Sanfic names nine Chilean films as funding cuts loom
Chile’s Santiago Film Festival has named nine titles for its Chile Film Competition, the national strand at the heart of its 22nd edition.
The festival, known as Sanfic, runs Nov. 2-6 in Santiago de Chile, with its nine other sections to be announced on Oct. 20, as reported by Variety.
Four of the nine are debut features, meaning first full-length films from their directors. The competition offers cash prizes for best film, director and acting, giving new crews a clear shop window at home.
Among the world premieres, meaning first screenings anywhere, are “Animals,” a Chilean-Argentine co-production made with partners in both countries and directed by Andrés Waissbluth Weinstein, and “Beat” (“Latir”), the debut feature from Patricio Loutit Azócar. Artistic director Carlos Núñez oversaw the selection.
“Erratics” by Thomas Woodroffe arrives with festival history. It already played in the New Directors sidebar at the San Sebastian Festival, a section for early-career filmmakers.
“Monguen” carries different weight. It is the final film from documentary maker Antonio Caro, who died weeks before the lineup was announced.
For newcomers to festivals, the route in is straightforward. Filmmakers submit through Festhome, an online entries platform, during the call from July 20 to Aug. 14. Selected titles then play in themed strands. They include the Competencia de Cine Chileno, the Chilean cinema competition, alongside sections such as Maestros del cine, SANFIC Educa, Visiones del Mundo, Competencia Internacional and Directoras en Foco.
Chile arrives with busy production lines. Its 2026-2027 industry catalogue, unveiled at San Sebastian, is up 20.5% on the prior season, according to Variety. Eight Chilean titles screened across seven sections there. International attention is also fixed on “The Meltdown,” Chile’s submission for the Oscars, the US Academy Awards where each country puts forward one film for best international feature, produced by Alejandra Garcia of Ronda Cine.
That output sits beside tighter public money. José Antonio Kast took office as Chile’s president in March. The Ministry of Culture faces a 9% overall budget decrease next year, with the Audiovisual Investment Support Fund falling from about $586,000 (540 million pesos) in 2026 to $208,000 (192 million pesos) in 2027. That is a 64% cut.
What makes this stand out is the contrast. The competition points to new directors getting films finished. The budget figures point to harder financing for what comes next.
For audiences in Santiago, this means five days of local premieres in early November before the rest of the programme lands. For the teams behind the nine, it is a finished film in a cinema with prize money on the line.
