A few weeks ago Nicolas Postiglione premiered his first film, Immersion, at the Guadalajara International Film Festival, where he won three awards: Best Debut Film, Best Director and Best Cinematography. Today it premiered internationally at the last Class A festival of the year, Tallinn Black Nights, to then continue at the Torino Film Festival, Italy.
Produced by Juntos Films, Araucaria Cine and Primate Lab and co-produced by the Mexican company Whisky, the author’s thriller starring Alfredo Castro was filmed almost entirely above water (80% of the scenes) in Lake Lanalhue, southern Chile. An original proposal, full of tension and visual richness that reflects on deep topics: class prejudices, family violence and generational conflicts.
Enjoy this exclusive interview here:
How was the experience of premiering Immersion in Guadalajara, and how do you think it has connected with International audiences to continue its tour at other festivals?
Premiering in Guadalajara was a truly amazing experience. The reception from the audience revealed to us that the film has a very particular impact, of high emotional commitment, and it filled us with joy to know that our message and topic of the story were faithfully communicated through the film. Latino audiences, above all, feel very close to the concepts we are dealing with, and with Chile being a fellow country makes the cultural distance to be little so the emotions are easily transmitted.
Nicolás states that directing Alfredo Castro in his first film was working with one of Chile’s great talents "But all the panic that it could mean was quickly softened upon meeting him".
The director tells with more details on how it was to work with Alfredo Castro.
How did you get to him for the role of Richard?
To get to Alfredo, nothing but the script. One of our producers knew him well enough to get it to him, but it was really the written words that drew him to the project, at least that is what I remember.
Alfredo is a very simple guy, generous, down to earth. He opened up his talent and expertise to our crew, and from the first takes we did, I understood it was a matter of letting him fly and simply directing details that seemed important to me. He offered so much in front of the camera that I was inspired in every shot, and so it was easily progressing.
How was the experience of filming 80% of the film above the water? How did you weave the relationship of this natural environment with the plot and why is Lake Lanalhue chosen for filming?
That 80% actually looks like 180% of the film, because of how hard it was. We did something that was never calculated in the right way.
We had no nautical experts, nor a large fleet of boats. It was guerrilla filmmaking above water, and of course, we had a million problems every day. From adverse weather conditions, impossible distances, poor communication between the equipment (due to water). Every day something new happened that no one had ever done before. But the film does not feel it, and the water of the lake gives it a wealth of visuals and environment that is invaluable. Lanalhue was chosen as a location because there is little traffic of boats and few houses, in addition to being a more "swampy" lake, which makes the film a little more scary.
Why did you choose the thriller genre to tell a story that is basically about fear of others, class prejudice and family tensions?
I think the cinema that I like the most is the one that combines entertainment with important content that generates questions. Immersion tries to do that, to entertain and make room for reflection.
I think Chilean cinema has a certain debt to the real public, not to the press, not to the festivals, but to the people who go to the cinema. It's not the filmmakers' fault that this happens, because talent exists, but it’s clear that the audience needs a little more encouragement and narrative tools to attract them to Chilean cinema. And I don’t think you have to use specific language to communicate an idea. The thriller has by the nature of its genre a lot of incentive, tension, danger, suspense, impact, violence, and I am close to working with that, in addition to being the type of films that I like the most.
After the international premiere of the film in Tallinn, at the Black Nights Film Festival Immersion will travel to Italy, to the Torino Film festival.
"What I hope is that these experiences will open some doors for me to specialize my career in cinema," says Postiaglonie.
What’s next for you as director after the festival tour?
On a daily basis I do advertising, but naturally cinema is a much more stimulating job, and I hope Immersion will push me to develop that part of my career further. For now I have my second film already financed and scheduled to be filmed during the winter of 2022, along with my beloved Oro Films producers, Dominga Ortúzar and Florencia Rodriguez. In this film, entitled Bella Cosa Mortal, you can also see new stimuli from the thriller genre.
