An eclipse and chaos

Good to know

Organised by

Cineteca Madrid

Directors

Dubi Cano, Samantha Cabrera

Premiere

Yes

What's it about

In the middle of the night, the directors venture into a dark forest, an unknown territory. There, children's laughter, like a lighthouse, leads them toward the day. The children play, explore, turn the camera into a toy and a question, while the nature of the Chilean forest accompanies their adventures under the sunlight. But beneath the surface of the territory, a mystery seems to dwell. The grandmother who cares for the children dreams of a presage: the day will turn into night, and with it bad omens will arrive. The dream comes true: a total solar eclipse darkens this territory. A fire occurs that opens this cycle, where the old burns to make way for the new. Shortly after comes COVID-19, and with it the lockdown: the children no longer immerse themselves so much in nature, but in a digital introspection, taking refuge in screens and devices. A second dream of the grandmother announces the end of the bad omen. In the snow, the children's laughter and games finally break the spell of the dark cycle. Spring makes its way, and with it a birthday that celebrates the return of the sun. Childhood persists intact: naive, authentic, luminous. In the river, the children dig a small channel, a sign that they are the ones who invent their own homeland, their reality, and the rules of this territory. Dubi Cano (1990, Copiapó, Chile). She grew up in the Chilean northern desert, a landscape that has shaped her gaze and her interest in portraying territories and underrepresented communities, far from urban centers. She studied Film at the Universidad de Valparaíso and in 2017 completed a master's in Cinematography at ESCAC, working since then as a cinematographer in film and series. Since 2022 she has lived in Barcelona, where she completed the Master in Creative Documentary at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Her first feature film, Desierto no cierto (2017), received the Special Jury Prize at the Valdivia Film Festival. She directs the documentary series Emancipadas (2021), broadcast in Chile and Argentina by TV. She co-directs the documentary short Les Més Grans (2023), winner of the Silver Biznaga of the Public at the Málaga Film Festival, among other accolades. Samantha Cabrera (1990, Santiago, Chile). An artist who began her career as a visual and performance artist at the Universidad de Chile. During an artistic residency, the idea for her debut feature, the documentary feature film Un Eclipse y el Caos, was born. She currently resides in Barcelona, where she develops her second feature film, Virgin Appears Once in Life, in which she explores the reminiscences of Latin American religious colonial art and the power of the body as an archive. > Presentation and Q&A with Dubi Cano and Samantha Cabrera.

#cinema#documentary#children#nature#xile