- The 2023 edition had an attendance of almost 40,000 spectators, with a total of 187 films screened.
- Performances by Tommy Rey, MC Millaray, Bloque Depresivo, and three local bands convened a total attendance of 14,500 people, during the 3 days of the CINEMAS section, organized by the festival.
- For a detailed account of the 2023 event, click here to access the festival’s 2023 report.
The 30th Valdivia International Film Festival closed its 2023 version with a total of 177 screenings of 187 films, and a total of 37,605 spectators, positive figures that reflect the movement the event generated in the Valdivian community, which every year hosts this important date on the international film festival circuit.
“In 2023, we celebrate thirty years of FICValdivia, and these figures reaffirm our commitment to continue celebrating this cinema event for another thirty years. The public’s behavior was once again touching. As a Festival, we felt extremely accompanied and appreciated. The average attendance in theaters was 7 shows, with many people that saw over twenty works, during the entire event, including two folks who saw 34 and 31 films! But we also managed to convene other instances of participation with the community, with open-air screenings and shows, as well as talks, the Cinema Club Convention, and the Meeting of University Film and Audiovisual Schools. For these 30 years, we wanted to leave a tangible legacy, expressed in the publication of the book Escrito por Cineastas, sponsored by FICValdivia, which brings together 30 Chilean filmmakers, in the tribute to iconic filmmakers in our history, and in the launch of the Latin American and Caribbean Film Map, organized in conjunction with five film magazines, bringing together more than 200 specialists in the cinema of our territories,” says Raúl Camargo, director of FICValdivia.
A highlight of the out-of-competition activities was a new edition of CINEMÁS, with three days of live music and movies on the big screen, at Valdivia’s Science Waterfront. The free admission series sponsored by Banco Estado featured performances by Macha y el Bloque Depresivo, La Sonora de Tommy Rey, MC Millaray, plus regional acts Cantoras del Aynil, Virgen Negra, and AllFlow. Over three days of performances, a total attendance of 14,540 people was achieved.
FICValdivia’s Opening Ceremony was hosted by actress Mariana Loyola and included the surprise participation of Valdivian personality Fernando Solís, the emblematic voice of the festival, who came in person for the occasion. At the gala, the festival paid tribute to eleven Latin American filmmakers who are part of the thirty years of the event, and the short film Color (1955), by Uruguayan experimental filmmaker Lidia García Millán, was screened. The evening was broadcast on FICValdivia’s online platform, social networks, and ATV Valdivia’s streaming signal.
The Award Ceremony was led by Amparo Noguera and Marcelo Alonso at Cervantes Theater. It opened with the Valdivia Chamber Orchestra (OCV), with conductor Rodolfo Fisher, who musicalized the work Ya se Rindió Allende, by the artist Andrian Pertout, with the support of the bookstore Río de Letras of Valdivia. During the occasion, the Pudú Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Babi Salas and her son Pablo Salas, for their contribution to audiovisual record and dissemination during the dictatorship.
Among the films awarded this year, Here, by filmmaker Bas Devos (Belgium), obtained top prize at the 30th edition of the Valdivia International Film Festival. Carlos Araya Diaz’s El que Baila Pasa collected first place in the Chilean Feature Film category. Muertes y Maravillas, by Diego Soto, came away with the Special Jury Prize, and Tana Gilbert’s Malqueridas won the Audience Award and a Special Jury Mention. The rest of the winning entries can be reviewed here.
FICValdivia was founded and is organized by Universidad Austral de Chile; produced by the Valdivia Cultural Center for Film Promotion; convened by the Great City of Valdivia, the Los Ríos Regional Government, and Codeproval; financed by the Audiovisual Fund, the Collaborating Festivals Program of the Audiovisual Arts and Industry Council, and the Support Program for Collaborating Cultural Organizations of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage.
