Six national productions will be part of the various sections of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), including the latest films by Andrés Wood, Pablo Larraín and Patricio Guzmán. The event begins today and will run until September 15, representing the key entrance to North American industry for Chilean cinema.
A delegation of talented professionals will participate with various film projects in the TIFF audiovisual market, with the field support of the ProChile sector brand, CinemaChile, backed by the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage (MinCAP).
This Thursday, Chile returns to the Toronto Film Festival with a total of six productions, fifteen projects in development and over twenty professionals from the national industry, who will work in one of the five biggest and prestigious international film festivals, being the most relevant for the development of the independent industry, and associated with the great studios of North America.
The national attendance begins tonight with the world premiere of Lina de Lima, the first fiction film by filmmaker María Paz González, produced by the renowned documentary filmmaker Maite Alberdi and the producer Giancarlo Nasi (Quijote Films), who just premiered a co-production in the Venice Film Festival. The colorful film, produced with Argentina and Peru, tells the story of a Peruvian woman who lives in Chile and supports her family from a distance by working for other people in Santiago. One day, getting ready for her annual Christmas trip to see her teenage son, Lina - played by Magaly Solier - realizes that he no longer needs her as before. Feeling emotionally displaced, she begins a journey to redefine herself as she explores her own desires and identity. The Discovery section is dedicated to the "must see" directors according to the event, and the world cinema of the future.
Gonzalez's debut in Toronto will be accompanied by the participation of three acclaimed Chilean directors, who have already been applauded in festivals of this magnitude.
In the Contemporary World Cinema section will be screened as World Premiere Spider, the latest film by Andrés Wood. Starring Argentinian Mercedes Morán and Chilean Marcelo Alonso, produced by Wood Producciones along with Brazil and Argentina, Spider tells the story of a former member of a Chilean paramilitary, fascist and nationalist group who tried to overthrow the Chilean government in the 70s, narrating how the events from the past transcend forty years later, while its protagonists do the impossible to hide it.
As part of the Special Presentations section - dedicated to high-profile premieres and the world's finest filmmakers - the great production of Ema will be runned starting on Saturday, which successfully premiered a few days ago at the Venice Film Festival. The eighth film by Pablo Larraín, starring Mariana Di Girolamo and Gael García Bernal, produced by Fabula, tells the story of a young dancer who decides to separate from her partner after returning the son who both had decided to adopt, unable of looking after him. From this fact, Ema will be looking for new loves to placate her guilt in the streets of Valparaíso , but at the same time she will build and carry out an incendiary plan to recover everything.
Larraín will not only shine with the premiere of Ema: since his name is also part of the directors whose films make up the TIFF Cinematheque section, where No will be screened, a film that recounts the “No” campaign during the 1988 plebiscite in Chile and whose cast gathers Gael García Bernal, Alfredo Castro and Antonia Zegers. Larraín's film was the first Chilean film candidate for the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 2013.
Another acclaimed chilean director that will bring attention in the canadian city is Patricio Guzmán, with his latest documentary The Cordillera of Dreams, having several screenings within the TIFF Docs section. For 84 minutes, Guzmán explores the beauty and unveils the mysteries of the Andes Mountains, which he calls as the backbone of Chile. The film, produced by Chile and France, is the last part of the trilogy formed by Nostalgia for the Light and The Pearl Button.
Following up the grand national selection, the short film Austral Fever, that has just been premiered at the Venice Film Festival, will participate in the Short Cuts competition. Directed by Thomas Woodroffe and produced by Rodrigo Díaz from Brisa, Austral Fever outlines the life of Amanda -played by Francisca Gavilán-, a lonely woman who lives with her son Daniel in the southern mountain range of Chile. One day, Daniel’s friend named Octavio is accidentally injured while hunting in the forest. Amanda takes over the healing of the young man, developing an intimate bond with him, discovering that the contact with the wound emerges an addictive pleasure.
NATIONAL PRODUCER'S DELEGATION AT TIFF INDUSTRY
Four Chilean producers, supported by the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage, will attend the Toronto Film Festival industry space (TIFF Industry) through the Support Program for Participation in International Markets: Rocío Jadue from Fabula, Francisco Hervé from Panchito Films, Omar Zúñiga from Cinestación and Giancarlo Nasi from Quijote Films; who will attend looking out for co-producers, distributors and sales agents for their major fiction and documentary projects. They will be joined by representatives of the national production companies Brisa, Jirafa, Wood Producciones and Tanu.
“Canada is a great market for the Chilean Creative Industries. As a country, we develop promotional actions in this market for video games, music and audiovisual. Our participation in this great festival looks to promote our content and ensure that Chilean professionals generate strategic and relevant alliances for their projects,”said Tatiana Larredonda, ProChile’s Head of Creative Economy.
The delegation will have full support by the ProChile sector brand and the Association of Film and Television Producers (APCT), CinemaChile, which will hold an industry meeting event focused on the exchange between Chilean producers and international professionals, especially local, promoting the current bilateral co-production agreement between Chile and Canada, and encouraging the way for national productions to the North American market.
