“State of Silence” (“Estado de Silencio”), directed by Santiago Maza, has won the Best Feature Award at this year’s Sanfic Festival in Santiago, Chile. This documentary is a passion project for producer Diego Luna, who collaborates with Gael García Bernal under their Mexico-based label, La Corriente del Golfo.
Other notable winners at the festival included Agustín Toscano’s “I Trust You,” which received the Best Direction award in the Sanfic International Competition. In the Chilean Film Competition, “Our Memory” by Matías Rojas Valencia and “The Fabulous Gold Harvesting Machine” by Alfredo Pourally shared the top honors. At Sanfic Industria, Caye Casas’ “El Show del Gran Luciferio,” a follow-up to his previous work “The Coffee Table,” was recognized, with Stephen King praising it as “horrible and also horribly funny.”
In the Ibero-American Work in Progress category, Argentina’s Ana Clara Bustelo won for “Water Never Hurt,” and Peru’s Alejandra Carpio received recognition for “Concert for a Single Voice.”
What Makes ‘State of Silence’ Unique
“State of Silence” addresses the alarming death toll of journalists in Mexico, where 163 have been murdered and 32 are missing since 2000. The documentary stands out by providing an intimate look at four journalists who refuse to remain silent about the dangerous intersection of organized crime and local governments, known as narco-politics.
Two of the journalists have chosen exile, while another relocated his family for safety. Despite the risks, two of them return to high-risk areas to continue their reporting.
The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June and has been acquired by Netflix for distribution in North and Latin America. It features fast-paced interviews and a polished cinematographic style, aiming to honor the extraordinary courage of the journalists portrayed.
The documentary culminates in a tense scene where outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador dismisses journalists’ concerns about their safety during a press conference.
Overall, “State of Silence” has quickly gained recognition for its compelling storytelling and timely subject matter, making it a significant entry in this year’s festival circuit.
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