Monguen: Intimate Documentary on Pregnancy and Motherhood in Pewenche Community Set for World Premiere at Sanfic 2026

Original article: Monguen: Íntimo documental sobre embarazo y maternidad en una comunidad pewenche tendrá su premiere mundial en Sanfic 2026

The 22nd Santiago International Film Festival (Sanfic) is scheduled to take place from Monday, November 2, to Sunday, November 8, featuring a competition for Chilean cinema that includes a feature film set to be showcased across Chile in January 2027 through the Miradoc Estrenos distribution program. This film, Monguen, will have its world premiere at the Santiago festival.

Directed by Antonio Caro Berezín (Lemuntu Producciones) and co-produced by Michel Toledo Veche (Tótem Producciones), Monguen—meaning «life» in Mapudungun, the language present in much of the film—tells the story of Fresia, a young pewenche woman who must leave her mountain home in Alto Bío Bío to navigate life in the city during her pregnancy.

«Fresia’s story moved us, as it raises profound questions about territory, identity, and the various ways of understanding birth through such an intimate and universal experience as motherhood,» says co-producer Michel Toledo Veche.

«Her experience enabled us to delve into the relationships between pewenche culture and the Chilean healthcare system, and together with Antonio, we wanted to approach this story with sensitivity, observation, and above all, respect,» added the director.

The documentary is based on the experiences of the recently deceased filmmaker Antonio Caro Berezín, who served as a doctor at the Intercultural Home for Mother and Child in the southern town of Santa Bárbara, Biobío. There, he encountered the realities faced by pregnant pewenche women who must leave their land to give birth. Monguen represents his final work.

«We hope Monguen sparks conversations about the different ways to understand life, motherhood, and care, while also about our ability to listen and coexist with other perspectives of the world,» Michel Toledo Veche stated.

«We believe that cinema has the potential to bring us closer to realities that we often do not know about, without necessarily providing answers. This spirit of encounter and dialogue is fundamental to Antonio Caro’s cinematic vision and the legacy we want to keep alive through this film,» emphasized the documentary’s co-producer.

Showtimes

Monguen will have two screenings during the 22nd edition of the Santiago International Film Festival as part of the Chilean Cinema Competition:

• Tuesday, November 3 at 20:15 at Centro Arte Alameda.
• Thursday, November 5 at 18:15 at Cinépolis La Reina (Room 12).

Tickets are now available on the SANFIC website.