Rafal Camargo on Valdivia International Film Festival 2025 in Chile: Breaking the Elitist Stereotype and Bringing Cinema to Everyone

By Revista La Lengua and El Ciudadano

We spoke with Ra fal Camargo, director of the Valdivia International Film Festival, about opening night, the festival e2 80 99s deep ties to the Los R edos community, and the innovations shaping the 2025 edition.

First of all, Ra fal, congratulations on the inauguration alongside the Minister of Cultures and other officials

Thank you. It was a powerful start, and we e2 80 99re thrilled. Monday was the official opening day, but screenings began in the morning, and we were deeply grateful for the warm response in theaters and at the ceremony e2 80 4it was packed. Our openings aren e2 80 99t red-carpet or black-tie affairs; they e2 80 99re a beautiful, citywide celebration.

Speaking of the public, how has FICV e2 80 99s relationship with the Los R edos region evolved over the years?

The festival happens once a year, but it e2 80 99s produced by a cultural center that works year-round in Valdivia and visits every commune in the Los R edos region. That continuous presence offers a different perspective and an ongoing lesson: we e2 80 99re showing films all year long.

In many ways, the festival is the culmination of that sustained work. We tour towns and schools with screenings, then invite those audiences back for the event. It works really well e2 80 4and there e2 80 99s always room to grow. Many film festivals were conceived to foster tourism but are hosted in major capitals with low local participation because they e2 80 99re oriented toward the industry.

Because our festival is designed for everyday audiences, people travel from across Chile and, at the same time, lots of residents of Valdivia and the region take part. That e2 80 99s why our theaters are full.

Today the Valdivia Film Festival is considered the most important in Chile e2 80 99s film industry. How do you view that after your years directing it?

We try to avoid any messianic narrative and keep our feet on the ground, but we e2 80 99re very proud of what we e2 80 99ve achieved. There e2 80 99s real affection for the festival, and people let you know: from those who plan their vacations around it e2 80 94which is wild e2 80 94to the couple who got married and honeymooned at the festival after meeting here. Those micro-stories add up and make the idea of community real. It e2 80 99s easy to talk about community or culture and risk sounding clich e9, but when the clich e9 becomes true, it e2 80 99s beautiful. Still, there e2 80 99s always room to improve. We have very high participation from Valdivia e2 80 99s residents, but we can do more to counter the notion that a film festival is an elitist party for a select few. That perception also ties to Chile e2 80 99s reality: limited leisure time, long workdays, a fragile economy, and a tendency to view culture as a superfluous expense. We should be building a robust cultural ecosystem instead of lamenting what e2 80 99s missing.

The festival also mobilizes people across the country, and it shows. How do you evaluate that impact?