The Santiago International Film Festival (Sanfic) will celebrate its 20th edition from August 18 to 25, together with the slightly younger industry section, Sanfic Industria, now in its 13th year, at a time of reassuring growth trends in the audiovisual industry in Chile and Latin America. .
As a platform that aims to provide support and guidance to Ibero-American filmmakers, Sanfic Industria, run by festival co-founder Gabriela Sandoval, has grown with the latest developments in the entertainment world.
Now in its third year, Sanfic This edition expands the content and locations, now including CRTIC technology center next to Matucana 100 cultural center.
One of the projects is ‘Cerati .
“Ancestral Secret VR,” co-produced by Chile’s Galgo Storytelling and Germany’s NowHere Media, premieres on Sanfic “combining indigenous knowledge and avant-garde technologies,” says María José Diaz, producer of Galgo Storytelling.
The other staples in Sanfic Industria are the Ibero-American Work in Progress, Santiago LAB fiction and documentary, Series LAB fiction and documentary, Producers Lab, Sanfic-Morbido Lab, Sanfic Series: Series Premieres, Sanfic ODS LAB and Sanfic NET: Business Roundtables.
Highlights of the Sanfic Series sidebar, launched in 2019, include the premieres of two documentary series: ‘Versus’ by Mexican director Raúl Cuesta Jiménez, which focuses on the intense effort, sacrifice and dedication that it takes for a tennis player like Nicolás Jarry to achieve a top world ranking, and “The 43 from Ayotzinapa: A State Crime” from streaming platform Max, which explores the decade-long struggle of the parents of the 43 disappeared students for justice and accountability from the Mexican state.
In a conversation with Variety, Sandoval examined the state of Latin American and Chilean industries through the prism of Sanfic Industria:
What do you think of the current state of Latin American cinema?
Latin American cinema stands out for its audiovisual power and unique storytelling perspectives. Despite challenges such as unstable conditions and limited state support, producers and creators craft diverse stories that address regional social and political issues, including historical memory, human rights, migration and diversity. Recent trends emphasize telling stories with dignity and respect, while exploring a wider range of genres for global audiences. Co-productions are becoming increasingly important, especially for countries with limited funding, and new generations of filmmakers are enriching the industry with new stories and perspectives.
What have you noticed about Chilean cinema?
Chilean cinema is experiencing significant growth, with established professionals and emerging talents offering new perspectives and production models. This progress is clearly visible in the increasing presence of Chilean content in international festivals and industrial spaces. However, a major challenge remains: the low involvement of local audiences, despite international recognition. To address this, Chile needs public policies that not only promote national content but also guarantee its presence in theaters, along with a strong public channel to support content distribution. Furthermore, greater incentives for audiovisual production are needed to support the growth and evolution of Chilean cinema.
Indeed, we have seen Chile surpass Argentina in the number of Oscar nominations over the past decade, although Argentina retains the historical record. What are your thoughts on this?
Chilean cinema is booming worldwide, with more than 300 international awards by 2023, CinemaChile reports. Chilean productions are widely distributed and there is often international cooperation.
Chilean productions are increasingly international in nature, with multiple countries involved in financing and diverse artistic and technical talents. Major platforms such as Netflix support these projects, expanding their global reach. Notable examples include “El Conde,” which earned an Oscar nomination for best cinematography, and “La Memoria Infinita,” nominated for best documentary. These achievements not only elevate Chilean cinema, but also spotlight Spanish-language films on the world stage.
We have noticed that interest and sales deals for genre films have grown significantly, as we saw in Locarno. Do you agree? I imagine this is one of the reasons behind Sanfic-Morbido.
The horror/fantasy genre of cinema has seen a boom in productions over the past decade, which we have seen across several transversal festivals and platforms, where it has been labeled as the new ‘Art House Horror’. This revival is largely due to the emergence of creators and producers with a fresh approach to story and aesthetics, moving away from the 1980s style, bloodshed and psychological sadism. All this contributes to better circulation and internationalization of horror and fantasy genre films, and Ibero-American cinema is a good example of this. From this context, Sanfic-Morbido was born with the aim of strengthening the genre film industry: horror/fantasy in the region.
What will be launched in these 20e edition, a milestone for Sanfic.
As part of the festival’s anniversary, we are presenting the Industria Award to three international guests who have played a key role in the development and contribution to the Ibero-American audiovisual sector. The winners are John Hopewell, International Features Editor of Variety, who will visit the country for the first time to receive the award; Elena Vilardell, who has been, since 1998, Technical and Executive Secretary of the Ibermedia I Program, a multilateral financial fund promoting film activities, established by the VII Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government, and continues to fulfill that role; and Bina Daigeler, a German costume designer nominated for an Oscar in the Best Costume Design category for the live-action version of Disney’s “Mulan,” who has also collaborated with Almodóvar, Jim Jarmusch, Cate Blanchett and many others.
Next year, LatAm Cinema editor Gerardo Michelin would be a perfect recipient.
This year, for the first time, we are joined by the CAACI, the Conference of Ibero-American Audiovisual and Cinematographic Authorities, an international organization within the Ibero-American region specialized in audiovisual and cinematographic matters. They will hold their advisory councils during Sanfic Industria, and we will hold three public events, including discussions on “Tax Incentives for Audiovisual Production”, “The Role of the Producer in Today’s Times” and “Gender, Cultural Diversity and Sexual Identity: How to are important for a project.”
In total we have 14 public events.