• The new international non-fiction content market seeks to create a space for business and partnerships between documentary filmmakers and global industry partners through networking and pitching activities. The event will take place from March 10 to 12 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• Out of 18 selected projects, five Chilean productions have been chosen for the pitch sessions organized by Sunny Side of the Doc: The Black Stone, Sketches of the End of the World, South Pole Explorers, Becoming a Man, and Hackathon for the future.
• These documentaries are recognized for their diverse voices and perspectives, as well as for addressing timely and relevant issues. The selected projects have been divided into three pitching sections: Current Affairs & Investigation, Nature & Environment, and Factual Entertainment.
LatAm Content Meeting is an event organized by the Brazilian production companies Grifa Filmes and Stay and Fly Docs, with the aim of bringing together documentary filmmakers from around the world in search of new business opportunities. Meanwhile, the pitch sessions are led by the prominent French market Sunny Side of the Doc, with which Chiledoc has forged a long and fruitful relationship.
“We have worked together for many years, and we’ve seen projects from Chile being awarded at Sunny Side for their quality. They have a strong international level as well as many incredible stories! I would say that Chile, with ChileDoc, has become a major international player for Latin American stories,” says Jean-Jacques Peretti, Programming and Training Coordinator at Sunny Side of the Doc.
At this event, each project will participate in one of the three pitch categories, with only one winner selected per category. The winning documentaries will receive a cash prize and may also be granted additional awards and invitations to festivals through the event’s partnerships. In addition, all officially selected projects will be part of the Projects Observatory of Sunny Side of the Doc, a space for monitoring project progress and sharing achievements with the international documentary community.
Current Affairs & Investigation
The Black Stone is a Bolivian-Chilean co-production directed by Carlos Zaconeta and Juan Ignacio Bello and produced by Juan Ignacio Bello and Gerardo Guerra. The film follows Marcial Medina, a tireless Bolivian archaeologist intrigued by the secrets hidden within an enigmatic sculpted artifact known as The Black Stone, which emerges from the depths of the illicit antiquities trade. Alongside eminent scientists in the field, he seeks to decipher The Black Stone’s codes and unveil its mysteries. As he delves deeper into his research, they uncover the secrets of the ruthless Wakeros—looters who desecrate sacred sites for profit—putting Bolivia’s archaeological heritage at risk.
Nature & Environment
Directed by David Guzmán and produced by Ignacia Merino, Pablo Arias, Simón Vargas, and Mauricio Montes, Sketches of the End of the World is a documentary series that explores six Latin American ecosystems threatened by human activity, from the unique perspective of naturalist illustrators who embark on various journeys of exploration. Over six episodes, these illustrators venture into deserts, forests, and oceans alongside scientists and local figures, creating a logbook that invites reflection on the anthropogenic impact on these territories and the urgent need to promote their conservation.
In the same category is South Pole Explorers, directed by Jota Loyola Crovetto and produced by Juan Ramírez, a 12-episode documentary series in which each episode follows the expeditions of various explorers to the most beautiful and unknown place on the planet: the South Pole. Its protagonists, from different nationalities and diverse backgrounds, venture into the most hostile continent—at the edge of the world—to push the frontiers of knowledge.
Factual Entertainment
The project Becoming a Man, directed by Miguel Soffia and produced by Camila Maureira, is a documentary series in magazine format that explores masculinities in the Latinx world. Each episode follows a protagonist from a social movement in his country, complemented by animated segments that explain historical context and key concepts. With humor and a relatable tone, the series invites reflection without being preachy.
Hackathon for the future is also part of this section—a dynamic reality show directed by Rafael Valdeavellano and produced by Carola Fuentes, in which young visionaries take on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, racing against time to develop bold, high-impact solutions. Guided by expert mentors, they demonstrate that innovation can transform our world for a sustainable future.
Regarding the aspects that stand out most in Chilean productions, Jean-Jacques Peretti states, “The most surprising thing is the diversity in terms of stories and forms. Chilean filmmakers can easily go from creative docs to specialist factual programs. They have understood that the story is the most important part of a film. They are pragmatic and talented.”
internacional@chiledoc.cl
@copyright Corporación Chilena del Documental CCDoc
