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“Winnipeg, Seeds of Hope,” a co-production between Spain, Chile and Argentina, will be one of 11 titles competing in the Contrechamp Feature Films section of this year’s Annecy Animation Film Festival.
The animated feature
film is directed by Beñat Beitia Urresti (“Mummy, I’m a Zombie”) and Elio Quiroga (“Fotos,” “The Mystery of the King of Kinema”) and is based on Laura Marte’s graphic novel.
The story follows Víctor and his young daughter Julia, who flee Spain after the fall of Barcelona to General Franco’s forces in January, 1939. They manage to escape to France, only to end up in a concentration camp. Their only hope for a better life is to get on the Winnipeg, a cargo ship chartered by Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet Pablo Neruda and artist Delia del Carril to offer survivors a new life in Valparaíso, Chile.
“This extraordinary animated feature brings to light a true story that remained largely forgotten for decades. It is a story that intertwines the life of the great poet Pablo Neruda with those of countless men and women who were forced to flee war and dictatorship, leaving their homeland behind forever and carrying with them only the hope of building a new life in an unfamiliar world,” says Marco Urizzi of MMM, who is handling international sales for the film.
The film features the voices of powerhouse Chilean actors Alfredo Castro (“Tony Manero,” “From Afar”), Paulina Garcia (“Gloria,” “Little Men”) and Luis Gnecco (“Neruda,” “No”).
“We were impressed by the commitment and deep respect of these three immense talents, as well as that of every Chilean artist who participated in the production. In Spain, this story has been silenced by fear and pain, but when I was in Chile, I saw that the story of the Winnipeg is very popular, a heroic feat they’re proud of, and one that brought social and cultural enrichment, co-director Beñat Beitia Urresti told Variety.
The film is produced by Ricardo Ramon and Jone Landaluze of Dibulitoon Studio and co-produced by Marianne Mayer-Beckh (El Otro Film), Toni Marin Vila (La Ballesta), Nicolas Couvin (Malabar Producciones) and Dolores Montaño (Malabar Producciones).
Variety had the opportunity to talk further with the film’s co-director, Beñat Beitia Urresti:
The Winnipeg’s voyage was made possible by Pablo Neruda and artist Delia del Carril and the ship was received by a young Salvador Allende, who later became the president of Chile.
Beñat Beitia Urresti: One of the most fascinating aspects of this story is that it brings together very different people around a common goal: saving lives. Pablo Neruda played a key role when he was appointed Chile’s special consul for Spanish immigration. And alongside him emerged his wife at the time, Delia del Carril, who actively led the effort to fulfill this humanitarian commitment. A figure whom history has not always treated with the same generosity, and whom we have sought to vindicate in the film through the sensitivity, commitment, and conviction of this decisive figure. Nor could we omit our tribute to Salvador Allende, who supported the reception of refugees as Minister of Health and on behalf of Pedro Aguirre Cerda, President of Chile.
What inspired you to bring this historical project to the screen?
Beitia Urresti: I’m interested in human stories – stories of commitment. Obviously, there is also a personal connection to that period, and it is an exercise in remembrance. We are the grandchildren of those who fought against Franco’s rebel troops in the Spanish Civil War. And like so many other families, we are the grandchildren of those who suffered repression during the postwar period and those who had to emigrate to seek opportunities far from their homeland. We grew up hearing fragments of those stories, silences included. That emotional closeness was one of the driving forces that impelled me to bring this project to the screen in an exercise of deep respect for a complex memory that does not lend itself to simplification.
The story is very relevant today in terms of current events. Can you talk about some of the parallels between 1939 and now?
Beitia Urresti: Although the film is set in 1939, it addresses issues that continue to resonate painfully today in every news story about this reality of national priorities that they are trying to impose on us. We are spectators of humanitarian crises: the deportation centers approved by Europe, the persecution of immigrants, ICE, and what can be said about the genocide of the Palestinian people… Times, geographies, and political contexts change, but fear, uncertainty, and the quest for survival and dignity remain the same—or even lead to more nightmarish outcomes.
The film does not seek to draw simplistic parallels between different eras, but rather to remind us that behind any migration phenomenon there are fundamental problems that we must confront and address. And the Winnipeg represents one of the great examples of solidarity in the 20th century. Perhaps memory only makes sense if it helps us avoid repeating the darkness. And because, in the face of fear and barbarism, solidarity remains one of the most beautiful and dignified forms of human resistance.
