Connecting and Sharing Experiences: Chilean Documentary Film Professionals at the Film Festival Circuit

Abstract

Over the last decade, the production and circulation of Chilean documentary film has noticeably increased. Chilean films have achieved wide international recognition as a result of both national and international trends. Conditions in Chile have changed in such a way as to facilitate the production of a diversity of documentary films. Moreover, international film festivals and markets have played a major role in both the production and circulation of Chilean cinema, particularly documentary films, which find limited distribution in local commercial cinemas and on television. This chapter explores these transnational developments, looking into the ways in which global and local trends are intertwined. In particular, it aims to elucidate the ways in which Chilean agents have been able to take advantage of the film festival circuit in order to produce, fund, promote, and distribute their work.