After colonizers massacred the indigenous communities that lived in Chilean Patagonia, the door to inhabit these lands was opened. Today, the adventurous people that settled in these territories face the threats of the construction of a hydroelectric dam in the most affluent river of the world: Baker River. Doña Marina Verdugo, a pioneer lady living on the exuberant bank of this river since 1920, shares her extreme life experiences with a mask actress, moments before her death. The actress' urge to immortalize the wisdom of the old lady and other women that she encountered in this isolated part of the world, inspire her to create a mask play and perform for the local people that have never seen theatre before.

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Awarded Best Documentary Patagonia Aysen Film Festival 2010, Chile

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Direction, script, production & acting

Isabel Burr Raty

Editing

Isabel Burr Raty & Nicolás Venegas Direction of Photography

Antonio Quercia

Post-Production & Special Effects 

Lucas Triboulard

Sound Design

Cristián Freund

Post-Production & Color Correction

Álvaro Asela

Animation Design

Samuel Restucci

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Co-Produced by

Sacrofims, Wallonie Bruxelles in Chile,

Zoo Films, El Aura Multimedia

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Supported by

Chilean Audiovisual Fund, National Council of the Arts XI Aysén Region, Balmaceda Arte Joven, SERNAM XI Region, Spanish Cultural Center in Chile, ACCA of CONAMA Aysén Region, Theater Lastárrea 90, Municipalities of: Chile Chico, Cochrane, Caleta Tortel, Villa O’Higgins, Puerto Tranquilo & Puerto Ibáñez; Governement of Coyhaique & Chile Chico Province, Pan Semilla, Vinos Bouchon, Mar Patagonia

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Subtitles English & French
International Distribution UC Canal 13, Chile

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FILM TOUR

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After having won Patagonia Aysen Film Festival 2010, the film Portrait of Pioneer Women travels back to this region to be screened in the Austral Highway’s villages. The audiences where invited door to door and by the local radios. The film was screened at schools, gymnasiums and communal centers, where copies of the film were donated to their respective libraries together with a photographic souvenir of the event's attendants (see sliding show of photographs on the right). Copies of the film were also given as a present to the people that participated in the film.

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Concept & production

Isabel Burr Raty

Photographer

Gaspar Cabrera

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Supported by

The Council of Culture and Arts of Chile XI Region, Local Government of Coyhaique & Chile Chico, Municipalities: Puerto Ibáñez, Chile Chico, Cochrane, Caleta Tortel and Villa O’Higgins; Costa Carrera Corporation, Mar Patagonia, Hosteria Patagonia, Raicer Restaurant Coyhaique, Radios: Puerto Ibáñez, Chile Chico, Cochrane, Tortel, Villa O ́higgins, Transportes ECA Pto. Guadal, Cabañas el Mirador de Playa Guadal, Supermercado Plaza Pto. Guada Schools in: Villa O ́higgins, Puerto Guadal, Puerto Tranquilo, Residencial La Central Pto. Guadal, & Carmen Alegría, Patricio Astudillo y Andrés Muñoz

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READ Le monde diplomatique article by Pedro Celedón

 

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