Chilean documentary cinema is once again poised to make an impact at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, with a robust presence in the Docs-in-Progress Showcase at #Cannes Docs#. The event, scheduled for 20 May, will feature four projects from Chile, each in different stages of completion.

One of the projects is Aliyá, Yeridá directed by Rafael Guendelman. This poignant documentary delves into the director’s family history, exploring their emigration to Israel in the 1970s and subsequent return to Chile. Producer Joaquín Echeverría emphasizes the film’s exploration of political and migration narratives, viewing the armed conflict in the Middle East through a distinctly Latin American lens.

Unwelcomed, co-directed by Amilcar Infante and Sebastián González, captures the tense anti-immigration demonstrations in northern Chile. This documentary seeks to voice the untold stories of those affected by the unrest, juxtaposed against the harsh backdrop of the Atacama Desert.

Another intriguing entry is The Stationary Traveller, co-directed by Fernando Lavanderos and Sebastián Pereira. This meta-documentary involves two young filmmakers persuading Cristián Sánchez, a revered Chilean director, to helm a new zombie-themed film.

Lastly, Returning Where I Have Never Been by Constanza Vásquez and Andrés Morales, tells a dual narrative separated by a century but united by heritage. It traces the journey of a Selk’nam descendant returning to her ancestral lands in Tierra del Fuego, challenging the narrative of her people’s extinction.

Aside from these four films, #ChileDoc will lead a delegation of 18 Chilean documentary producers at the 2024 Cannes Docs.