Foreign Affairs Minister Antonia Urrejola today led the repatriation ceremony for six Chilean films from Canada and France. The repatriation process was handled by the ministry’s Cultures, Arts, Heritage and Public Diplomacy Division (DIRAC).
The films are works made between 1988 and 2011 that are now part of the valuable film heritage that is looked after by the National Cinematheque of Chile.
Minister Urrejola stated that “with this act, our ministry reaffirms it commitment to the exercise of public diplomacy aimed at the development of our culture and care of our heritage, in line with the interests of our foreign policy, which highlights the strengthening of Chile’s image abroad and disseminating and promoting our culture beyond our borders.”
Among the films are “Tierra Sagrada” (Sacred Ground) (1988) by Emilio Pacull, which was brought from the Chilean filmmaker’s warehouse in France; “El Chacotero Sentimental” (The Sentimental Teaser) (1999) by Cristián Galaz; “Dulce Vértigo” (Sweet Vertigo) (1999) by Sonia María Contreras; “Subterra” (Underground) (2003) by Marcelo Ferrari, based on the book by Baldomero Lillo; “Gente Mala del Norte” (Bad People of the North) (2011) by Patricio Riquelme, filmed between 2006 and 2011; and “Fiestapatria” (National Holiday) (2007) by Luis R. Vera. The last five films were brought from Canada.
Original negatives: protecting Chile’s film heritage
For many years, the post-production of Chilean films had to be done abroad, because our country lacked the infrastructure to carry out the process. This led to many original films remaining in other countries.
With the digitization of the industry, some film labs went bankrupt, and the work of finding the negatives of Chilean films around the world took place.
“Those found in Canada are the result of that search. It was thanks to information that came to us from the Quebec Cinematheque,” explained Marcelo Morales, Director of the National Cinematheque of Chile. He added, “it is very important for us to have them, because they are the purest and clearest source from which to make copies in other formats, like digital, high definition, or also other copies in film format.”
“All these negatives, as well as film materials and documents, are important for conserving Chile’s audio-visual memory. Without this support, it would be very complex and probably impossible to bring them here, where they will contribute to study, research and also to the knowledge of the general public about our film history,” Mr. Morales stated.
“We are sure that this precious material will allow us to generate new ways of understanding the aesthetics and narratives that make up our audio-visual imaginary, through its study and presentation in a community that increasingly, and with more force, has been making cultural work its own, as a tool to understanding our place in the world,” Minister Urrejola explained.
She also stressed that the ministry would continue strengthening its work to reinforce the relationship it has with different cultural centers, museums and institutions dedicated to heritage promotion.
Various other people also participated in the event, among them Cultures, Arts and Heritage Minister Julieta Brodsky; Heritage Undersecretary Paulina Soto; Executive Director of La Moneda Cultural Center Foundation Pablo Brugnoli; Executive Secretary of the Cultures Ministry Audio-Visual Development Fund Fernanda Mancilla, and artists and figures from the cultural sphere.