Original article: Con premiere en Chile de «Nuestra tierra» de Lucrecia Martel arranca FIDOCS 29

FIDOCS 29 Kicks Off in Chile with the Premiere of Lucrecia Martel’s ‘Nuestra Tierra’

This Wednesday marked the opening of the 29th edition of the International Documentary Festival of Santiago, FIDOCS, at the National Cinematheque of Chile.

The event runs until Wednesday, November 26, across a walkable circuit in the heart of the capital, featuring a week of screenings and activities at its four main venues: Cineteca Nacional de Chile, Centro Arte Alameda – Sala CEINA, Sala K / U. Mayor, and Sala Cine Centro de Extensión UC.

During the opening ceremony, festival artistic director Antonia Girardi emphasized that «the selection for FIDOCS 29 is designed as a sensory journey filled with unexpected stories, atypical characters, and intense emotions that examine the current conflicts of our planet: ecological catastrophe, the historical and ongoing repercussions of colonial violence, the brutality of war, dispossession and exile, family relations, and the rise of new subjectivities and gender identities.»

«We invite you to explore this year’s particularly rich and diverse programming, showcasing works from 35 countries, and to visit the cinema to immerse yourself in each of the proposed universes,” Girardi added.

Honorary guest Lucrecia Martel, who introduced the opening film ‘Nuestra Tierra’, stated, «If you’ve suffered from insomnia, resorted to pills and medication, had to return to therapy, spent money on therapy, felt that the apocalypse is upon us and that the future is bleak, know that we, and I am sure many of you, believe that cinema can help us transform the future for our countries more than ever.»

FIDOCS 29 presents over 60 titles, including Latin American and national premieres showcased in various sections of the festival: National Competition, International Competition, and National Short Filmmaker Competition. There will also be special screenings, dedicated focuses on filmmakers Jessica Sarah Rinland, Su Hui-Yu, and Cecilia Mangini, the Ventana Docudays UA showcase, and FIDOCS Expanded projections.

Among the special screenings is the Chilean premiere of Cover-Up, a political thriller by Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus about Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Seymour Hersh, who revealed the CIA’s role in Chile; Sotto le nuvole by Gianfranco Rosi, a visual meditation on Naples that premiered at Venice; and O Riso e a Faca by Pedro Pinho, which was awarded at Cannes.

Additionally, the memories of Chile’s political history are represented in Cartas a mis padres muertos by Ignacio Agüero. Three essays on visual culture will also be presented: Videoheaven by Alex Ross Perry, which highlights the video rental store as a fundamental space for film culture; Monk in Pieces by David C. Roberts and Billy Shebar, a collective portrait of multidisciplinary artist Meredith Monk, screened in collaboration with the International Music Documentary Film Festival IN-EDIT Chile; and Paul by Denis Côté, which follows a depressed man who finds redemption by cleaning the homes of dominatrices and sharing his journey on Instagram.

As a festival tradition, this Saturday, November 22, at 9:00 PM, there will be a new outdoor screening at Paseo Bulnes featuring Ghost Elephants by legendary German director Werner Herzog. His latest work, premiered at the Venice Film Festival, follows a elusive herd of «ghost elephants» alongside a team of expert trackers from Namibia.

This year, the festival’s interdisciplinary space, FIDOCS Expanded, focuses on three experiences: the short film Lengua muerta by José Jiménez, the experimental work Dipolo fase III by Carolina Adriazola and José Luis Sepúlveda—which will be shown in a double feature on Saturday, November 22, at 8:15 PM in Sala K / U. Mayor—and the videoperformance El Estado soy yo by Carlos Flores and Sebastián Arriagada, an open activity that has already filled its slots as part of the FIDOCS School.

Festival and Creative Ecosystem

As part of its commitment to the development of documentary cinema, FIDOCS Industry promotes this market on a Latin American and national level through its programs Docs in Progress FIDOCS + Conecta, the Short Films Circulation Laboratory, and the first edition of New Voices Forum: a pitching space dedicated to projects by young filmmakers seeking to connect with established production companies.

In the educational field, FIDOCS School serves as an interdisciplinary exchange platform, connecting Chilean students with renowned filmmakers, artists, and various media professionals. The program includes master classes—such as the one today by this year’s honorary guest Lucrecia Martel—discussion panels, practical workshops, and exclusive screenings.

To check out the complete programming, learn about venues and schedules, ticket sales, and registration, visit fidocs.cl

El Ciudadano