Chile’s star power is on full display at the 41st Guadalajara Film Festival (FICG), with Pablo Larraín, Sebastian Lelio and Maite Alberdi leading the Chilean contingent as the festival’s guest of honor.
“These are our golden generation of filmmakers, many of whom achieved international recognition by receiving Oscar nominations and wins while still in their 40s, which helped us get down to this path,” Alexandra Galvis, director and co-founder of Cinemachili, told Variety. “The selection of these three individuals is no coincidence; beyond their accomplishments, they share the commonality of navigating the industry on a global level, collaborating with platforms such as Netflix, and yet maintaining a unique and uncompromising artistic voice.”
All three are among the ten winners in this edition, which also includes a retrospective of Alejandro Jodorowsky, a cult filmmaker and key figure in surrealist cinema, whose work left a lasting mark on Latin America and the world stage.
One of the festival industry highlights will be a masterclass with Larraín and his producer brother Juan de Dios Larraín, with a talk moderated by Francisco Ramos, Netflix’s vice president of Latin American content.
Larrain, whose films have received multiple Oscar nominations, is known for his sharp critiques of power, memory, and political history, and is a leading figure in contemporary cinema. His major works include “No”, “The Club”, “Neruda”, “Tony Manero” and the trilogy “Jackie”, “Spencer”, “Maria”.
Lelio is known for her intimate, human explorations of identity, and gained international acclaim for her films Gloria and the Oscar-winning Fantastic Woman, as well as her Cannes premieres Disobedience and The Wave.
Alberdi stands out for his gentle and precise observation of everyday life. Her Oscar-nominated documentaries “The Mole Agent” and “The Eternal Memory” brought her worldwide recognition. She recently directed her first fiction feature, In Her Place, and premiered the documentary drama A Child of My Own at the Berlinale.
Four of Alberdi’s documentaries, including “Gloria,” “The Club,” and the Mexico-set “A Child of My Own,” will be screened alongside Chilean shorts, features, and series (some in competition) that will be screened during the festival.
FICG will also screen two episodes of Prime Video’s ambitious series “The House of the Sprits,” led by Chilean showrunners Francisca Alegría, Fernanda Urejola and Andres Wood. The limited series version of Isabel Allende’s iconic debut novel is set to premiere worldwide on April 29th on the giant streamer.
There will also be a preview of International Emmy Award winner Hernan Cafiero’s soccer-themed series “Laza Brava,” produced by Descartes, Atomica and Eric Barmack’s Wild Sheep Content.
Galvis noted that Chile’s series has grown rapidly since Chile became the festival’s guest of state in 2019. “With the FIFA World Cup coming up this summer, Laza Brava could not be more timely,” she said.
“We are a delegation of over 100 people, and I think it is very meaningful to bring together two countries with such strong cultural dialogue,” said Daniel Laguna, Executive Director of the Chilean Audiovisual Development Fund. “We are very similar, and that similarity is a real strength in collaboration. When we work together, there is a kind of creative virtuosity that benefits both countries.”
At the top of the agenda is a Mexican-Chilean co-production meeting, with Cafiero, Mexican producers Edgel Campos (Machete) and Nicolás Celis (Pimienta Films), Chilean actress Paulina García and Mexican director Ilia Gomez participating in a panel discussion.
“This is essentially an effort to reinvigorate interest in the co-production agreement that was first proposed in 2019,” said Gabriela Sandoval, Storyboard Producer and Producers Association Director at APCT.
“The idea is that this co-production agreement will be similar to the new one signed with Spain and the one signed with Uruguay. The agreement with Spain is already in force and includes not only feature films but also series,” Sandoval said.
Chile’s presence extends to the festival’s jury, which includes industry luminaries such as Garcia (Premio Mezcal). The producer is Beatriz Roselotto (Ibero-American Documentary). Film director Hugo Covarrubias (animation). Directors Patricio Validares and Jorge Holguín (genre films) and Valparaiso University’s director Agustín Olivera Sepulveda were selected as youth judges.
