Valdivia International Film Festival
- Valdivia, Rivers Region.
- October 14-20.
- More information HERE.
The 31st edition of the Valdivia International Film Festival will be held from October 14 to 20, with a program that includes more than 200 films from various countries. Tickets can be purchased online at the following link, or in person from September 30 to October 4, at the box office of the Teatro Regional Cervantes in Valdivia.
Registration is also open for school delegations, cultural, social, neighborhood, youth and senior citizen groups at https://ficvaldivia.cl/
AUSTRAL CINEMA WINDOW
This section showcases audiovisual productions that capture the attention of viewers from the South of Chile, and this year’s selection is made up of four short films that consolidate fiction and documentary proposals made in the area.
At the 2024 Ventana Cine Austral de Cine Chileno, four Chilean short films are being presented that cover a variety of themes and styles. Bosquedirected by Gabriel Miranda, tells the story of Quilinejo, a marsupial who, after finding a cinnamon sprout in the landfill where he lives, is transported to a magical forest. There he learns about the importance of caring for his environment and faces a difficult decision upon returning. This 6-minute short film, without dialogue, features the collaboration of Italo San Martín and Javier Wurth, among other professionals.
Frida Directed by Marcela Bruna, it follows two artists from Valdivia who find the signature of an enigmatic 20th-century photographer in images from the archives of the Centro Cultural Austral. Their search leads them to question the identity and profession of the author, whose work had largely remained anonymous. The short film, 22 minutes long, is in Spanish and subtitled in English.
In If the River Sounds: Antumalén Islandera collaboration between Marcela Bruna Castro and Matías Riquelme, introduces Isleña Antumalén, a young Mapuche singer who organizes a festival with her community to defend open waters. Through music, they seek to convey their struggle and resistance to preserve the basin of the lakes they inhabit. This 20-minute short film, in Spanish and Mapudungun with English subtitles, reflects the community’s commitment to environmental conservation.
Finally, Returndirected by Guillermo Ramírez Riquelme, tells the story of Pedro Castro, a Chilean who lives in Finland after being rescued from a torture center in the 1970s. Despite having forgotten much of his life in Chile, he begins to reconstruct his memory and discover aspects of his past that he wants to clarify. This 7-minute short film, in Spanish with English subtitles, is a reflection on memory and identity.
EXPANDED CINEMA
Within the framework of Expanded Cinema 2024, a series of video installations will be presented that explore various facets of reality and image through the innovative visions of prominent artists. This collaborative initiative between FICValdivia, the Réplica Gallery of the Institute of Visual Arts of the UACH and the Núcleo Milenio FAIR, curated by Iván Flores, Ivana Peric and Wolfgang Bongers, is presented as a space to explore new forms of audiovisual narrative beyond traditional cinema.
In this way, Cristo Riffo offers the work Celestial Bodiesan installation that examines the connections between the different worlds we inhabit, understanding reality as a multi-layered structure. Riffo uses advanced technology, such as microscopy and telescopy, to expand our senses and explore both the microbial landscapes of nature and the craters of the moon.
For her part, Constanza Bravo Urrutia presents Holobionta project that investigates the composition of the image through silkscreen printing, inspired by lichens, holobiont beings that symbolize the complexity of the composite. Through his work, Bravo Urrutia reflects on the structure of the image and the subjects, as well as on the separation of parts and empty space, using monochrome and four-color engraving techniques.
The work Transmissions of the Cyclical and Erratic of Remnant Digital Information as if This Were Another Hypereikon Life Formformed by María Constanza Lobos and Sebastián Rojas, explores the emergence of patterns and the consequent appearance and absence of meanings in the constant generation of the organic, the living and the infinite.
Finally, Angel Salazar presents Visions of the Fungicenea video installation that speculates on the creation of new spatiotemporal frameworks for future ecosystems. Through digital media, Salazar offers a vision of a possible planetary terraforming scenario in the post-Anthropocene, based on the biological principles found in the morphological patterns of various fungal species.
IMMERSIVE SYMBIOSIS
Immersive Symbiosis is a selection of works that explore new immersive technologies, including virtual, augmented or mixed reality, volumetric capture, and interactive devices. These works demonstrate how extended narratives can be unique tools for learning and discovery, merging the arts and sciences in innovative ways. With its thematic focus on “Water and Oceans,” this first edition aligns with the Ocean Decade of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, as well as with regional efforts in the southern macrozone under the priority axis “Water and Water Basins” and the national plan Water Scenarios 2030.
The exhibition will be hosted by the Telecommunications Museum (MUT) in Valdivia. This institutional support underlines the commitment to promoting emerging technologies and their application in crucial issues for the conservation and study of water and oceans. Through this exhibition, we seek to generate a dialogue between the public and immersive technologies, offering an enriching experience that invites reflection on the importance of aquatic ecosystems.
Among the featured experiences, 22.7ºC takes viewers on a sonic journey through Greenland, exploring the adventure of electronic music producer Molécule. Meanwhile, 104.5 Molécula de la Vida delves into the fascinating process of evapotranspiration in the larch forests of the Alerce Costero National Park, revealing how this ecosystem regulates water and carbon.
On the other hand, 700 Sharks follows underwater photographer Laurent Ballesta on his quest to understand the hunting behaviour of the world’s largest school of sharks in the Fakarava Atoll. Agua y Territorio offers an immersion into the water cycle of the O’Higgins region, while Antártica en Realidad Aumentada (ARA) uses interactive Instagram filters to explore biodiversity and the impact of climate change in Antarctica.
Besides, Apangora is an interactive installation with mini-games that explore various marine ecosystems, and Augmented Adventure presents a collection of interactive cards about Chilean marine mammals. Biolum immerses users in an underwater expedition in the Southern Ocean, while Dolphin Man offers a 360° experience about freediving and its most prominent practitioners.
Finally, the work will be premiered LUCA – Extraordinary Explorations which connects with Chilean biodiversity, reminding us of the fragility of our ecosystems in the face of the climate crisis. The Water Odyssey seeks to educate about the water crisis and foster a new water culture. Metaverso Antártico presents a futuristic video game on a continent affected by climate change, Reserva Hermandad celebrates the creation of a marine reserve in the Galapagos, and The Starry Sand Beach explores a local legend about starry sand in the East China Sea.