Celebrating cinematic brilliance: Highlights from the Sanfic Festival
The Sanfic Festival in Santiago de Chile has once again showcased the vibrant and diverse talent of Latin American filmmakers. This year, the festival celebrated a range of films that not only entertained but also provoked thought and emotion. Let’s dive into the standout winners and the stories behind their success.
‘State of Silence’: A powerful narrative
State of Silence (Estado de Silencio), directed by Santiago Maza, emerged as a significant winner, clinching the best feature award. This documentary delves into the harrowing reality of Mexico’s journalism landscape, where 163 journalists have been murdered and 32 remain missing since 2000. The film’s strength lies in its intimate portrayal of four journalists who refuse to be silenced by the toxic mix of organized crime and local government corruption.
The documentary’s fast-paced interviews and aesthetic cinematography highlight the extraordinary courage of these journalists. The film’s climax, featuring a press conference with outgoing president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, underscores the perilous environment in which these journalists operate. State of Silence has already garnered attention, premiering at Tribeca and being picked up by Netflix for North and Latin America. Watch the trailer.
Other notable winners
‘I Trust You’: A blend of reality and fiction
Agustín Toscano’s I Trust You won the best direction award in the Sanfic International Competition. This film masterfully blends a real-life crime—the 2006 murder of teacher Angela Beatriz “Betty” Argañaraz—with elements of documentary, fiction, and musical. The film challenges the audience to question the guilt of Susana Acosta and Nélida Fernández, who were sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murder. Watch the trailer.
‘Our Memory’ and ‘The Fabulous Gold Harvesting Machine’
Our Memory (Aullido de invierno) by Matías Rojas Valencia and The Fabulous Gold Harvesting Machine by Alfredo Pourally shared the top best feature honors in the Chilean Film Competition. Our Memory mixes aspect ratios, fiction, and documentary to tell the story of two victims of the neo-Nazi colony Colonia Dignidad and a fictional woman seeking atonement. Watch the trailer.
The Fabulous Gold Harvesting Machine follows the journey of Toto, an artisanal gold miner in Tierra del Fuego, and his son, who builds a gold harvesting machine to help his ailing father. The film’s poignant moments of relief and triumph are truly heartwarming. Watch the trailer.
Sanfic Industria: A hub of creativity
Sanfic Industria, the festival’s industry forum, highlighted the inventiveness of Latin American filmmakers. Caye Casas’ El Show del Gran Luciferio, a follow-up to The Coffee Table, received significant acclaim. Stephen King himself praised The Coffee Table as “horrible and also horribly funny,” likening it to the Coen Brothers’ darkest dreams. Watch the trailer.
Emerging talents
The festival also celebrated new talents with films like Water Never Hurt by Ana Clara Bustelo and Concert for a Single Voice by Alejandra Carpio. Water Never Hurt explores a young daughter’s rebellion against her parents’ recovery dictates after a horse-riding accident. Listen on Spotify.
Concert for a Single Voice delves into the personal fallout from Peru’s armed conflict, as a young architect confronts his mother, recently released from jail, for abandoning him for political activism. Listen on Spotify.
A testament to new talent
The Sanfic and Sanfic Industria prizes underscore the emergence of new talent in Latin America and Spain. Eleven of the thirteen winning films were first or second fiction, documentary, or solo features. Notable mentions include Southern Channels by Pilar Higuera, which follows young Patagonians using radios and natural sounds to connect, and The Queer Riots by Wincy Oyarce, depicting the struggle of homosexuals and transvestites in early 1970s Chile. Watch the trailer.
Special mentions and awards
In the International Competition, The Girls Are Alright by Itsaso Arana received a special mention for its gentle study of female friendship. The Universal Theory by Tim Kröger, described as a “sumptuous homage to Hitchcock,” also received a special mention. Watch the trailer.
Sanfic Awards 2024
International Competition
- Best Performance (ex aequo): Lorenzo Ferro (Simon of the Mountain), Franklin Aro (The Dog Thief)
- Best Director: Agustín Toscano (I Trust You)
- Special Mention: Itsaso Arana (The Girls Are Alright)
- Best Film: State of Silence (Santiago Maza)
- Special Mention: The Universal Theory (Tim Kröger)
Chilean Film Competition
- Best Performance: Gastón Salgado (The Affections)
- Special Mention: Paola Lattus (Sariri, Las Cenizas)
- Best Director: Roberto Salinas (La Primera Dosis)
- Special Mention: Alberto Hayden (Una Luz Negra)
- Best Film: Shared by The Fabulous Gold Harvesting Machine (Alfredo Pourally) and Our Memory (Matías Rojas Valencia)
- Special Mention: Las Cenizas (Stejpan Ostoic)
Sanfic Industria 2024
- Ibero-American Work in Progress: Water Never Hurt (Ana Clara Bustelo), Concert for a Single Voice (Alejandra Carpio Valdeavellano)
- Santiago Lab Fiction and Documentary: Southern Channels (Pilar Higuera), The Queer Riots (Wincy Oyarce)
The Sanfic Festival continues to be a beacon for emerging and established filmmakers, celebrating the rich tapestry of stories and talents from Latin America and beyond.