El Ciudadano
Original article: La búsqueda del otro: Cineasta y machi exploran su identidad en documental sobre visibilidad y resistencia
Beginning on October 22, the documentary «The Search for the Other: We Exist Without Permission,» directed and co-starring Cons Gallardo Vásquez, will be showcased in theaters and independent venues across the country.
The film follows Marcelina, a Mapuche ancestral authority who was unjustly accused of a crime she did not commit in 1995 and was imprisoned in a men’s jail.
What starts as a historical investigation gradually morphs into a personal journey for Cons, as she discovers in Marcelina the strength of her ancestors, ultimately reflecting on her identity, memory, and human connections beyond societal prejudices.
«Since I learned about Machi Marcelina’s story, something struck me deeply,” confesses Cons Gallardo.
«I found the extent of what she endured and all the violations she faced to be incredibly profound. I often thought about how we confront such stories. They surface, seem horrific for a few days, and then quickly another story, another person, another piece of news—perhaps even worse—comes along, and we move on. I wonder if we truly stop to contemplate what it means for a person to go through such experiences and then continue living their life,» the filmmaker states.
«I felt the need to pause on this story. I wanted to understand what had happened but also what remained many years later,” adds the director.
«During filming, there were aspects of Marcelina, her way of navigating different identities, spaces, and worlds, that resonated with me personally, but I kept thinking I was making a film about her,” Cons explains.
«When you start to organize the material and review everything you’ve filmed over the years, you begin to understand why you chose to focus on certain aspects and not others. That’s when I realized many of the questions I was asking Marcelina were also questions I was asking myself. So, the film transformed from being merely a search for something that happened in the past into a much more personal journey,» she asserts.
The story of Cons and Marcelina has been featured in international venues such as the 14th Hispano-American Independent Documentary Film and Video Meeting Against Silence in Mexico, in the Genre, Bodies, and Identities category, and in national competitions such as the 37th Viña del Mar International Film Festival, where it participated in the National Feature Film Competition.
«I hope that audiences will take a moment to reflect on Marcelina’s story, consider all she endured, but also see her as more than just what happened to her. I didn’t want to create a film solely about a victim, but about a complete person, with a story, an identity, a worldview, humor, memory, and many layers that define her,» emphasizes Cons.
«And if after watching the film someone engages in conversation with another person, questions their own identity, reconsiders how they perceive others, or even slightly alters their perspective on a story that might usually pass quickly before their eyes, to me, that is already a significant impact,» the filmmaker concludes.
Watch the movie trailer HERE
Thanks to the Miradoc Estrenos distribution program, «The Search for the Other» will be screened at the following cinemas and independent venues from Arica to Punta Arenas:
- Arica: Auditorio Biblioteca Municipal Alfredo Wormald Cruz
- Iquique: Espacio Akana
- Antofagasta: Esquina Retornable Cine Club + Arte
- Copiapó: Centro Cultural Ser Humano
- La Serena: Sala Latente
- Valparaíso: INSOMNIA – Teatro Condell
- Viña del Mar: Cinemark Mall Marina and Cine Arte Viña del Mar
- Santiago: Cinépolis La Reina, Cinépolis Parque Arauco, Cinemark Portal Ñuñoa, Centro Arte Alameda – Sala CEINA, Cine CCC, Matucana 100, Sala Nemesio and Sala K – U. Mayor
- Talca: Cinépolis Plaza Maule
- Temuco: Cineplanet Portal Temuco
- Valdivia: Cine Club UACh
- Puerto Varas: –1CINE – Sala Camm
- Puerto Montt: Casa del Arte Diego Rivera – Sala Mafalda Mora
- Coyhaique: Centro Cultural Municipal – Microcine
- Puerto Natales: Cine Estrella
- Punta Arenas: Cine Estrella
La entrada Exploring Identity: Filmmaker and Machi Delve into Visibility and Resistance in New Documentary se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.
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