifferent waves, lies the wreck of the Janequeo. The ship sank in 1965, claiming 51 lives. Though the sea swallowed the wreckage, on land the memory of the tragedy lives on\u2014both among the people and in the landscape.<\/p>\n

Blue Silence<\/em><\/strong> (Silencio Azul) does not attempt to reconstruct this story. With a haunting sound design and analog footage whose colors have faded or oversaturated, the film explores the memories of local residents\u2014recollections worn away and eroded by time and saltwater.<\/p>\n

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For its director, Mat\u00edas Rojas Ruz<\/strong>, \u201cReceiving the news of the selection was truly beautiful, almost unbelievable. It felt like closing a chapter and, in a way, fulfilling a promise to my team to premiere Blue Silence someday. Being part of such a prestigious festival is already a great recognition, but it\u2019s also an opportunity to connect with other filmmakers, learn from their experiences, and strengthen my own perspective as a filmmaker and documentarian. It\u2019s a great moment for Blue Silence and for the other films I\u2019m currently making.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Films with a Distinct Signature<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Signed<\/strong> section of IDFA features the latest works by some of the most original filmmakers of our time. This section celebrates artists with a unique artistic voice that goes beyond convention. It\u2019s no surprise that Ignacio Ag\u00fcero<\/strong> with Letters to My Dead Parents<\/em><\/strong> and the duo Perut & Osnovikoff<\/strong> with Life Invisible<\/em><\/strong> are featured here.<\/p>\n

In his film, Ag\u00fcero sets out to update his parents on both intimate family matters and sociopolitical events\u2014beginning with his father\u2019s death a few days after Allende\u2019s election, up to the present day. Fifty years of the filmmaker\u2019s and Chile\u2019s life unfold through a blend of personal family archives and new material, forming an intimate sociopolitical tapestry that persists in Ag\u00fcero\u2019s investigative and exploratory style, which he himself calls \u201cwandering cinema.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Exploring a deeply relevant and urgent topic, Bettina Perut and Iv\u00e1n Osnovikoff\u2019s Invisible Life opens the world of Professor Cristina Dorador and her vital mission. She leads an expedition into the depths of the breathtaking Atacama Desert\u2014the highest and driest in the world\u2014searching for new medicines to fight the alarming rise of drug-resistant superbugs. These bacteria already kill 5 million people every year, a number expected to soar without the work of explorers like Cristina.<\/p>\n

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The Best of the Year<\/strong><\/p>\n

Best of Fests features the year\u2019s most acclaimed titles\u2014films that have captured programmers\u2019 attention, won awards, and become audience favorites across international festivals. This section showcases the most diverse styles and genres, reflecting themes that resonate globally.<\/p>\n

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Here we find Dead Tongue (Lengua Muerta), directed and produced by Jos\u00e9 Jim\u00e9nez along with Sebasti\u00e1n S\u00e1nchez. The short film portrays a man living in isolation on a southern Chilean beach, surrounded only by a pack of dogs. With broken words, he struggles to articulate an unspeakable secret connected to Chile\u2019s Pinochet dictatorship.<\/p>\n

IDFAcademy<\/strong><\/p>\n

From November 13 to 16, IDFAcademy will take place\u2014an intensive training program for emerging documentary filmmakers and producers, offering them the chance to connect with renowned professionals willing to share their expertise.<\/p>\n

Two Chilean filmmakers were selected. One of them is Sidka Saavedra Vera, with their documentary project in post-production, The Boy Girl and the Gothic Orca (El ni\u00f1o ni\u00f1a y la orka g\u00f3tika), an intimate film intertwining Buenos Aires\u2019 underground gothic drag scene\u2014where grotesque and fetishistic performances celebrate monstrosity as liberation\u2014with the director\u2019s personal journey of gender transition, narrated in voice-over and captured through intimate moments, from personal reflections to hospital imagery. The story doesn\u2019t close\u2014it transforms. A portrait of a body and community in transition, constantly evolving.<\/p>\n

Jos\u00e9 Jim\u00e9nez, the director of Dead Tongue presented in Best of Fests, will also participate in IDFAcademy with his feature-length project EXTERRA, co-directed with Celeste Rojas Mugica. The film begins with a group of archaeologists excavating the yard of Ingrid Olderock\u2019s house\u2014the most powerful woman in Pinochet\u2019s secret police. The torturer\u2019s archive surfaces, and the distant voice of a young narrator traces not only Olderock\u2019s path but also those of the spaces where she trained other women who perpetrated horror. A film built from real documents and imaginative explorations as forms of resistance.<\/p>\n

Projects<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Chilean delegation\u2019s portfolio at IDFA also includes about ten projects in various stages of development. From Chilean production company Ballover Films come Children: The Memory That Remains (Hijos: la memoria que queda), a Chile\u2013France co-production directed by Francisco L\u00f3pez Ball\u00f3 and produced by Francisco L\u00f3pez, Lize Bouzidi, and Jean Elios; and Territories (Territorios), also directed by L\u00f3pez Ball\u00f3 and produced by Francia Aranda. From La Ventana Cine: The Capture (of Paul Schaefer) (La Captura), directed by Rafa Valdeavellano and produced by Carola Fuentes; and I Don\u2019t Want to Say Goodbye (No quiero decir adi\u00f3s), directed by Carola Fuentes and produced by Rafa Valdeavellano. From Galgo Storytelling: the VR project Knowing Your Nature, directed by Francisca Silva and produced by Mar\u00eda Jos\u00e9 D\u00edaz, along with the feature Chuchu, directed and produced by D\u00edaz. From Mimbre Films: No Money No Honey, directed by Nicole Costa and produced by Daniela Camino, as well as Of Water and Death (De agua y muerte), directed by Vicente Barros and produced by Roc\u00edo Romero. From Cangrejo Films: Artifacts of War (Artefactos de Guerra), directed by Jorge Caballero and produced by Ana Giralt and Diego Pino; and Object (Objeto), a Chile\u2013Germany co-production directed by Loreto Quijada and produced by Fernando Bascu\u00f1an, Sebasti\u00e1n Z\u00fcger, and Loreto Quijada.<\/p>\n

About Chiledoc<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chiledoc promotes Chilean documentary talents, their films, and series around the world. Our mission is to foster the growth of the sector through strategic promotion, network creation and strengthening, and the encouragement of collaborative practices. We are a collective force.
\nChiledoc is a public\u2013private organization supported by ProChile (under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and the Chilean Documentary Corporation (CCDoc).<\/p>\n

Press Contact:
\nNatalia Raipan | periodista@ccdoc.cl<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From Emerging Voices to Established Filmmakers: Chile\u2019s Strong Presence at Europe\u2019s Most Important Documentary Festival \u25cf Among the highlights of Chile\u2019s participation at IDFA this year is Blue Silence (Silencio Azul), by young filmmaker Mat\u00edas Rojas Ruz, which will have its world premiere in the International Short Film Competition, followed by Letters to My Dead […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chiledoc.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7364"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chiledoc.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chiledoc.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chiledoc.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chiledoc.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7364"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.chiledoc.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7364\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7379,"href":"https:\/\/www.chiledoc.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7364\/revisions\/7379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chiledoc.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chiledoc.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chiledoc.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}