• 2024 was remarkable for the strong presence and recognition of Chilean documentaries in industry sections, markets, and international festivals, with over 78 official selections. Feature films, short films, and non-fiction series collectively received at least 21 awards and honors, and 16 female documentary filmmakers were internationally recognized.
• A 2024 milestone was The Eternal Memory, Maite Alberdi’s latest documentary, which achieved widespread international acclaim, won a Goya Award, and earned an Oscar nomination.
• Chilean documentaries are highly valued abroad for their artistic quality and thematic diversity, addressing subjects such as mental health, memory, history, politics, aging, migration, and more.
Chiledoc closes 2024 with a positive outlook on the positioning and recognition that Chilean non-fiction works have achieved beyond the country’s borders. The Chilean documentary sector brand supported filmmakers at 12 international markets around the world: Berlinale and the European Film Market (EFM) in Germany; Hot Docs in Canada; CPH:DOX in Denmark; Sheffield DocFest in the United Kingdom; Marché du Film at the Cannes Film Festival in France; Sunny Side of the Doc in France; the Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) and Points North in the United States; Getting Real in the United States; Brasil CineMundi; DocSP in Brazil; the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) in the Netherlands; and finally, wrapped up 2024 at home as part of Conecta in Santiago, Chile.
“Chilean documentaries have significant international reach. There are many reasons for this, such as the quality of their narrative and artistic proposals. It is a diverse cinema that engages audiences from different parts of the world, not only because of the uniqueness of its stories but also because of the universality of its underlying themes. The quality of Chilean documentaries has always stood out, but today a whole new generation is refreshing the scene and introducing new ideas. It is a cinema that takes risks and expands its language and storytelling methods,” says Paula Ossandón, director of Chiledoc.
The Eternal Memory is one of the most internationally acclaimed feature films of the year, winning the Goya Award for Best Ibero-American Film and making Maite Alberdi the first female Chilean director to receive this recognition. Additionally, the film was nominated for Best Documentary at the 96th Academy Awards. It tells the moving story of Paulina and Augusto, a couple who had been living with Augusto’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis for eight years.
“The Eternal Memory has taught me different ways of experiencing grief, both personal and collective. This year, I’ve witnessed Paulina presenting the film amidst her loss, sharing her pain with the audience, and embracing a shared mourning. I believe she approached Alzheimer’s in the same way—without hiding, talking about it, raising awareness, and accepting that she had to be present in the world,” said Maite Alberdi, the film’s director, after winning the Goya.
At Cannes Docs, part of the Marché du Film at Cannes, Chile was invited for the fourth consecutive year to host its own showcase in the Docs-in-Progress section, where two national feature films received awards. Aliyá, Yeridá —directed by Rafael Guendelman and produced by Joaquín Echeverría—won the Al Jazeera Documentary Award, which includes the co-production of the project with a minimum contribution of $15,000. Through family archives, this documentary explores the motivations behind the filmmaker’s family emigrating to Israel in the 1970s and the disappointments that ultimately led them to return to Chile.
About the award and the experience at Cannes Docs, the film’s director, Rafael Guendelman, stated: “We have built connections between Latin America and the Middle East—something we thought was difficult before Cannes but now believe is crucial to foster. We are in talks to co-produce with a Tunisian producer. Winning this award at Cannes Docs for co-production with Al Jazeera will enable us to finish the documentary more effectively and expand its reach for subsequent distribution. We aim to complete the film by the end of the year and premiere it during the first half of 2025.”
Meanwhile, The Stationary Traveller —directed by Fernando Lavanderos and Sebastián Pereira, and produced by Francisco Hervé—received the Rise and Shine Award, which recognizes projects with high international potential and includes a €3,000 production grant. This film explores a proposal made to a Chilean cult director to create a new movie that resurrects the characters from his classic films as zombies, while he struggles to uphold his artistic principles.
“We are delighted with the award we received. Cannes Docs is a spectacular platform, and the positive reception of the project has opened up many opportunities for the film. The award is a great boost and reflects the interest in what we are creating with Sebastián Pereira and Juntos Films. We thank Chiledoc for their impeccable coordination, which made this participation and recognition possible,” said Fernando Lavanderos, co-director of the documentary.
In 2024, the Impact Campaigns Pitch took place during the 35th edition of Sunny Side of the Doc, featuring the project Unwelcomed, directed by Amilcar Infante and Sebastián González, and produced by Sebastián González and Esteban Sandoval. The feature film won the Best Impact Movies Award, which includes mentorship in digital strategy to optimize the documentary’s reach and impact through two consulting and follow-up sessions, valued at €3,000. This film explores the harsh reality of the Venezuelan migration crisis in Latin America, highlighting the cultural clash and growing radicalization in border communities.
“The migration issue is universal and one of the defining challenges of our time that we must address. This award reflects an interest in shedding light on an overlooked side of the topic at an international level, aiming to connect with affected communities and to contribute to decriminalizing migration,” says Sebastián González, one of the documentary’s producers.
internacional@chiledoc.cl
@copyright Corporación Chilena del Documental CCDoc
