A film that mixes football, comedy and romance is “Historia de un crack”, by the filmmaker Mario Selim, which is set to premiere in commercial theaters.
The production speaks of important values such as “persistence, work, the fight against adversity, not allowing yourself to be defeated even if everything is against you,” according to the director, whose film will have an exhibition this Friday.
Filmed in more than fifty different locations between La Serena and Coquimbo, it tells the story of Matías, a young man who has everything to be a professional soccer player, except soccer shoes, and it is not a minor detail when he and his mother survive with what that she earns as a seamstress.
That’s when Rubén, a former soccer player, appears, offers to train him and help him get a job, and after his past in prison, all he wants is to get away from drugs and show Matías the right way before it’s too late. However, during the course of the film, the story takes turns and it is shown that the road is never flat and it is not without problems.
Serene process
110 people participated in the production, including actors and extras, of which 109 are from the Coquimbo region, who are joined by the Chillanejo actor Rubén Candia (“Killing a man”, 2014).
“Our production fully bet on local talent, we had faith that we could find high-level actors and actresses in the region and that was what finally happened,” says Selim.
“The most striking thing was that we also worked with a large number of people who were not actors, many of them young people who, based on attending acting workshops and the like, were able to deliver really remarkable performances, among them Felipe Bugueño, a young footballer who in the course of a few months he became a potential actor ”, he says.
Adverse context
The production, which lasted one year and 10 months, was not easy, mainly due to two contexts: social outbreak and pandemic.
“All productions face problems and unforeseen events, but fate was a bit cruel on us,” jokes Selim. “On the first day of filming, some protesters were a few blocks from us burning the former train station, so we had to take all the technical equipment and immediately look for another place to shoot, because we ran the risk of losing more than the day filming, “he adds.
Thus, they had various problems such as not being able to use some locations, for example. When filming ended, the director says, the pandemic began, and made the entire post-production process more complex.
“We could not meet, the film progressed very slowly in all its processes, everything that happened hurt us a lot and to finish it was very exhausting,” he says.
Not giving up in the face of adversity is not only seen in the movie, but it was something they had to live with in the production.
Cinema in regions
The director of “Historia de un crack” points out that “historically the regions have lagged behind in terms of film production, due to different factors, especially economic ones, the major decisions that are made at the central level and sometimes in key positions they do not understand how a job like this can help to lift a community economically ”.
Regarding these problems, Mario Selim indicates that “it is time to evaluate and modify the paradigm and the productive matrix of our territory, since this region is not only mining, agriculture or fishing, but also has enormous creative potential and I think that is the case. demonstrates this production ”.
“Everyone should see the film because it is very entertaining and exciting, but it also allows us to reflect and find an optimistic and necessary message, especially for our youth.”
The film has “a lot of action and football, and you have to be very alert because it moves very fast, mixing moments of suspense, action and also giving room for comic moments,” he points out.
DATASHEET
TITLE: HISTORY OF A CRACK
GENRE: Action-Drama
CHAPTER DURATION: 1’43min
SCRIPT AND DIRECTION: Mario Selim Alcayaga
PRODUCTION: Pamela Harder Santos (Soundtrackfilms – Chile)
CAST: Daniel Candia, Felipe Bugueño, Valentina Carreño, Héctor Córdova
Synopsis: Matías, a young man who has everything to be a professional soccer player, except soccer shoes, and it is not a minor detail, when he and his mother survive on what she earns as a seamstress. Rubén, a former soccer player, offers to train him and help him get a job. Rubén was in jail and all he wants is to get away from drugs and show Matías the right way, before it is too late for him.
Published by: Today in 24