‘Ecologies of the Interstices’ brings together four South American filmmakers whose proposals are closely linked to forms of work and rest that are out of step with the current capitalist system without necessarily being outside of it. From documentary to fiction, the three proposals in this programme show economies and ecologies operating from the interstices in rupture with the hegemonic notion of work.
About the Curators
Colectiva editorial Des-bordes is constituted from the editorial practice concerning the digital publication of the same name, a reflective and transversal platform within the framework of the Network Red Conceptualismos del Sur and in conjunction with pasafronteras publishing house. Des-bordes proposes to generate intersections between critical analysis and committed research in the fields of politics, visual cultures and artistic practices. We are motivated by the intention to provoke more persistent traffic between thinking and doing, where disagreement and friction have as much place as the complicity of writing. In this sense, we base our work on research processes, collective readings, debates and discussions convening specific collaborations. Since 2023 the Collective is conformed by: Lucía Bianchi, Graciela Carnevale, Fernanda Carvajal, Angélica Muñoz, Cristina Ribas and Mabel Tapia.
‘Gambote’ (dir. Sofía Bensadon, 2021, 24 min)
Why are we used to looking at the sky so much? Irineo asks his wife Rosa. They look at it with concern as long as they can remember. When they lived on the countryside, they cared for the well-being of their fields and crops. Now, living on the outskirts of the city, they care for the bricks they produce. Neither rain, nor frost are wanted on the hills and valleys of the city of La Paz, Bolivia.
The clay mountains of Chuquiago Valley are transformed into brick every day. Grinding the clay, tampering, molding, drying, and burning of the bricks are some of the activities that Irineo and Rosa do once and again all year long., a never-ending cycle. While working they ponder about their lives and routines, seeking to meet the truth revealed in the practice of their trade.
Director’s bio
Sofia Bensadon is based in Argentina, where she got a degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology. Photographer and documentary filmmaker. She has been widely recognised in her field already, receiving an array of Awards and training scholarships. With an ecological approach, she investigates the gestures of work over time and the modes of the procurement of liveli-hood through craft and manual work, which is clearly evidenced in the story of Gambote. The film situates skilled practitioners in the context of an active engagement with the elements of their surroundings.
‘The Day of the Godmothers’ (dir. Wanda López Trelles, 2012-2013, 24 min)
A single day in the year, the Thursday prior to the start of the carnival, is the feast day dedicated to the women. They are brought together by a common purpose: release their desires, instincts, ideals, and let them flow to be comadres of a life cycle to regenerate, which all are part of.
Director’s bio
Wanda López Trelles is an Image and Sound Designer – Master in Multimedia Convergence (UBA). She carries out multidisciplinary artistic research and creation projects from a gender and human rights perspective: films, performance interventions, residencies. She directs and produces films of her own authorship and for social organizations. She is a member of the MUA (Audiovisual Women of Argentina) Deconstruir la Mirada research group. She is a 1st assistant director. Photographer. Professor. She co-directs Proyecto Corporalidad Expandida and the FICCE international corporeal-themed film festival.
The Hairdressers (dir. Maite Alberdi Soto, Israel Pimentel Bustamante, 2007, 25 min)
Ana Luisa has been getting up early for 60 years to open the hairdressing salon located in the living room of her house. Tato has been getting up even earlier for 40 years to go to the neighborhood Brasil and run Ana Luisa’s hairdressing salon. Hairstyles and haircuts, that’s all that’s left to offer. The hairdresser’s is their refuge in the middle of a neighborhood that has become too young for their eyes. Among those who visit them is Aurora, a niece, who offers Ana Luisa an opportunity to try to reactivate the business.
Directors’ bios
Maite Alberdi is a Chilean director and producer nominated for the Academy Awards® for her films “El Agente Topo” and “La Memoria Infinita.” She recently directed the Netflix feature film “El Lugar de la Otra,” her first fiction film. Her filmography also includes the documentaries “El Salvavidas,” “La Once,” and “Los Niños.” Maite has developed a particular style characterized by the intimate portrayal of small worlds, and her recognized seal has led her to become one of the most important voices in Latin American documentary. In 2023, she received the Visionaries Tribute Award at DOC NYC, the most important documentary festival in the North American industry, and in 2024 she received the Sundance Vanguard Nonfiction Award.
Israel Pimentel is film and television director, part of the collective MAFI – Mapa Fílmico de un País, with whom he has developed different collaborative documentary projects throughout Chile. As part of this organization, he participated as Content Director of the 2014 film “PROPAGANDA” (a follow-up to the backroom of the 2013 presidential campaigns in Chile) and was Co-Director of the 2019 collective documentary film DIOS together with Josefina Buschman and Christopher Murray (The chronicle of Pope Francis’ visit to Chile). Both films premiered and were awarded at Visións du Reel in Nyon, Switzerland. “Las Peluqueras” was his title project with Maite Alberdi, with whom he also collaborated as Assistant Director for her film ‘El Salvavidas’.