In March, we inaugurated a new section with the sole objective of providing company and a bit of an escape to those of you staying at home, taking care of your health and everyone else’s. Today, six weeks later, we’re happy and thankful for the great reception this initiative has had, and we’re inviting you to a new edition of “Thursdays of Chilean Cinema”. It’s a space where we promote national feature films and shorts in pursuit of connecting our cinema with the world. During the next seven days, we’ll be accompanied by The Passion of Michelangelo and Non Castus, both of which premiered in the last decade and will be available to be viewed by global audiences for free.
The Passion of Michelangelo was directed by Esteban Larraín and it’s a co-production with Argentina and France, which premiered in 2012 at the Rome Film Festival. Starring Sebastián Ayala, it’s based on a true story and takes place in 1983, when Miguel Ángel Poblete, a marginalized teen, claims to have visions of the Virgin Mary.
According to an interview with Larraín by Bio Bio, the most difficult part of constructing the story was “creating a character with soul that wasn’t a caricature. That was my main focus. The bigger challenge was not showing the obvious, that’s why I investigated, I informed myself, and I wanted to show the lesser known side of the story.”
Among its most notable recognitions are the Special Jury Prize and Award for Best Screenplay from the Festroia International Film Festival, Portugal.
Standing out among the multiple jobs Larraín has realized is writing the TV miniseries Mary & Mike (Invercine&Wood), of which he’s also co-director and co-producer. He’s currently developing the fiction series Casa de campo, based on the novel by José Donoso, and the feature films Nicanor y el Cristo Volador and La caza del hombre, about the capture of former Nazi, German criminal Paul Schäfere, leader of Colonia Dignidad in Chile.
CLICK TO WATCH THE PASSION OF MICHELANGELO
Alongside this film, we’re sharing Non Castus by young director Andrea Castillo, a 22-minute short about a mother’s inner struggle when she realizes the affection she expresses toward her son isn’t merely maternal. This production was done during the course of the Fiction Workshop at the University of Chile, when Castillo was in her third year in the department.
The film resonated in being selected to the 69th Locarno Film Festival in the International Short Film category, where it was distinguished with Honorable Mention by the Jury. Starring Tuti Elissegaray, Octavio Navarrete, and Sabina Ojeda, this piece formed part of the 2016 CinemaChile Film Catalogue and was present at other filmic events such as the Festival of Havana, Valdivia Film Festival, and Toulouse, among others.
Currently, Castillo is writing her first feature entitled Sangre Propia, selected to the “Films in Development” space at the Festival of Toulouse. In addition, she’s working on the pre-production of her fourth short film, Viento.
CLICK TO WATCH NON CASTUS
We also invite you to read:
“Get to know all the films that form part of Thursdays of Chilean Cinema”
