Chile has a groundbreaking presence at Cannes this year, with start-ups and integrated companies leading the way. Among them are three projects, Fernando Bascuñan’s Planta, two of which have been submitted to Directors’ Fortnight. Domingo Sotomayor’s drama “La Perra” about a woman who adopts a stray dog, and Lisandro Alonso’s “Double Freedom” (“La libertad doble”). The film, which was picked up by Luxbox ahead of its world premiere in Cannes, is a sequel to Alonso’s “La Libertad,” which debuted in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes in 2001.
Planta also brought “For the Opponents,” a drama about a young boxer by Federico Ruiz (“Simon of the Mountains”), to the Cannes short competition. Ruiz’s latest project “The Dog Trainer” (“El entrenador de perros”) will be sold in the festival’s development program “La Résidence”.
“We are excited about this triple presence in Cannes. This is unprecedented for a Chilean production company, and we take this as meaningful recognition of the work we have been building. Over the past year, we have truly come into our own as a team at Planta, and after such an intense 2025, it feels especially meaningful to be able to reach this moment together,” said Bascuñan.
“The collaborations we have had with directors, creative talents and local and international producers like Augusto Matto and Rodrigo Teixeira have been essential. At Planta, we work in a deep collaborative spirit that goes beyond co-production and work closely on the overall development of each project.”
Founded in January 2025 by Alejandra García after 20 years at Wood Prods, Ronda brings Manuela Martelli’s The Meltdown (El Desiero) to the Un Certain Regard category. It is the first time that a Chilean fiction film directed by a woman has received this honor.
Ronda also has a hot new market package at the Cannes Investor’s Circle: the spy thriller “Impunity” by Felipe Galvez (“The Settlers”). “We are committed to the growth of new voices in Chilean cinema, such as Francisca Alegría, Martelli and Gálvez, while also being part of the careers of established talents such as Marcela Said, Marialie Rivas and Andres Wood,” said director García.
Garcia announced three new projects early in Cannes. Estrella Solitaria is a political melodrama directed by Manuela Martelli. Sacrificio, a thriller inspired by true events, from director Andres Wood, who won a Sundance award for Violeta Went to Heaven, and The Mail Box of the Impure, directed by Rivas.
Alexandra Galvis, director of advertising organization Cinema Chile, said: “This is a historic Cannes for Chile. It follows the previous year, when Diego Cespedes won for Un Certain Regard, and it helps to consolidate something that is no longer a coincidence or a sporadic event. This year we not only celebrate established producers that we know well, but we also have surprises, with emerging production companies achieving historic milestones.”
Gabriela Sandoval, Storyboard Producer and Director of the Association of Producers APCT, agrees: “Through the strength of its creative identity, year after year Chile has consolidated its meaningful presence at one of the most important festivals in the world. What characterizes Chile today is its ability to export a voice with a clear point of view, rooted in its territory but universally resonant.”
“This year’s presence at Cannes is a clear confirmation of that,” she said, pointing to Chile’s commitment to cinematic language, creative risk and, most importantly, a very specific storytelling method that has allowed Chilean cinema to build a lasting presence on the world stage.
Chile reached this milestone in Cannes just as a right-wing government took over, causing some anxiety in the audiovisual industry. However, it is encouraging that screenwriter (“Recycled Lives”) Daniel Laguna has been appointed as executive director of Chile’s Audiovisual Development Fund. “While Chile’s public funds operate on a stable annual framework, some lines need to be updated to better reflect today’s realities,” he told Variety.
He also stressed that current incentive support focuses on competitive funding to attract investment. “However, expanding tax-based incentives is necessary and this will require a clear dialogue to define the way forward,” he says. “Chile has a strong audiovisual talent pool. The next step is to tailor policies to that capacity.”
