Halfway through our summer travels in our search for the most notable student films, we are leaving the European continent and heading for Latin America! Join us and discover up-and-coming film talents pampered at the oldest Chilean university – Universidad de Chile. Watch and compare five of the works of the rising stars of Chilean cinematography from August 3 to 9, 2015 for free at DAFilms.com!
The best in all respects – the oldest, largest and offering the most diverse range of specialised faculties – the public state university of Chile, Universidad de Chile, was established as early as in 1842. Its Faculty of Arts, where, among others, a group of talented students lean to master their filmmaking skills under the banner of visual arts, opened in 1929. Today, it fosters talents from the fields of dance, music, theatre, visual arts and theory who have the unique chance to engage in a mutual dialogue. And yet, their work is not limited to the confines of the university environment. They have reached other sought-after public showcase spaces, such as MAC Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, directly associated with their university. And the promotion of local student films in the online world is yet another natural step in the international presentation of student projects. You, too, are now invited to join their exclusive virtual audience!
Would you like to get to know the diverse facets of Chilean society? Then you are at the right (Internet) address! Our selection of five Chilean films is remarkable not only for their filmmaking maturity, but also for their ability to comprehensibly reflect on complex documentary topics. Young director Melisa Miranda Ulloa provides almost a therapeutic account of her encounter with death in her film MÉDULA. This mid-length film, in which the author copes with the unexpected death of her mother she directly and helplessly witnessed, was shown as part of the prestigious official IDFA showcase. Reflections on the last moments in human life are also the focus of the short film debut by David Morales, EL ULTÍMO TRAZO, drawing inspiration from the work of painter Guillermo Lorca and stipulating works of art to be the only weapon in the battle with the finality of life.
On the contrary, the uniqueness of the human situation and its genuine nature is explored on the backdrop of one public square in a film by young director Laura González. Her short doc LA PLAZA DEL DOMINGO observes rare leisurely moments in the life of completely anonymous citizens who have decided to take a break from their daily grind and, at least for a short while, take off their protective masks. The main protagonist of nocturnal narrative CICLOS LUNARES also wears a special mask that he puts on every night. Thanks to his open approach to film camera, director Javier Sinclair lifts the veil of nightlife in one of the public parks, in which transvestite Luna becomes someone he does not dare to be in daylight. The protagonist of DESCANSA, ZULEMA by filmmaking student Tana Gilbert is also fighting her battle for recognition not only by society, but also by her own family. A woman who has entered the last third of her life is looking back on her efforts to secure “the best” for herself and her kin. But what does “the best” actually mean? Disappointment, frustration and dissatisfaction have thus become Zulema’s companions in her last days.
Join us and enter the gates of the oldest university in Chile to take an online look into film editing rooms of the most promising local student talents! Watch an exclusive free selection of five student films from Chile from August 3 to 9 at DAFilms.com!
DAFilms.com is powered by Doc Alliance, a creative partnership of 7 key European documentary film festivals. Our aim is to advance the documentary genre, support its diversity and promote quality creative documentary films.
