Richard Peña Rocks Chile’s Film Industry and Audiences

August 24, 2017

With an extremely successful festival on Film Noir –featuring presentations, reviews and commentaries on “Double Indemnity” (1944), “The Lady from Shanghai” (1947) and “Kiss me Deadly”(1955)-- Richard Peña ended his one-week visit to Chile in late August. A professor of professional practice in Film in Columbia’s School of the Arts, Peña has served as the Program Director of the Film Society New York's Lincoln Center and the Director of the New York Film Festival. He is widely known among local audiences, directors and producers thanks to his long-time trajectory as film curator, critic and organizer of retrospectives and festivals, including several focusing on Latin American Cinema.

During his visit to Chile, Peña taught a masterclass entitled “The History and Relevance of Film Festivals”, where he focused on the history and cultural impact of these events as well as on the opportunities that digital technologies offer to creators of independent films and documentaries to organize their own niche festivals. He also presented and commented the documentary “Leviathan” (2012), an experimental work about the North American fishing industry, and screened shorts produced and directed by Columbia students at Universidad Católica’s School of Communications. In addition, he held several meetings with Chilean film directors and producers, members of the local film industry, and managers of independent movie theatres.

His visit was widely covered by the local press, including El Mercurio newspaper, where he discussed his views about Chilean cinematography. He also spoke at Radio Cooperativa’s Program “La Historia es Nuestra” and at the cultural review section of “El Mostrador” website.