Chile's film industry revitalized

Tue30May2006

Chile's film industry revitalized

14:47 H | Topics: Arts - Chile - Culture - Movies

The Hollywood Reporter reports on new hope for the Chilean film industry via a cash injection from the Chilean goverment, and as evidenced by Chile's increased presence in this year's edition of the Cannes film festival:

After years of single-digit production volume, Chile now puts out at least a dozen features a year. The state-run Arts and Audiovisual Industry Council, which oversees financing, development and production for local film projects, estimates the nation will release 14 pictures this year.

The recent upswing largely is because of more available state funding. Last year, various government funds provided a total of $5.2 million in financing to the film industry, a significant amount considering budgets range between $300,000-$1 million. Of the 14 feature films released last year, five received full state financing and five others had at least partial support.

The Reporter expands on how history took its toll on the Chilean film industry in both quantity and quality of the films produced during the Pinochet dictatorship, and adds that these new funds are raising the visibility of Chilean film, which has been relatively dormant for decades:

The perseverance and increased financing have paid off. This year, Chile was one of seven nations selected for the second edition of the
Cannes Film Festival's World Cinema section. Among the three feature films slated to unspool is Alex Bowen's war drama "Mi Mejor Enemigo" (My Best Enemy), recently nominated for Spain's Goya awards for best Spanish-language foreign film.

Also set to screen is Francisca Schweitzer and Pablo Solis' "Parentesis" (Time Off), a story about a slacker video store clerk coping with a weeklong breakup with his girlfriend.

Finally, there is Gregory Cohen's "El Bano" (The Bathroom), a film composed of several stories that take place in a bathroom during the era of Chile's military dictatorship.

In addition, six Chilean shorts will screen at Cannes.

For more information on Chilean film, visit:
Cinearte.cl (in Spanish)
Revista de Cine Mabuse (in Spanish)
Article: Geek infuses Chile's film industry with U.S. sensibility

Via / Yahoo! Entertainment News