● The Chilean presence at IDFA is led by the feature film The Fabulous Gold Harvesting Machine, selected in the festival’s Best of Fest section.
● Additionally, the International Short Film Competition will feature the world premiere of Archipelago of Earthen Bones – To Bunya, as well as the Spanish short film The Daughter of Both Women, co-directed by a Chilean filmmaker.
● Ancestral Secret VR will also have its world premiere in the renowned Immersive Non-Fiction section.
● Two Chilean projects from the production companies La Ventana Cine and Errante Producciones have been selected for the IDFA Forum, where they will present alongside around twenty other projects from around the world.
● Finally, at least nine projects in different stages of development from five production companies selected by the Ministry of Cultures will participate in market activities in the Netherlands. Chiledoc will once again coordinate the Chilean delegation.
With a strong turnout and delegation of filmmakers, Chile is preparing for its presence at the 37th edition of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), taking place from November 14 to 24. The Chilean delegation includes Alfredo Pourailly, Francisco Hervé (Juntos Films), Malena Szlam, Alejandra López, Daniela Camino (Mimbre Films), María José Díaz (Galgo Storytelling), Francisca Silva (Galgo Storytelling), Sebastián Lavados (Trino Films), Sebastián González (Amilcar Films), Paola Castillo (Errante), Tana Gilbert, Fernando Fuentes (El Espino Films), Carola Fuentes (La Ventana Cine), and Diego Pino Anguita, Deputy Director of the sectoral brand Chiledoc.
CHILEAN DOCUMENTARY CATALOGUE IDFA 2024
The mission to IDFA and the presence of the Chilean delegation in Amsterdam are supported by the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage through the Arts and Audiovisual Industry Council. In this regard, the Minister of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage, Carolina Arredondo, states: “The international recognition of the Chilean documentary genre not only has to do with the renowned filmmakers who have managed to win in different contests and competitions, but also with the diversity of languages, formats and themes contained in these stories. That is why it is very important that as Ministry of Cultures we maintain our commitment and support to the delegations that attend and continue to raise the name of the national audiovisual industry, this time as part of the most important festival in the world for documentary filmmaking.”
Once again, Chiledoc will coordinate the Chilean delegation and facilitate their participation in networking and market activities, fulfilling its mission to promote Chilean documentary talent, films, and series worldwide. Diego Pino Anguita notes: «This year, more than ever, we see a diversity in the Chilean participation, focused on the type of works and the themes they address. Feature films, short films, immersive projects, and a wide-ranging catalog exploring topics from intimate, personal stories to more contingent and political perspectives. Chile is a successful exporter of non-fiction works, and each year, its presence at IDFA does not go unnoticed.»
Documentaries in the Official Selection
Selected in the Best of Fest section—which, as its name suggests, features the best films from festivals throughout the year— The Fabulous Gold Harvesting Machine directed by Alfredo Pourailly de la Plaza and produced by Francisco Hervé, Alfredo Pourailly, and Annemiek Van Der Hell, takes us to Tierra del Fuego, Chile, where Toto has been searching for gold for 40 years. His body is severely damaged by the demands of his work, and his doctor warns him that continuing in the mine will cost him his life. Yet he cannot stop, as he lacks social security benefits. His son, a cowboy named Jorge, designs a machine that promises them a better future.
In the Short Documentary Film Competition is Archipelago of Earthen Bones – To Bunya, which will have its European Premiere at IDFA. Directed and produced by Chilean filmmaker Malena Szlam, this short film is a journey into the luminous flora, volcanic landscapes, and sweeping horizons of the Gondwana rainforest in the eastern ranges of Australia, transforming into an imaginary landscape. Edited on a 16mm camera, the overlays suggest a lithic time scale, deconstructing and reshaping desert, mountain, and sky in a dazzling palette of orange, black, and viridescence. The film’s environmental evocations are deepened with field recordings and atmospheric soundscapes by artist Lawrence English.
The short film The Daughter of Both Women will have its world premiere in the same competition. This work is a collaborative creation by students of the Master’s program in Creative Documentary at the UAB, with Chilean filmmaker Alejandra López Puebla participating as co-director. The film tells the story of Iona, a girl raised by two friends who are her mothers. Through her diaries, she narrates her adolescence, marked by her father’s abandonment, her confusion about the world, and her desires. These diaries serve as a bridge to uncover answers that have always been within her.
In the IDFA DocLab Competition for Immersive Non-Fiction, the virtual reality work Ancestral Secret VR, directed by Francisca Silva and María José Díaz and produced by María José Silva, Gayatri Parameswaran, and Felix Gaedtke, has been selected. This Chile-Germany co-production is based on an ancient prophecy that says harmony will return in the planet’s difficult times when the condor and the eagle fly together again. The condor represents Indigenous peoples, while the eagle symbolizes the globalized world. This is more than just a visit to the cosmovision of Peru’s Q’ero community; it is a pioneering venture—a first-of-its-kind co-creation VR project. Ancestral Secret VR redefines the relationship between humanity and Mother Earth, offering an immersive experience that transcends the physical boundaries of reality.
In the IDFA Forum Pitch industry section, the feature film in development, Burning Daddy, directed by Tana Gilbert and produced by Paola Castillo, is featured. This project follows Camila and her family as they reconstruct the image of her father through old photographs and legal records, navigating memories of his turbulent past marked by both violence and love.
Also participating in the IDFA Forum is a co-production between Chile, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom, whose title is still under reserve. The Chilean production company behind this project is La Ventana Cine, led by director Carola Fuentes. An international team of journalists investigates the environmental costs left by multinational corporations in Latin America. The international producers are Ina Fichman from Canada, Mandy Chang from the UK, and Simon Kilmurry from the United States.
Chilean Projects
A series of projects will be represented by the Chilean delegates selected through the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage’s support program for attendance at international markets, during IDFA’s market networking activities. These are the documentary projects:
«Thirst» directed by Vicente Barros and produced by Rocío Romero; «Artificial Clouds», directed by Josefina Buschmann and produced by Daniela Camino; «Not All Girls», directed by Carolina Astudillo and produced by Macarena Aguiló; «Garden City», directed by Javier Zoro and produced by Macarena Aguiló; «The Letelier File», directed by Rafa Valdeavellano and Nicolás Acuña and produced by Carola Fuentes; «Unwelcomed» and «Nipon Takes», directed by Amilcar Infante and produced by Sebastián González; «A Troop of Bears», directed by Christian Martínez, Paola Castillo, and Pachi Bustos, produced by Paola Castillo and Alejandra Díaz; and «Relentless Memory», directed by Paula Rodríguez Sickert and produced by Paola Castillo and Gema Juárez Allen.
About Chiledoc
Chiledoc promotes Chilean documentary talents, 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
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