Blokes selected for Cannes Short Films competition

CANNES, France - Blokes has entered the official short film selection at Cannes and will compete for the prestigious Palme d'Or. Chilean director Marialy Rivas also wrote the screenplay for the film, which takes place in Santiago, Chile, 1986 and tells the story of adolescents who discover their sexual desires revealing a hidden truth about life. Winners will be chosen by the Jury of the cinefondation.

Discover how Marialy was inspired to make her movie and the people that influenced her filmmaking.

Interview with Marialy Rivas

Iain: What is the message of Blokes and how did this film come about?

Marialy: I'm not sure if there is one definite message in the movie, it tells the story of the sexual awakening of a boy during the dictatorship of Pinochet who becomes obsessed with his neighbor. Probably mostly the movie speaks about how your life can result in a very different outcome depending on the moment that you live (socially and politically speaking) it also shows how desire can take you places you have never imagine before.

Iain: Can you tell us a bit about the film industry in Chile?

Marialy: Right now we are full of new coming directors, young people full of good ideas and interesting stories. We have won different festivals including Sundance with The Maid last year. I think the industry in Chile is living it s brightest moment, supported by a very good government policy of grants. But we do need to make it work without the aid of the state, we have to make it work as a real industry, being able to make profit, involve investors, making the Chilean and the international public interested in our work.

Iain: Which films have inspired you in your creative work?

Marialy: So many and none in particular. I admire the work of many directors, from Wong Kar Wai to Robert Wise, from Hitchcock, passing for Win Wenders to Lucrecia Martel. I am deeply in love with films and there are artists to follow and learn from all over the world.

Iain: Do you have ambitions to shoot feature length movies?

Marialy: I am shooting my first feature film Young and Wild this coming October.

Iain: What projects do you want to work on in the future?

Marialy: Apart from my feature I am developing a series for television. I am also collaborating on an internet show project. I want to work in all the areas where stories all told, that is my big goal.