In recent years, sparked by an unprecedented influx of migrants from Venezuela, Chile experienced a remarkably violent anti-immigrant protest.
The last decade’s economic collapse has driven close to 8 million Venezuelans to flee their country - the second-largest migration crisis worldwide and the first of its kind in South America. For those who chose to migrate south, traversing thousands of kilometres to the Andean Highlands and the Atacama Desert, a harsh reality awaited.
Determined to preserve their lifestyle, an angry community made sure to make them feel “unwelcomed,” responding with violence and attacking families and children while the police turned a blind eye. This poignant chorus of testimonies floating over majestic cinematography sheds light on a new era in the history of migration: those fleeing conflict and economic uncertainty are treated as criminals, and their choices for a hopeful future are narrowing down.
FILM DETAILS
Title: Unwelcomed
Genre: Social Issues | Current Affairs
Language: Spanish
Year of production: 2025
Country of production: Chile
Co-Director: Sebastián González
Sebastián, an Economics graduate with a diploma in Executive Production for Film and TV, has worked with Chilean companies such as Tercermundo and Glaciar Films, producing documentary series, web series, and music videos for renowned national artists. He is currently the executive producer at Amilcar Films and co-produces the documentary Julio Escámez, principio y fin. His debut feature Si vas para Chile, winner of Chile's national production fund and selected for Cannes Docs, MAFIZ Málaga, and CPH:FORUM, will have its world premiere at Hot Docs 2025 (International Competition).
Co-director: Amílcar Infante
A graduate of Bande À Part film school in Barcelona, Amílcar is the director of Amilcar Films, a Santiago-based production company focused on documentaries, fiction, and music videos. He has directed content for organizations such as the Colchagua Tourism Chamber, Carolina Health Foundation, Viña Santa Cruz, and Fundación Cardoen. His current projects include the mini-series Photos: A Dialogue Between Past and Present and the documentary Nipon Takes, filmed during a 2023 National Geographic expedition in Japan.
Producer: Sebastián Gónzalez, Esteban Sandoval - Terry Bean
VISUAL FEEL
Festivals
World Premiere: HotDocs International Competition