Malqueridas, translated from Spanish as “those who don’t receive the love they deserve”, is a celebration of affection – in its most radical form – as a tool for collective survival. Sparked by the filmmaker’s own childhood experience of family incarceration, Tana Gilbert’s first feature weaves a powerful judgement-free tapestry built upon more than 4000 photos and 2000 videos captured in the context of violence and marginalisation in one of the largest women’s detention centres in Chile. Frame by frame, every image, confined to a portrait phone format, was printed and re-digitised; a laborious and poetic ritual of respect for the testimonies of the women. Malqueridas is scripted in synergy with ex-convict Karina Sánchez, whose voice channels the inmates’ loudest possible cry for help and freedom. (Ane Lopez)

Tana Gilbert is a Chilean filmmaker and educator with a master’s degree in documentary film from the University of Chile and teaching posts at several universities. Her short documentaries have been screened internationally at festivals such as Hot Docs, RIDM Montreal International Documentary Festival, Chicago International Film Festival, Seminci, and Valdivia International Film Festival, among others. Tana was selected for the IDFA Academy in 2019. Malqueridas is her first feature film.

Malqueridas (2023), No star (2022), I’m still here (2017), Rest, Zulema (2013)