Chilean cinema refers to all films produced in Chile or made by Chileans. It had its origins at the start of the 20th century with the first Chilean film screening in 1902 and the first Chilean feature film appearing in 1910. The oldest surviving feature is El Húsar de la Muerte (1925), and the last silent film was Patrullas de Avanzada (1931). The Chilean film industry struggled in the late 1940s and in the 1950s, despite some box-office successes such as El Diamante de Maharajá. The 1960s saw the development of the "New Chilean Cinema", with films like Three Sad Tigers (1968), Jackal of Nahueltoro (1969) and Valparaíso mi amor (1969). After the 1973 military coup, film production was low, with many filmmakers working in exile. It increased after the end of the Pinochet regime in 1989, with occasional critical and/or popular successes such as Johnny cien pesos (1993), Historias de Fútbol (1997) and Gringuito (1998).
In recent years, Chilean films have made increasingly regular appearances at international film festivals, with No (2012) becoming the first Chilean film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and A Fantastic Woman (2017) the first to win it.[5]
History
Origins
On 17 February 1895 entrepreneur Francisco de Paola presented the first Kinetoscope, an early motion picture exhibition device, in Santiago. Next year, on 25 August 1896, the first Cinématographe reels were shown to an astounded audience in Santiago. These were the same movies that only eight months earlier, the Lumiere Brothers had shown in Paris.[6]
In the north of Chile, the Potassium nitrate mining industry created enough wealth to allow cities like Antofagasta and Iquique some privileges rare in other parts of the country.
In Iquique, photographer Luis Oddó Osorio was enthralled by this new technology and started to create his own short films. On 20 May 1897, he screened the short documentary "Una cueca en Cavancha"[7] in the Great Philharmonic Hall on Tarapaca Street. Osorio followed his first short with "El desfile en honor del Brasil",[8] "La llegada de un tren de pasajeros a la estación de Iquique",[9] "Bomba Tarapacá Nº7"[10] and "Grupo de gananciosos en la partida de football".[11]
In 1897, some circuses began to screen movies, which attracted great interest at first but soon trailed off due to the lack of new material. In the same year in Santiago, two new movie venues opened which both featured Edison'sVitascope, less popular than the Cinématographe. In June that year, the Bioscop was also launched as another alternative to the cinematographe, although it eventually failed. By the end of the year, all these new places would be closed.
In 1900, the Apollo Theatre in Santiago exhibited the film "Carreras en Viña", (Racing in Viña) and some other foreign films. The exact date that the films screened and further details of this event remain unknown.
In the port city of Valparaíso, the first film ever fully produced in Chile was launched at the Teatro ODEON on 26 May 1902.[12] The film, Ejercicio General del Cuerpo de Bomberos[13] (General Practice of the Fire Department), filmed on 20 May the same year, was only three minutes long and showed the annual public show performed by the Valparaíso Fire Department in the city's Aníbal Pinto square. Nothing is known of the film's director, cinematographer or production team, and only 27 seconds of footage remain today, held by the Catholic University of Valparaíso.[14]
In 1903, "Un paseo por playa ancha" (A walk through Playa Ancha) was filmed in Valparaiso by Maurice Albert Massonnier. The film is split into three parts. First, a huaso charges into the scene, causing some commotion among the people around, and dances the traditional Chilean cueca accompanied by musicians. This is followed by a scene where the characters eat a Chilean Cazuela. Finally, in the last scene, a fight breaks but is quickly controlled by a guard. Maurice Albert Massonnier was sent to Chile by the Lumiere Brothers' company, one of many sent around the world to document and produce films for them. After screening his film in Chile, Massonnier sent the film to Paris, where several copies were made. One of those copies was found in 1994 by Chilean film restorer Daniel Sandoval in an archive on Bois-d'Arcy.[15] "Un paseo por playa ancha" is now the oldest surviving Chilean movie. Massonier ended up settling in Chile and made his own production company, "Empresa Massonnier y Ca".
Un Paseo a Playa Ancha (1903), the oldest surviving Chilean film, by Maurice Albert Massonnier
The silent era
Manuel Rodríguez (fragment)
Film production boomed in Chile in the silent era, with 78 films released between 1910 and 1931. The first full-length film, Manuel Rodríguez, was released in 1910. Directed by Adolfo Urzúa, and starring Nicanor de la Sotta, it told the story of Manuel Rodríguez Erdoíza, who fought for Chile's independence from Spain until his death in 1818.[16]
Among the many Chilean directors who took up the art in this period – Salvatore Giambastini, Juan Pérez Berrocal, Jorge "Coke" Délano, Nicanor de la Sotta, Carlos Borcosque and Alberto Santana – one name in particular stands out for film historians: Pedro Sienna, a former stage actor who went on to direct and act in some of the best films of the age.[16]
It was Sienna who wrote, directed and starred in the first Chilean feature-length film that has survived to this day, El Húsar de la Muerte (The Hussar of the Dead).
Premiered in Santiago on 24 November 1925, El Húsar de la Muerte – like Adolfo Urzúa's eponymous Manuel Rodríguez – tells the story of Manuel Rodríguez Erdoíza. The film was restored in 1962 by the University of Chile's film archive, with a musical soundtrack by well-known Chilean composer and pianist Sergio Ortega. El Húsar de la Muerte was shown in the Treasures from the Archives category of the 2005 London Film Festival. Critic Carolina Robino described El Húsar de la Muerte in BBC Mundo as "an extremely refined film for its era. The visual imagery has an extraordinary richness. Sienna plays masterfully with the time-shifts, with the subjective view of the characters and with their thoughts. Without words, it tells an epic story with exquisite touches of humor and provides an accurate description of Chilean colonial society."[17]
The last silent movie produced in Chile was Patrullas de Avanzada (Advanced Patrol), directed by Eric Page and released in 1931.[16]
1940s and 1960s
In 1942, the Chilean Production Development Corporation (Spanish: "Corporación de Fomento de la Producción" or CORFO) created the Chile Films project, which provided filmmakers with technical resources and supported the Chilean film industry. One of the films supported by the CORFO is the filmanimated titled 15 mil dibujos.[18] Despite this, the industry began to struggle in the late 1940s with some studios experiencing financial difficulties. Large sums of money were spent on cinematic "super-productions" to attract foreign directors, but most failed to make a profit.[16] One film which did buck the trend, however, was adventure-comedy El Diamante de Maharajá (The Maharaja Diamond), starring comedian Lucho Córdoba, which was a box-office hit.
The low-output trend continued into the 1950s, with only 13 films released in Chile over the course of the decade. Towards the end of the 1950s, however, two films appeared which gave a taste of the new wave of socially conscious cinema that would sweep Chile in the 1960s: Naum Kramarenko's Tres miradas a la calle (Three Views of the Street, 1957) and Deja que los perros ladren (Let the Dogs Bark, 1961).[16]
The "New Chilean Cinema", 1960s-1989
In the 1960s, a vibrant national film culture developed which came to be known as the "New Chilean Cinema" (Spanish: Nuevo Cine Chileno). An experimental film department was founded at the University of Chile, along with a Film Institute at the Catholic University of Chile. The industry also received support from the revitalised Chile Films project which had begun in the 1940s.[19] During this period, young directors such as Raúl Ruiz, Patricio Guzmán, Aldo Francia, Helvio Soto and Miguel Littín emerged, along with a new genre inspired by social and political currents on the 1960s, the documentary.[16]
Politics was a key theme for Chilean cinema in the 1960s and beyond, as it was for similar movements in other South American countries (the Cinema Novo of Brazil and the Nueva Cinema of Argentina) and for Chilean movements in other fields of the arts, such as the Nueva Canción Chilena (New Chilean Song). "This left-wing Chilean filmmakers' movement cannot be understood without connecting it to the emerging social and political identity of the American continent", states the Chilean cultural website Memoria Chilena.[20]
Film production within Chile was relatively low throughout the military regime, with most filmmakers working in exile, but began to increase again when the regime ended in 1989. In 1992, the FONDART national art fund was established which would go on to support some 90% of Chilean feature-length films made since its creation. Although many films released in the late 1980s and early 1990s received both public and critical acclaim, including Johnny Cien Pesos (Hundred Peso Johnny, 1993) by Gustavo Graef-Marino; Historias de Fútbol (Soccer Stories, 1997) the debut film from Andrés Wood and Gringuito (1998) by Sergio Castilla, Chilean movies struggled to compete with international films for audience numbers.[16]
The next decade saw this trend begin to change. The more commercial 1999 release El Chacotero Sentimental (The Sentimental Joker), by Cristián Galaz, broke Chilean box office records.[16]
International awards since 2000
Since 2000, Chilean films were box-office successes like Jorge Olguín'sÁngel Negro (Black Angel, 2000) and Alejandro Rojas' Ogú y Mampato en Rapa Nui (Ogú and Mampato on Easter Island, 2002). In 2003, the comedy Sexo con Amor (Sex with Love) by Boris Quercia set a new national box office record which would remain unbroken until 2012.[16] Chilean films also began to win awards at noted international festivals. Silvio Caiozzi's Coronación (Coronation, 2000) won prizes at the Montreal, Huelva, Cartagena and Havana film festivals; Andrés Wood's La Fiebre del Loco (Abalone Fever, 2001) won at Cartagena and Lleida; and Taxi Para Tres (Taxi For Three, 2001) by Orlando Lübbert won at Cartagena, Havana, Mar del Plata, Miami and San Sebastián.[16]
Nominated for Best Ibero-American Film (Mejor Película Iberoamericana) in the Ariel Awards.
Nominated for Best Film (Mejor Película) at the Cartagena Film Festival and won two "India Catalina" awards there, for Best Supporting Actor and Best Screenplay.
Nominated for Best Spanish Language Foreign Film at the Goya Awards .
Won Golden Kikito for Best Actor in the Latin Film section of the Festival de Gramado, and nominated for Best Film overall.
Won three awards at the Havana Film Festival: Best Screenplay; Glauber Rocha Award - Special Mention; and the Grand Coral - Third Prize, all presented to Lübbert.
Won Favorite Film at the MTV Movie Awards, Latin America. Won Best Screenplay at the Lima Latin American Film Festival.
Awarded with a Special Mention for Best Film at the Mar del Plata Film Festival.
Won the Grand Jury Prize at the Miami Film Festival.
Won the Golden Seashell in the San Sebastián International Film Festival.[21][22]
Won the Directing Award (World Cinema Dramatic) at Sundance 2013,[40] and was also nominated for the World Cinema - Dramatic award in the Grand Jury Prize.
Nominated for two Film Independent Spirit Awards, the John Cassavetes Award, and the Independent Spirit Award in 2013.
Won the Award of Excellence in Tokyo Anime Award Festival and Best Animated Feature in Chilemonos
In 2020:
Nominated in Annecy International Animation Film Festival
Nominated in SCHLINGEL;
In 2021:
Nominated in NYICFF
Nominated in TAAFI
Nominated in Stockholm Children's Film Festival
Nominated in Premios Quirino - Best Animation, Best Original Sound and Music, Best Character Designs and Best Animated Feature
Among the best known Chilean cinema festivals are:
Festival Internacional de Animacion Chilemonos - CHILEMONOS (Chilemonos International Animation Film Festival)[43]
A relatively new festival with only five editions by 2014, it brings together most Chilean animation producers as well as many fans.
Festival Internacional de Documentales de Antofagasta - ANTOFADOCS (Antofagasta International Documentary Festival)[44]
A documentary film festival held in the Atacama Desert in the northern Chilean city of Antofagasta. ATOFADOCS offers free workshops that are open to the community.
Festival Internacional de Cine de la Antártica sobre Medio Ambiente y Sustentabilidad - FICAMS (Antarctica International Film Festival on Environment and Sustainability).[45]
FICAMS is a green film festival which invites filmmakers of all nationalities to enter audiovisual works that address global warming, renewable energy, the environment and sustainability issues. This festival began in 2011, and is held in Punta Arenas and Puerto Williams, two of the southernmost cities in Chile and the world.
Festival de Cine B - CINE B (B Cinema Festival)[46]
Cine B festival is accepts all kinds of independent works, including feature films, shorts, music videos and other non-traditional formats. In general, in features films rejected by big movie theatres and distributors.[47] The festival began in 2008 and is organized by the Chilean Film School and other organizations that have joined over the years.[48]
Festival de Cine de Mujeres - FEMCINE (Women's Film Festival)[49]
FEMCINE is the response to the lack of women in film production, as stated on the festival's website by its executive director Antonella Estévez: "less than 20% of the TV or cinema productions we see are directed by a woman".[50]
Valdivia International Film Festival is an international film exhibition that includes other cultural events like free concerts and book releases. The festival begun in 1993 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Universidad Austral de Chile's Cine Club.
Although the Viña del MarInternational Film Festival started in 1967, its history goes back to 1963, with the first Amateur Film Festival promoted by doctor and filmmaker Aldo Francia. In its fourth edition in 1966, the festival dropped the "amateur" from the title and became the first Chilean international film festival. Eventually the festival evolved to become what we know today.[53]
Festival Internacional de Cine de Lebu- FICIL BIOBIO (Lebu International Film Festival)[54]
Originally known as the Festival de Cine Latinoamericano Caverna Benavides de Lebu, the festival was created to incentivize film culture in Lebu, Arauco Province which by then had few cinemas and a population that knew very little about cinema. Initially, it focused on Latin American cinema before growing into the international festival that it is today.
Festival Internacional de Documentales de Santiago - FIDOCS (Santiago International Documentary Film Festival)[55]
Started in 1997, FIDOCS has become the main space for the exchange, circulation and competition of the documentary genre in Chile.
Festival del Cine Social y Antisocial de La Pintana - FECISO (La Pintana Social and Antisocial Film Festival)[56]
In 2007, La Pintana Social and Antisocial Film Festival was created with the purpose of promoting and disseminating works that address social issues. The festival brought together a wide range of social organizations and promoted the debate of social issues. La Pintana is one of the most deprived communes of Chile.[57]
As its name suggests, the festival takes place in Santiago and, along with the festival held in Valdivia, has become one of the most important Chilean film festivals.
Festival de Cine Documental de Chiloé - FEDOCHI (Chiloé Documentary Film Festival)[59]
This festival has taken place in Chiloé in southern Chile every year since 2006, and is focused on audiovisual works about heritage, identity and the rescuing of memory.[60]
^ abcdefghijkHistoria del Cine Chileno Festival Internacional de Cine de Valdivia, September 2005, Emol.cl (website of El Mercurio newspaper). Retrieved 10 February 2013.
^FEMCINE (ES) femcine.cl 2014, retrieved 20 November 2014
^["Menos del 20% de la producción audiovisual que vemos en cine o televisión está dirigida por mujeres" Antonella Estévez
Directora Ejecutiva, FEMCINE] FEMCINE - 2014, retrieved 20 November 2014
(in English) Michael Chanan (under the direction of), Chilean Cinema, Londres, British Film Institute, 1976, 102 p. ISBN0-85170-058-6
(in English) James Cosneros, "The Figure of Memory in Chilean Cinema: Patricio Guzmán and Raúl Ruiz", Journal of Latin American Cultural Studies, vol. 15, no. 1, March 2006, p. 59-75.
(in Spanish) Eliana Jara Donoso, Cine mudo chileno, Los Héroes/Fondo de Desarrollo de la Cultura y las Artes, Ministerio de Educación, Ceneca, Tevecorp., 1994, ISBN956-272-024-1
(in Spanish) Julio López Navarro, Películas chilenas, Editorial La Noria, 1994.
(in Spanish) Jacqueline Mouesca, Plano secuencia de la memoria de Chile: venticincoãnos de cine chileno (1960–1985), Madrid, Ediciones del litoral, 1988, 207 p ISBN84-85594-21-5
(in French) Nicolas Azalbert, "Nouveaux espoirs chiliens", Cahiers du cinéma, nº 604, September 2005, p. 60; 62.
(in French) Collectif, Le Cinéma latino-américain, Éd. Iris, 1991, 162 p.
(in French) Hans Ehrmann, "Le Cinéma de l'Unité Populaire – Bilan d'une expérience", Écran no. 22, p. 14.
(in French) Jean-Paul Fargier, "Eternel Chili", Cahiers du cinéma, no. 379, January 1986, p. XII-XIII.
(in French) Carlos Forastero, "Chili: la traversée du désert", Écran no. 72 p. 13.
(in French) Guy Hennebelle, Alfonso Gumucio-Dagmón, et al., Les Cinémas de l'Amérique latine, Éd. Lherminier, 1981, 544 p.
(in French) Pierre Kast, "Situation du cinéma chilien", Cinéma no. 164, March 1972, p. 72.
(in French) Françoise Le Pennec, "Cinéma du Chili, en exil ou sur place", Cinéma no. 290, p. 54.
(in French) Eric Le Roy, review of book by Eliana Jara Donoso, Cine mudo chileno, revue 1895 no. 19, p. 96.
(in French) Paulo Antonio Paranagua, Le Cinéma en Amérique latine: le miroir éclaté, Éd. L'Harmattan, 2000, 288 p.
(in French) Paulo Antonio Paranagua, "Chili" (an association of friends of Chilean cinema), Positif no. 240, March 1981, p. 61.
(in French) Paulo Antonio Paranagua, review of book by Alicia Vega, Re-visión del cine chileno, Positif n° 250, January 1982, p. 91.
(in French) Paulo Antonio Paranagua, "Chili, impressions", Positif no. 372, February 1992, p. 18.
(in French) Zuzana Mirjam Pick, "Le Cinéma chilien sous le signe de l'union populaire 1970–1973", Positif no. 155, January 1974, p. 35.
(in French) Francis Saint-Dizier, Cinémas d'Amérique latine n° 6: les historiens du cinéma en Amérique latine, Toulouse, Presses universitaires du Mirail, 1998, 185 p.
(in French) Francis Saint-Dizier, Cinémas d'Amérique latine n° 7: cinémas latino-américains des années 90, Toulouse, Presses universitaires du Mirail, 1999, 182 p. ISBN2-85816-447-9
(in French) Francis Saint-Dizier, Esther Saint-Dizier, Cinémas d'Amérique latine n° 8: cinéma et musique, Toulouse, Presses universitaires du Mirail, 2000, 182 p. ISBN2-85816-506-8
(in French) "Chili: les années du 'cinéma noir'", Cinéma no. 461, November 1981, p. 5.
(in Spanish)Interview d'Alicia Scherson, director of Play (Ricardo Greene, "Conversación con Alicia Scherson: La ciudad y las alcachofas", Bifurcaciones no. 4, Spring 2005, ISSN 0718-1132)
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