Sanfic Industria, the industry section of the Santiago International Film Festival (Sanfic), is turbocharged for an even stronger edition this year. Running concurrently with the festival, which runs Nov. 2 – 8, Sanfic Industria unspools Nov. 2-6 with Sanfic co-founder Gabriela Sandoval at the helm.
Now on its 15th year, Sanfic Industria has several new additions to its programming, led by the participation of the Sitges’ Woman In Fan Lab initiative, a newly expanded Santiago-Guadalajara Queer Incubator backed by Netflix, the inaugural online Fantastic WIP, a selection of genre pix in post, and Books at Berlinale 2027 to mark Chile’s guest of honor involvement at the Frankfurt Book Fair next year. Several prizes, in cash and kind, are at stake.
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Sanfic Industria has launched a call for application to Books at Berlinale. This is aimed at Chilean producers with literary adaptation projects in advanced development stage and a proven track record in international co-productions. Two winners will be selected from eight projects. Their teams will participate in person on Nov. 6 in a day of business meetings and a pitch session in English. The winners will represent Chile at Books at Berlinale 2027, with accreditation fees, travel and accommodation covered.
According to Sandoval, they’re also reviewing six selected projects for its new online initiative, Fantastic Work in Progress, further bolstering Sanfic’s genre push, which began some seven years ago with Sanfic Mórbido LAB, led by Pablo Guisa.
Inviting the participation of Sitges Film Festival’s female genre directors initiative Woman in Fan for the Southern Cone of Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay, was a no-brainer. “We’re very interested in leveling the playing field for genre cinema in the region. It has a number of male directors, which is great, but there are also many impressive female genre filmmakers from the Southern Cone,” said Sandoval.
Its Santiago Lab for fiction and documentary projects has been luring more established directors to join the new voices since last year. From some 300+ applications, 16 fiction and 17 documentary projects were selected. “The idea is for them to work in teams with the objective of having the more experienced directors nurture the new ones.”
Among the Santiago Lab Fiction projects are the Atacama Desert-set supernatural drama, “The Girl” from Chile’s Sergio Castro San Martín, who co-directed “The Pack”; “Skin,” the next project of Nicolás Acuña who helmed mini-series “Allende, The Thousand Days” and “Besieged,” and from “The Red Hangar” producer Brava Cine, “Leave and Let Go,” the feature debut of Marilú Varsky.
“We have a powerful selection of debut films with experienced producers behind them,” said Sandoval, who added: “For many of these filmmakers, Santiago Lab has been the starting point of their professional journey.”
“I think what’s interesting is that, with the documentary projects, there’s a stronger focus on more personal themes, like recovering memories or looking back at historical events through a personal lens, often connected to family relationships or individual experiences,” Sandoval noted.
“With fiction, there’s quite a mix. A lot of the projects have genre elements, not necessarily fantasy or horror, since those have their own dedicated lab, but they do incorporate elements of the fantastic. We’re also seeing quite a few thrillers, especially political thrillers, and science fiction is really starting to gain ground. At the same time, many projects explore social and political issues, such as forced displacement and how these can be brought to the screen. So, overall, there’s a really interesting mix of genres and themes.”
Sanfic Industria will be honoring Fabula producer Juan de Díos Larraín (“The Count”) for his contributions to Ibero-American cinema at the opening ceremony, which opens with the AIDS drama starring Rami Malek, “The Man I Love” by Ira Sachs.
The festival inauguration will also be honoring actress Antonia Zegers (“Chile ’76”), who will be further recognized with a retrospective showcasing five key films in her career, comprising “Post Mortem” (2010) and “The Club” (2015), both directed by Pablo Larraín; “The Dogs” (2017) by Marcela Said; “A Fantastic Woman” (2017) by Sebastián Lelio and “The Punishment” (2022) by Matías Bize. She will also be leading one of the many talks and panels programmed by the festival and its industry section.
Filmmaking duo Marité Ugás and Mariana Rondón (“Bad Hair,” “It Would Be Night in Caracas”) will be recognized for their contributions to IberoAmerican cinema during Sanfic Industria’s closing night on Nov. 6.
The festival wraps Nov. 7 with the screening of ‘Los Relatos” by Spanish director Miguel del Arco (“The Furies”).
Here are brief profiles on the Santiago Lab Fiction Participants:
“America Freedom” (“América Libertad,” Vane Miller, Hugo Miller Producciones, Valpollywood, Alen Cine, Chile, Sweden)
Drama follows a woman who, 40 years after separation from her family during Chile’s dictatorship, travels to Sweden to find her biological mother. The project secured sponsorship from Chile’s Museum of Memory and Human Rights and a theatrical distribution letter of intent with Storyboard Media. Combining live action, archival footage and animation, the film explores identity and exile. “Exile does not always mean leaving a country,” say Miller and producer Jetzabel Moreno.
“Cachalote” (Emmanuelle Kesch, Cachalote Cine, Spain, Peru)
A female tuna fisher’s fight to restrict industrial fishing on La Palma becomes intertwined with the discovery of a 20-ton sperm whale stranded on the island. Produced by Claudia Chávez (Tribeca Best Documentary “Runa Simi”) alongside Kesch, who says the film is “told entirely from the perspective of Inés, a tuna fisherwoman, and the intimate world of her family, exploring how the presence of the decomposing animal challenges and deeply affects each one of them.”
“Chicago’s Ferris Wheel” (“La Rueda de Chicago,” César González Álvarez, Malagüero Films, Chile)
Set in 1992, González Álvarez’s road movie follows Diana, a housewife who flees north after discovering her husband’s infidelity, taking her wheelchair-bound mother-in-law along to attend a Camilo Sesto concert. Produced by Mario Felipe de la Maza, founder of Malagüero Films (“Art of Absence”), the film follows their encounters with a driver carrying a dangerous delivery and a teenage runaway, turning an escape into a perilous journey toward independence.
“Dedé,” (Rita Hostt, Oh My Gómez, Besos Contenidos, Argentina, Uruguay)
Hostt’s debut feature follows a young woman whose longstanding fantasy of her Spanish godmother becomes reality through a summer romance. Produced by Pablo Ingercher, Camila Fourcaud and María Zanocchi, it’s now on its ninth script draft and is seeking a Spanish co-production partner for a planned 2027-28 shoot. Selected for Lab Impulsar and BIFF Producer’s Club, Hostt explores how “the encounter with reality can transform the way we love, see others and understand ourselves.”
“Electra and the Wrath of a Thousand Titans” (“Electra y la ira de los mil titanes,” Cris Arredondo, Chile)
Coming-of-age drama follows a 17-year-old transgender teenager pursuing music while navigating family expectations, identity and first love. The project is seeking production and co-production partners, with a potential musical collaboration with Chilean singer-songwriter Javiera Electra under discussion. “As a trans non-binary filmmaker, I wanted to tell a story about the desire to be seen, heard and loved without compromising who we are,” says Arredondo.
“Elisa y Adriana,” (David David, Garabato Cine, Colombia)
David’s drama follows a mother with Alzheimer’s struggling to preserve the memory of her son, disappeared by the Colombian army, while her daughter seeks to leave the tragedy behind. Produced by Carolina David, whose credits include “La frontera” and the award-winning miniseries “Vida de colores,” the project is in advanced development, targeting a 2028 release. Set in Colombia’s Caribbean region, the film explores memory, impunity and reconciliation.
“Fátima’s Return,” (“El regreso de Fátima,” Gabriela Calvache, Archaga Producciones, Kuter Films, Mexico)
Ecuadorian director Calvache, whose “La mala noche” repped Ecuador at the 2020 Oscars, returns with a psychological thriller that follows 16-year-old Fátima, who returns home after three years in a psychiatric hospital to find her family living in isolation. Produced by Erika Archaga (“The Train and the Peninsula”), the film blends supernatural mystery and family drama as Fátima’s return awakens buried memories and threatens to uncover the truth behind her sister Bárbara’s disappearance.
“Halfway” (“A medio camino,” Sebastián González Méndez, Bruto Films, Amilcar Films, Chile)
Drama follows María (70), traveling abroad to reunite with her estranged son Andrés (35). Starring Paulina García and Pedro Fontaine, the film explores aging, memory and family wounds. Produced by Benjamín Pinto (Cannes La Cinef first prizewinner “Laser Gato”), it was selected for Bal Lab, Nuevas Miradas and seeks French and Italian co-producers. Director González Méndez describes it as “a reflection on time: the time we have left and the time we’ve had.”
“Leave and Let Go” (“Partir y Renunciar,” Marilú Varsky, Brava Cine, Argentina)
Varsky’s feature debut follows a woman searching for traces of her late mother in a coastal family home, exploring “the houses we inhabit and those that inhabit us” and the impossibility of letting go. The project from “The Red Hangar” producer Brava Cine received the Cimarrón Award at Ventana Sur Guiones 2025, while its companion short won the Fundación Mirgor Award at BAFICI 2026. Starring María Soldi, the film is slated to shoot in November 2027.
‘Leave and Let Go’ Brava Cine
“Nosara” (Victor Vargas, Destello Films, Costa Rica)
“Paradise isn’t lost. It’s sold,” says Vargas whose debut feature is a dark comedy about gentrification, following a single mother who takes a job at a luxury wellness retreat in the Costa Rican beach town displacing her. Produced by Destello Films, founded by him and DP Pablo Wong, the project seeks financing and is targeting a 2027 shoot. Previously selected for Colombia’s Bammers and Proyecto Marieta, it seeks international co-production opportunities.
“Not Quite There” (“Tejas Corridas,” Constanza Tejo Roa, Heroína Cine, Chile)
Tejo Roa’s second feature following her debut “The Mutant” follows a globetrotter with fragmented memories who returns to his childhood home after his ex-wife’s death, confronting fatherhood at nearly 70. Blending absurdist humor and tenderness, the dramedy explores “what remains of a family when there is nothing left.” The project is seeking domestic and international co-production partners, with shooting planned for the second half of 2028.
“Skin” (“Piel,” Nicolás Acuña, Promocine, Campocine, 3 Tabela Filmes, Chile, Argentina, Brazil)
From “Besieged” producer Promocine and its director Acuña, drama follows a Santiago actress fighting to regain custody of her daughter while forming an unexpected bond with a homeless teenager. Featuring a screenplay co-written with internationally renowned script consultant Miguel Machalski (“Million Dollar Baby”) pic is in advanced development. Promocine is finalizing a Brazilian co-production agreement with 3 Tabela Filmes, expanding its financing base ahead of a planned late 2027 shoot.
“The Girl” (“La Niña,” Sergio Castro San Martín, Color Monster, Latente Films, Cinedokke, Chile, Bolivia, Switzerland)
Set in 1930 along the Chile-Bolivia border, the historical drama from the creator and co-director of Prime Video’s “La Jauría” follows Berta, a 10-year-old girl with the extraordinary ability to locate gold by scent. Treated as a living resource by tribes and settlers, she must escape exploitation and survive by relying on nature and its animals. Produced by Álvaro Manzano (“The Dog Thief”), the Chilean-Bolivian-Swiss co-production blends historical adventure, folklore and environmental themes.
“The Others” (“Los Otros,” Juan Ignacio Ceballos, Argentina)
Ceballos’ debut feature follows a 13-year-old boy searching for a missing friend during a flood in a riverside neighborhood outside Buenos Aires. Blending social realism and fantasy, the project was selected for Locarno Filmmakers Academy, the Sundance Institute’s 2026 Development Track shortlist and several international labs. Says Ceballos: “I want to approach this territory through the eyes of its young inhabitants,” working with non-professional actors and blending realism with elements of the fantastic.”
“The Professionals” (“La / Ella / Ellas,” Ana Milena Saavedra, Atomic Media Group, Colombia)
Saavedra’s supernatural drama follows Helena, a painter haunted by loss who becomes stranded in a coastal village where night never falls and fishermen guide wandering spirits. As she confronts her past, the film explores grief, family memory, aging and the possibility of healing through a different life. Saavedra’s short-film credits include “El Desvelo” and “De Margaritas y mañanas.” The project was presented at Sapcine’s 2025 Producers’ Meeting.
“Where the Houses Face the Sun” (“Donde las casas miran al sol,” Diego Boggioni Troncoso, BT Cultura & Medios, Yareta Films, Chile)
Set in the Atacama Desert, Boggioni’s debut feature follows Manuel and twelve others resisting their village’s final eviction. Blending poetic realism and fantasy, the film has secured 50% of its budget and is set to shoot in August–September 2027. The cast includes Alfredo Castro, Paola Giannini and Emilia Noguera. “We are not building a stage set: this is the actual place, raising its voice to reconnect with its memories, joys and wounds,” says Boggioni.
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