IFI Audiovisual 2024: Meet the 5 winning projects
Five national productions were selected this year, in genres as diverse as comedy and suspense, in addition to two stories based on true events.
At the National Cinematheque, the five projects that were awarded the program Support for High Impact Audiovisual Investments IFI 2024 were announced today. This initiative assigned $2 billion this year, with the aim to encourage the attraction of foreign capital for high impact audiovisual productions in the country.
The beneficiaries were announced by the Executive Vice President of Corfo, José Miguel Benavente, the Minister of Culture, Arts, and Heritage, Carolina Arredondo, and the Undersecretary of Economy and Small-sized Companies, Javiera Petersen. They confirmed the continuation of the program until 2025, which will increase to $4.168 billion, and announced initiatives that will support the Creative Industries in 2025.
Winners 2024
This year, the five winning productions were as follows:
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1.- Disconnected 2: Comedy produced by Amazon Studios, starring Javiera Contador, Maria Jesus Harán and Diego Rojas, which tells the life of Victoria, a mother of two teenagers who has now become an extremely overprotective mother.
2.- The Thaw: Directed by Manuela Martelli, this film tells the story of Inés and Hanna, two young women who meet in a ski hotel in the Andes mountains, and who strike up a friendship wrapped in intrigue involving their families.
3.- The Puma: This film, directed by Marcela Said and starring Antonia Zegers, Luis Tosar, and Gastón Salgado, is set in southern Chile and involves a story of love and intrigue.
4.- White Wind: A film directed by David Albala, based on the true events that occurred on May 19, 2005, when a group of young people, newly enlisted in the military, were ordered to march 20 kilometers under extreme wind and snow conditions, in the locality of Antuco, Eighth Region.
5.- BiobÃo: Produced by Netflix and Fábula, and directed by Fernando Guzzoni and Maria José San Martin, this series is inspired by the disappearance of university student Jorge Matute Johns, which occurred on November 20, 1999, at the nightclub "La Cucaracha", in Concepción.
SOUTH KOREA, EXAMPLE OF CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
Regarding the significance that the IFI program has gained at a national level, Benavente emphasized that "we are pleased to have reactivated this tool through the efforts of various institutions, which has allowed our country to be back on the map of countries offering competitive incentives for attracting foreign capital in the audiovisual field".
And he added, as an example, what South Korea is doing in terms of creative industries. "It is a very small country in terms of population, but thanks to the development it has had not only for songs, dances, or video games, but also for cinema. This development has put them on the world's radar. And precisely the world has learned about this country thanks to these topics".
The Minister of Culture, the Arts and Heritage, Carolina Arredondo, emphasized that "this is good news for all Chileans. Encouraging the arrival of audiovisual productions not only helps to boost the industry and employment in the sector, but also helps to publicize our country's culture and heritage to the rest of the world, enhancing the tourist appeal of Chile and thus contributing to growth and economic development at a national, regional, and local level. Each winning project represents and is a clear example of how culture and the audiovisual industry can contribute to the country's economic, social and cultural progress".
During her participation, the Undersecretary of Economy and Small Business, Javiera Petersen, indicated that "from the Ministry of Economy we are happy to contribute to the development of the audiovisual industry in Chile, we know that this sector not only has the power to tell stories, but also to generate local jobs, boost the country's image and promote investments. With this new version of the IFI, we reaffirm our commitment to strengthen local capabilities in creative and technical activities of this industry".
IFI: DRIVING FOREIGN INVESTMENT
The High Impact Audiovisual Investment Support Program aims to boost foreign investment and encourage the arrival of international productions to Chile, in order to increase investment in the audiovisual industry and improve the country's image at a global level.
Between 2017 and 2024, this program has supported projects from renowned companies such as HBO, Netflix, Amazon Studios, and Film Nation, leveraging foreign investments of over $16.800 billion.
The IFI 2024 also valued and supported the contracting of audiovisual services, promoting employment and the development of local skills in creative and technical activities.
In turn, it included a regional incentive for projects carried out outside the Metropolitan Region, where the refund can reach up to 40% of eligible expenses, encouraging decentralization and the development of local economies.
One of the winning films corresponds to "Disconnected 2", the sequel to the successful comedy starring Javiera Contador. Regarding the recognition he received again for the making of the film, the director Diego Rougier commented on the importance of this program. "Thanks to the IFI Audiovisual, our productions are seen, not only in Chile, but all over the world, and they also attract money to the country, which is spent here and which, in our case, has given work to more than 150 people".