LEIPZIG, Germany – SanPelículas del Pez, Modoviral and Totoral Films are the Chilean production companies that, with the support of ProChile and in coordination with Chiledoc, will be traveling to present their projects and look for financing at Dok Leipzig, German festival of documentary films and animation that starts on Monday, 30 October.
It is one of the longest-running and most respected festivals in the field, notable for its select competition and market in the documentary world. The 60th edition of the Dok Lepzig International Festival for Documentary and Animation Film, will start on 30th October and will run until 5 November.
Chile will host the event called Get Together on November 1.
Three are the production companies that conform the delegation supported by ProChile and organized by Chiledoc, the Cultural Corporation of Documentary Filmmakers: Películas del Pez, represented by Claudia Barril with the project El instante eterno, una película sobre Sergio Larraín; Modoviral, represented by Felipe Arancibia with Unfinished plan, el camino de Alain Johannes, documentary that was released mid-year in Chile; and Totoral Films & Media Lab, represented by Pepe Rovano, who will be presenting the projects La herencia, Black Demon Team and Sin fronteras.
Meanwhile, the animated short Lucía, Luis y el lobo, directed by Niles Atallah, Joaquín Cociña and Cristóbal León, will be exhibited in the Post-Angst section of the event.
“Dok Leipzig is a strategic festival for our industry”, says Diego Pino, general coordinator of Chiledoc, who will be traveling with the delegation. “It offers a great opportunity to break ground and make contact with agents from Eastern Europe, a market with high potential; but also to strengthen the relationship with producers and the German industry in general, a relationship that has been growing steadily in recent years. Those are the main advantages of attending this event”, he says.
Of late, the Chilean audiovisual sector has been experiencing a boom. Proof of this is the continual presence of different productions in festivals worldwide, as well as the great amount of work that comes from alliances of national production companies with their foreign peers.
To strengthen the participation of the documentary film sector in international markets, ProChile, in coordination with Chiledoc, is carrying out a plan that includes the participation of producers in festivals like DokLeipzig, the oldest of its kind and a highly competitive event, much like what was accomplished at the Sheffield Doc / Fest and at DocMontevideo.
“We are convinced that as our creators go out into the world, the Chilean industry will continue to expand and impact our culture and economy”, says Raúl Vilches, head of the sub-department of Creative Industries at ProChile. “We want this sector to continue growing”, he explains, “that’s why it’s so essential that public and private institutions work in coordination, identifying the opportunities and providing the needed support so that our exponents may take advantage of them”.
The intention of Felipe Arancibia of Modoviral is clear: “DokLeipzig is one of the most important festivals and markets of documentary films in Germany and Europe. In this gathering we want to define the work we are doing with German sales agents to distribute Unfinished plan, el camino de Alain Johannes, and find partners for other documentaries that we are currently working on.
Claudia Barril, producer of Películas del Pez shares this vision. “Chilean cinema is experiencing a great moment in time, so it’s essential that we attend these meetings and connect with other industry players so as to generate networks and alliances that strengthen and broaden our productions, making our films known on an international level”, she says.
