Cannes Market Dailies

-         The first feature film by Manuela Martelli has been selected in the prestigious Quinzaine des Réalisateurs (Directors’ Fortnight, from May 17th to the 28th), which has been a career catapult for the likes of Pablo Larraín, Michael Haneke, Ken Loach, and Spike Lee, among others. Starring in the lead role is Chilean actress Aline Kuppenheim.

-         “The idea started with a family story, but later began to separate from reality and incorporate elements of fiction. I was interested in getting into the domestic space during the era of the dictatorship in Chile, and in observing, through the details of daily life, how what was happening in public space was perceived.” See interview (english):  https://www.cinemachile.cl/entrevista-exclusiva-opera-prima-de-manuela-martelli-es-seleccionada-en-prestigioso-wip-del-festival-de-toulouse-hablamos-con-el-equipo-manuela-martelli-omar-zuniga-y-alejandra-garcia/?lang=en

-         CinemaChile is additionally preparing its massive in-person arrival at Marché du Film with a stand at the Palais des Festivals to support this and other films in the selection.

The first film by Manuela Martelli — the first Chilean film to be announced at Cannes — is produced by Cinestacion (Omar Zúñiga) and Wood Productions (Alejandra García) and its international sales are managed by Luxbox, the prestigious French company led by Fiorella Moretti. At the beginning of this month, the film won the Grand Prize at Cinema Under Construction Toulouse. “1976” also obtained the Special Ciné+ Under Construction award and Le Film Français award.

The screenplay is by Manuela Martelli and Alejandra Moffat, and the cast is led by Aline Kuppenheim, Nicolás Sepúlveda, Hugo Medina, and Alejandro Goic.

For its part, CinemaChile is “already preparing itself once again with an in-person delegation and a Chilean pavilion at Cannes in the Palais des Festivals, and this initial announcements confirms that Chilean cinema is not only back at Marché du Film, but also in the Directors’ Fortnight, and it fills us with enthusiasm. Especially since it’s about the first film by Manuela Martelli, a director with a promising career ahead of her,” comments its executive director Constanza Arenas.

SYNOPSIS

1976, Chile. Carmen leaves for the coast to supervise the remodeling of her house there. Her husband, children, and grandchildren come and go during winter vacation. When the family priest asks her to take care of a young man whom he’s secretly providing room and board, Carmen enters uncharted waters, far from the tranquil life she’s used to.

DIRECTOR

The director and nationally renowned actress has been part of more than 17 roles in prominent feature films, standing out among which are B-Happy (Best Actress, Havana Film Festival 2003); Machuca (Directors’ Fortnight, Cannes Film Festival 2004); and Il Futuro (2013), the film by Alicia Scherson that managed to earn Martelli the Silver Columbus for Best Actress at the Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival.