A PLACE CALLED DIGNITY

A PLACE CALLED DIGNITY

Un lugar llamado digniad

Directed by Matías Rojas Valencia
Chile, France, Germany, Argentina, Colombia | 99 min. | 2021 | drama | Spanish

Pablo, a 12-year-old boy, receives a scholarship to attend school in the mysterious and isolated Colonia Dignidad, established in Chile by German settlers. He quickly becomes the favorite of the leader of the colony, Uncle Paul. Over time, Pablo witnesses the strangest things that happen there: abuse, disappearances and demon-like creatures used to scare children. But in this wicked world, a revolution is brewing, and it may be the only way for Pablo to get out.

Credits 

Director: Matías Rojas Valencia
Screenplay: Matías Rojas Valencia
Cinematography: Benjamín Echazarreta
Editing: Andrea Chignoli, Matías Rojas Valencia
Production Design: Laura Caliguri
Sound Design: Roberto Espinoza

Cast: Salvador Insunza, Hanns Zischler, Amalia Kassai, Noa Westermeyer, David Gaete

Production Company: Quijote Films
Co-production Companies: Mandra Films, Kinkerfilm, Autocroma, Séptima Films
With support of: Ministerio de las Culturas, las Artes y el Patrimonio, Gobierno de Chile, CNC, Schleswig-Holstein, INCAA – Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales, Programa Ibermedia

  • Matías Rojas Valencia
    Matías Rojas Valencia

Festivals & Awards

  • Tallinn Black Nights – Official Competition
  • Santiago International Film Festival – World Premiere
  • Huelva Film Festival – Competition
  • Athens Film Festival – Panorama
  • Festival Internacional de Cine de Monterrey – Latinoamerican Landscapes seccion

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Trailer

Presskit (PDF)

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Matías Rojas Valencia

Director and screenwriter.

His first feature film, Root (2013), made originally as his graduation film, was internationally premiered in San Sebastian International Film Festival and awarded as Best National Film in Valdivia International Film Festival. Also, it was selected in many international film festivals as La Habana, Cartagena de Indias, BAFICI, Palm Springs, Nuovo Cinema de Pessaro, TUbinguen, Málaga, Latin Beat New York and others.

After his debut, he co-write and direct I need to know (2015), short film made by the program Factory, organized by the Director’s Fortnight of Cannes Film Festival. The short film premiered in the Director’s Fortnight and then selected to be part of the Official Competition in Warsaw’s International Film Festival in Poland.

His second feature film as screenwriter and director, A place called Dignity (before In the Shade of Trees), filmed in 2019, is a fiction feature film about the real case of Colonia Dignidad, and which is an international coproduction between Chile, France, Germany, Argentina and Colombia, and granted with the Cinemas du Monde international fund, Ibermedia coproduction fund, INCAA-CNCA bilateral fund, as well as public funds granted by Hamburg, Germany and Chile.

His film projects has been selected in many international development instances like the Coproduction encounter of San Sebastian International Film Festival, Produire au Sud residence, Coproduction Market of the Berlinale, Venice Production Gap, Cinéfondation L’Atelier of Cannes Film Festival, among others.

Along with visual artist Alejandro Leonhardt he works in the development and realization of video art projects. Their first work together When the forests shine was selected in the Medial Arts Biennale in Chile, ARCO Madrid and in the official selection of Getty Center in Los Angeles, California.

He also works as a director in many audiovisual productions and publicity spots for TV at the same time he works as a college teacher in the subjects of scriptwriting, direction and cinema appreciation.