● Monguen, a feature film that participated in the documentary section of the recent edition of Marché du Film, won the Think-Film Award, which consists of a workshop and communications consultancy to aid in impact campaigns.
Four Chilean projects, three of them debut films, were part of the Docs-in-Progress Showcase Chile of Cannes Docs at Marché du Film, the Cannes Film Festival’s market, which this year included In the Shadow of Light, Relentless Memory, El Menor, and the winning film Monguen. It’s worth noting that, for the fourth time, Chile is one of the invited countries, and Chiledoc is one of the organizing institutions.
Monguen, which means «life» in Mapuzugun, is a feature film made in Alto Biobío, a region mainly characterized by being home to Mapuche Pewenche people. Directed by Antonio Caro and produced by Michel Toledo (Totem Producciones) and Antonio Caro (Lemuntu Producciones). «The documentary portrays the life of Fresia, a young Mapuche Pehuenche, who, when she learns she is pregnant, has to leave her home and family to have her baby in the city. A personal experience inspired the film idea because I worked as a rural doctor in this territory before studying film. And fate has now come full circle and brought me back to portray this story,» comments Antonio Caro, the director of this film, which is currently in the post-production stage.
«For the third time in a row, a Chilean documentary is awarded in a Docs-in-Progress of Cannes Docs at Marché du Film, demonstrating our projects and films’ international recognition. Monguen is a debut film filmed and produced in the Biobío and Valparaiso regions. It sheds light on the Mapuche Pewenche community and how one of its members must live motherhood and give birth to her daughter far away from home, immersed in our current system. This recognition shows how diverse and particular our stories are and how many echoes they find in the rest of the world,» says Paula Ossandón, Director of Chiledoc.
Regarding the news of the award obtained by Monguen, Marcela Godoy, Commercial Director (S) of ProChile in France, says, «We are happy and proud of supporting once again the Chilean documentary industry, and we congratulate the production Monguen, directed by Antonio Caro. This year, the sectorial brand Chiledoc presented a selection of four documentaries of great quality and very representative of the Chilean documentary production’s diversity.» She adds, «At ProChile, we are optimistic that our creative audiovisual industry is solidifying in such a relevant and symbolic market as the French one, especially at the Cannes Film Festival, Marché du Film, and Cannes Docs, where Chile has won an award for the third year in a row, this allows us to show our country’s creative potential, strengthening the positioning of our industry at the international level.»
Awarded documentaries
Ossandón also emphasizes the ongoing presence of Chilean documentaries and projects in this relevant space for the global film industry. «As an organization that promotes and accompanies Chilean documentaries in markets and festivals outside our country, we are very grateful for the impulse Cannes Docs has given to internationalizing Chilean projects. Marché du Film represents a powerful platform for the delegations to access a wide range of opportunities,» concludes Paula Ossandón.
In the year 2021, Cannes Docs and its activities were held online, and of the four Chilean participating projects, the winning film was Meeting Point, directed by Roberto Baeza and produced by Paulina Costa, Alfredo García, and the production company house La Toma Producciones. The film was recognized with the VOSTAO Award for subtitling upon its completion.
The following year, 2022, the edition was on-site, and the winning film was Malqueridas, directed by Tana Gilbert and co-produced by Paola Castillo and Dirk Manthey. The production company that produced it was Errante (Chile) and Dirk Manthey Films (Germany). The film won the Alpha Panda Award for a digital marketing consultancy.
About Chiledoc
We are the organization that represents Chilean documentaries in the world. We aim to promote these documentaries and talents internationally through participation in markets and festivals. We seek to boost the sector’s growth by creating and strengthening networks, constant diffusion, and promoting associative practices. We want to be «a collective force.»
Chiledoc is a public-private organization promoted by ProChile and the Chilean Documentary Corporation CCDoc.
internacional@chiledoc.cl
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