The acclaimed documentary The Eternal Memory will be shown at Paseo Bulnes as part of the 8th edition of the Conecta International Documentary Industry Meeting.
> Conecta will be held from December 12 to 15, 2023 in Santiago, and will bring together representatives from 27 countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
> For the second time in Latin America, 3,000 pounds sterling will be awarded by The Whickers, a British organization that finances first feature films, to a documentary project from the region.
> Conecta is a space dedicated to promoting the commercialization and distribution of Chilean and Latin American projects and putting them in contact with the world.
One of the highlights of Conecta will be the public screening of La Memoria Infinita, a successful documentary nominated for Best Film at the Goya Awards, directed by Maite Alberdi, produced by Micromundo, Fabula and distributed by MTV Documentary Films. The screening will take place at Paseo Bulnes, between Cóndor and Mencía de los Nidos, on December 14 at 8:45 p.m., completely free of charge, in order to bring cinema closer to the public through one of the most acclaimed national films of 2023.
The Eternal Memory tells the profound and moving love story of the renowned journalist Augusto Góngora and the actress and former Minister of Culture Paulina Urrutia, who remained together for more than 25 years, the last 8 being the ones that changed their lives forever with Augusto’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s.
Industry Meeting:
Conecta is an international documentary industry meeting that aims to bring together documentary projects from all over Latin America with funds, markets, festivals, distributors, sales agents and other producers to enhance alliances, business and exchange ideas.
In its 7 previous years, Conecta received a total of 2,500 applications, from which 460 projects and finished works were selected. Latin American producers and directors have been able to connect with 318 representatives of the world’s documentary audiovisual industry.
The Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage, Carolina Arredondo, points out: «In these eight years, Conecta has positioned itself as a space that not only creates connections between Latin American documentary filmmakers and prominent representatives of the global industry, but also helps to energize the audiovisual and cultural sector. To this end, it has a diverse program that includes panels open to the general public, workshops and exhibitions, as well as opportunities to generate commercial ties that allow for the continued promotion of national documentaries».
Another of the main institutions that make Conecta possible is ProChile. Its General Director, Ignacio Fernández, says that the VIII International Documentary Industry Meeting Conecta «has become, over the years, an essential space to continue consolidating the Chilean documentary sector, the creative talent of our country’s filmmakers in different markets of interest in the world, promoting their internationalization and co-production of projects».
«Getting together again fills us with joy because Conecta is born as a space for meeting and exchange of reflections, experiences and commercialization of documentaries. In a national and global scenario as active and challenging as the one we are living this year, we want to be the meeting point for Latin America and a bridge for those who are part of the local industry, a community that is identified by its diversity and empathy for the different realities that we have near and far away, but not for this reason,» said Diego Pino, Executive Director of CCDoc.
Conecta has positioned itself in the region as a hotbed for new talents and projects in development. This year there will be 27 countries represented from the Americas, Europe and Asia, 46 participating projects, 38 international guests and 21 national guests.
Among the international guests present at this year’s Conecta are Thom Powers, programmer of documentaries at the Toronto International Film Festival TIFF, who is also artistic director and co-founder of the largest documentary festival in North America DOC NYC; Jane Mote, Editorial Consultant at The Whickers; Brazilians Carol Misorelli and Rodrigo Diaz of Taturana; Isabel Arrate, Executive Director of the IDFA Bertha Fund; Natalia Amarante of Canal Curta from Brazil; Bruni Burres of the Sundance Institute, among others.
In its 2023 edition, Conecta selected 16 projects for its three workshops, from a total of 223 applications, with more than half of them women directors. Representatives of these projects come from Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Panama, Mexico and Chile.
Conecta also hosts on-site and streaming panels for the audiovisual community, workshops for projects in the development and completion stages, a Docs in Progress section, which for the third consecutive year is being held in partnership with the Santiago International Documentary Festival FIDOCS, a public pitch with the British fund The Whickers, industry activities such as round tables, one-on-one meetings, panels and networking activities.
In its 2023 version, Conecta has important partners and allies that have made its realization possible: The Nicanor Parra Library and the UDP Film School, which will host and collaborate with the meeting. And sponsors such as the Centro Cultural San Ginés and Bar El Retiro, venues for the networking activities. Thanks also to the brands that accompany us in the opening, closing and Horas Conecta events: Gin Pajarillo, Tamango Beer, Las Condenadas Cookies and By María.
About The Eternal Memory
The most recent film directed by Maite Alberdi (Oscar nominee for El Agente Topo), which was released in Chilean theaters on August 24. The documentary has also had a great tour of theaters and international festivals such as Sundance, Berlin Film Festival and San Sebastian, among others.
In a story about individual and collective memories, Augusto, who was a prominent cultural journalist on Chilean television, and Paulina, a renowned actress and former Minister of Culture, tell the story of their lives. Dialogue between the reconstruction of memory and identity, and at the same time keep alive that unbreakable complicit love. Day by day the couple reinvents their way of relating to each other, relying on affection and a sense of humor of their own, which, remarkably, always remains intact.
About Conecta:
It is a meeting organized by the Chilean Documentary Corporation CCDoc and financed by the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage, the Support Program for Collaborating Cultural Organizations of the same body, by ProChile and by Chiledoc. It has the support and collaboration of various public and private organizations.
@copyright Corporación Chilena del Documental CCDoc