Sanfic Industria’s Labs Overwhelmed by Glut of New Projects – MASHAHER

Sanfic Industria, the industry section of the Santiago International Film Festival running over August 18-25, is showcasing a slew of promising new fiction and non-fiction projects at its Santiago Labs. “We were overwhelmed by the number of entries this year, a 55% uptick from 2023,” said Sanfic Industria director Gabriela Sandoval, a co-founder of the festival.  

Out of the 28 selected Santiago Lab projects, 12 are directed by women. “Among our many objectives, we have always aimed to expand opportunities for women filmmakers by equipping them with the essential tools and creating pathways for their success,” said Sandoval, a producer herself at Storyboard Media alongside festival co-founder Carlos Nuñez. She added that nearly 50% of the Santiago Lab projects are produced by women.

Some projects are presented by established producers like Chile’s Lucas Engel, who backed such notable dramas as “Tengo Miedo Torero” and “Los Huesos.” Lauded filmmaker Nicolás Videla, who identifies himself as binary (“Travesía Travesti,” “Naomi Campbell”), is co-directing a documentary about a transsexual vedette in “The Criminal Record of Madame Wittmann.” Costa Rica’s recent Berlinale-winning director Antonella Sudasassi (“Memories of a Burning Body”) produces the directorial debut of Manrique Cortés, “Monsters.”

Most of the fiction projects are dramas inspired by personal experiences and memories. The documentaries cover a wide range of subject matters, from the struggles of indigenous communities and sexual diversity to socio-political and environmental issues.

These projects will be vying for a host of awards doled out by the likes of Industria Guadalajara, Malaga, FIDBA, SAPCINE and Iberseries & Platino Industria, among many others.

SANFIC LAB: Documentary

“I Believe” (“Yo creo”), Florencia Wehbe Prod: Dolores Chaig, Dario Mascambroni, Argentina

In a dream, the Virgin of the Mystical Rose reveals to María Belén Ochoa, a trans woman running a kiosk in a small town in southern Córdoba, that she will become Argentina’s first trans mother.

“Movements” (“Movimientos”), David Guzmán Story Prod: Rebeca Gutiérrez, Chile

Katherine, a young Chilean composer, crafts a concerto for orchestra inspired by the greatest earthquake in modern history. “Movimientos” chronicles her creative journey leading up to the world premiere of the piece, performed by the Los Ríos Philharmonic.

“Nemesis or the Terrorist Ballads of Sábado Dinotos” (“Némesis o las baladas terroristas de Sábado Dinotos”), André di Franco Prod: Samuel Quintero, Brazil

The film follows historian and ufologist Cláudio Suenaga as he returns to Brazil after seven difficult years in Osaka, Japan. Back in São Paulo, he must confront his origins, loneliness, ostracism, and family issues. Most importantly, he faces a curse linked to his 1997 discovery of hidden documents about far-right terrorist Aladino Félix, which led to an unpublished book.

“Sara Flores and The Universe of Kené” (“Sara Flores y el universo del Kené), Èlia Gasull Balada Prod: Lucas Engel, Spain, Chile, Peru

Produced by young, emerging Chilean producer Lucas Engel (“Los Huesos,” “Tengo Miedo Torero”). At 72, Sara Flores, an Indigenous artist from the Peruvian Amazon, bursts onto the contemporary art scene for the first time. Leveraging her art and newfound platform, she supports Indigenous resistance in her community and confronts the prevailing Western paradigm of accumulation.

“Southern Channels” (“Canales australes”), Pilar Higuera Valencia,  Prod: Juan Francisco González, Chile

From various islands in southern South America, young Patagonians use radios, devices, and water to share daily scenes and thoughts. Their voices and sounds converge in a common desire to connect with Antarctica, creating a collective narrative about childhood, listening, and the present.

“The City that Goes Away” (“La Lima que se va”), Juan Yactayo Sono Prod: Diego Díaz, Peru

This hybrid documentary blends interviews, fiction, archival material, and past and present narratives to explore the journey of a generation of LGBTIQ+ individuals seeking their place in the discriminatory and violent Lima of the 80s and 90s.

“The Criminal Record of Madame Wittmann” (“El Prontuario de Madame Wittman”), Anastasia Benavente, Nicolás Videla, Prod: Kevin Magne, Chile

The 73-year-old transsexual vedette Evelyn Wittmann, who fled the dictatorship and settled in France, returns to Chile in search of a lost documentary. She claims to have appeared in the film when it was shot during a raid on a travesti boîte in 1968.

“The Invisible War” (“Guerras invisibles”), Marcela Arteaga Prod: Armando Padilla Sánchez, Mexico

The film explores how radiation accidents in Mexico (1984) and Brazil (1987), along with the Chernobyl (1986) and Fukushima (2011) disasters, have deepened social and economic disparities, turning radiation into a new weapon in the ongoing struggle for survival.

“The Mountain Range of Souls” (“Sierra de las animas”), Federico Delgado Echenique Prod. Rafael González Quinteros, Guatemala

Docu feature debut. In the Sierra de las Minas, park ranger Juan Ceq avoids a haunted forest area. He discovers a naked and critically ill girl who leads him to her family, who have been hiding for 20 years to escape Guatemala’s conflict. Their story is one of fear, resilience and a deep bond with nature.

“Tijuana is Burning,” Javier Ávila Prod: Pamela Rendón, Mexico

In Tijuana, Mexico, the homeless face harsh realities, often treated like invisible outcasts. After being deported from the US, many grapple with personal difficulties and try to evade the police. Amid this struggle, a civilian organization of health and social workers works tirelessly to mitigate harm and improve the lives of the survivors.

“Ventanas,” Martín Seeger Prod: Nacrovia, Chile

Docu feature debut. A town ravaged by industrial pollution is, paradoxically, named the “capital of sustainable sports.” Bound by contradiction, its residents find themselves engaging in sports in a setting that is as surreal as it is tragic.

“Welcome Eating Disorder” (“Bienvenido TCA”), Amanda Vega Prod: Joaquin Salinas, Chile

Two psychologists are pushing for the State to recognize the Eating Disorder Bill. This documentary explores how cultural influences in Chile affect eating habits and contribute to eating disorders.

“Wiñariy (Start Growing)” (“Wiñariy (empezar a crecer)),” Stefany Granada Prod: Naomi Chalá Minda, Ecuador

An exploration of Quito’s “Mercado Mayorista de Quito,” where nearly 1,400 merchants, 60% of them women, work. Through the experiences of Carmita (54), Carmen (76), Lorena (34), Blanca (38), Marianela (66), and four children, it examines life growing up in the market and the role of women in supporting local economies.

“Yungay: Absent City” (“Yungay: ciudad dormida”), Ximena Tamayo Prod: Icónica, Peru

On May 31, 1970, a massive eight-magnitude earthquake triggered an avalanche that buried Yungay, Peru, and almost all its residents. The survivors watched helplessly from afar as their city and loved ones were lost. This is the story of a community forced to rebuild elsewhere, unable to return home.

SANFIC LAB: Fiction

“Av. Perú,” Dennis Perinango Prod: Jaisia Figueroa, Peru

Two men from vastly different social backgrounds attempt to form a secret relationship, but the pressures of their contrasting worlds and their inherent differences ultimately stifle and divide them.

“Burning Kingdom” (“Arde un reino”), Catalina Arroyave Restrepo Prod: Jaime Guerrero, Colombia

Directorial debut. A Catholic teenager experiencing a sexual awakening at a nuns’ school believes that the devil has possessed her.

“Chick Flick. The Most Pitiful Love Story” (“Una patética historia rosa”), Emilia Patiño Prod: Soledad Santelices, Ecuador, Spain.

After a breakup, wellness influencer Javiera briefly loses her composure. Seeking to heal, she turns to her friends and begins a journey of self-discovery and self-love.

“Country Girls” (“Las chicas del country”), director-producer Claudio Rosa, Argentina.

A hardworking woman, balancing the roles of homemaker, wife, mother, and grandmother, spends a holiday in the mountains with her coworkers. This escape from her routine reignites her passions, transforming her outlook on everyday life, work and family.

“Cupid’s Arrow” (“La flecha de cupido”), Ernesto Meléndez Prod: El Olimpo Films, Chile

Directorial feature debut. Antonio, a foreign actor, arrives to star in a new film by acclaimed director Millaray, an erotic gay story set in 1973. The lines between fiction and reality blur as he falls in love with his co-star, his brother-in-law Lautaro.

“Domestic Animals” (“Animales domésticos”), Rafael Martínez Moreno Prod: Iván Luna Dulcey, Colombia, Chile

Felicidad observes the collapse of the Ibarra marriage while she steps into Mrs. Claudia’s luxurious and refined world, feeling increasingly out of place and coarse in her own. However, in that glass-enclosed mansion, every creature must find its proper place.

“Here is Better Than There” (“¡Aquí es mejor que allá!”), Felipe de la Cerda Prod: Alejandro Ugarte, Chile

In southern Chile, Aaron and Berta live a serene life on their farm. This calm is shattered by Miguel, a violent alcoholic tenant who mistreats his wife Claudia and ignores their son Antonio. The situation escalates when Aaron incites Miguel’s jealousy, resulting in a tragic and irreversible outcome.

“In an Empty House” (“En la casa vacía”), Elio Quiroga. Prod: Marianne Mayer, Spain, Chile

Eva, a young woman burdened by a dark secret from her past, makes the courageous decision to confront it once and for all by returning to her childhood hometown, Primal Hell.

“Monsters” (“Monstruos”), Manrique Cortés Castro, Prod: Antonella Sudasassi Furniss, Costa Rica

Directorial feature debut of Manrique Cortes, who executive produced Sudasassi’s latest pic, “Memories of a Burning Body.” Pablo, whose childhood memories are lost and whose nightmares are routine, recognizes his 21-year-old daughter Julia in a bar after 12 years apart. The fear of confronting his past awakens a buried memory: as an 8-year-old, he discovered his father hanging from the ceiling in their home.

“The Internal Enemy” (“El enemigo interno”), Claudia Pedraza Prod: Gerson Aguilar, Colombia

Directorial feature debut. Presented as a triptych, the story intertwines the fates of Amanda, Sepúlveda and Humberto in a dramatic narrative with thriller elements, depicting the familial rifts caused by the struggle for land in Colombia.

“The Mutt” (“ALLQ’U”), Teo Belton Prod: Macarena Coello, Peru.

Cesar, a master of Takanakuy—a traditional fighting ritual from the Peruvian Andes—is forced to relocate to Lima. There, he becomes entangled in underground fights and faces a dilemma: betray his heritage or risk losing his ancestral land.

“​​The Queer Riots” (“La rebelión de las raras”), Wincy Oyarce Prod: Adriana Denisse Silva, Chile

In early 1970s Chile, a group of homosexuals, transvestites, and the impoverished struggle to survive amid rampant police abuse and pervasive homophobia. Fed up with their mistreatment, they decide to stage a groundbreaking demonstration in the city square.

“The Shorn Sheep” (“La oveja trasquilada”), Rossana Castillo Prod: Periferia Audiovisual, Bárbara Valdés Caro, Chile

Directorial feature debut. Amanda, a 15-year-old from rural northern Chile, is visited by her estranged cousin Pedro, a 27-year-old veterinarian, whom she hasn’t seen in years. As she recalls fragmented memories, Amanda devises a plan to confront the person who abused her in childhood.

“Up in the Sky and Down” (“Arriba el cielo y abajo”), Aukaleb Ankaro Prod: Cristian Lagos, Chile, Argentina

Twelve years after an environmental activist goes missing, his body is found on a ravaged Patagonian island. His sister Amanda and mother Varsovia track down the suspect, Hernán, a diver with shady ties. Amanda seeks revenge, but Varsovia sacrifices herself, pulling Hernán into the sea.