Intersection explores memory and the aftershocks of Chilean military rule, April 5
Vancouver Latin American Film Festival presents local premiere of work that stars Carmen Aguirre

Carmen Aguirre in Intersection.

Intersection.
Vancouver Latin American Film Festival presents Intersection on April 5, 7 pm, at VIFF Centre Vancity Theatre
CHILEAN-CANADIAN filmmaker Cecilia Araneda and actor Carmen Aguirre will be in attendance for the West Coast premiere of the film Intersection this week. It’s presented by the Vancouver Latin American Film Festival, which happens each September.
Shot with striking visual style and ominous flashbacks, it tells the story of a Chilean refugee, Daniela (Aguirre), who yearns to learn more about her past in her home country—a past her traumatized father has always been reluctant to talk about. At the same time, her father Pepe (in a complex portrait by Juan Chioran), is dazed from seizures and an apparent fall, and starts to believe he is being followed. Aesthetically, the film captures the way memories flash back and forth in time, becoming a haunting look at the secrets that are still being unearthed, literally and figuratively, surrounding Chile’s tortured past under dictatorship—and the aftermath that followed its refugees abroad. Intersection is also, on another level, a compelling mystery.
In her screenplay, Winnipeg-based Araneda draws some experience from her own family, who escaped Chile’s military dictatorship and often explores themes of private and public memory, especially as they connect to identity and exile. Her background obviously links deeply to that of Aguirre, who is also an author and playwright, Core Artist at Vancouver’s Electric Company Theatre, and cofounder of the Canadian Latinx Theatre Artist Coalition (CALTAC). In 1973 Carmen Aguirre's family emigrated to Vancouver in the wake of the military coup that began Augusto Pinochet's reign of terror. In 1979, her family left Canada for South America again to join the Chilean resistance. Aguirre wrote about in her experiences in the bestselling memoir Something Fierce: Memoirs of a Revolutionary Daughter.
Janet Smith is founding partner and editorial director of Stir. She is an award-winning arts journalist who has spent more than two decades immersed in Vancouver’s dance, screen, design, theatre, music, opera, and gallery scenes. She sits on the Vancouver Film Critics’ Circle.
Related Articles
Attending VIFF, NFB chair Suzanne Guèvremont has a new strategic plan that strives to reach out to the next generation
Tree canopy ecologist Nalini Nadkarni leads audiences up into the clouds to see the fascinating world of Costa Rican branches with From Roots to Canopy
Quick takes on Dracula, Idiotka, Akashi, and Ma—Cry of Silence, plus documentaries about one family’s scattered heritage and the true cost of global capitalism
The Painted Life of E.J. Hughes reveals quiet life of a master who avoided spotlight; The Art of Adventure tracks a young Robert Bateman’s journey with Bristol Foster across the world in a Land Rover
Centenary screening features live music by seven-piece orchestra and 80-person choir, with Michael Dirk on Wurlitzer organ
Film veteran steps into the role as Shirley Vercruysse begins her retirement after an 11-year term
Kent Donguines’s new documentary journeys to Buscalan, where ancient Kalinga hand-tapped tattooing is thriving again
High-school hell meets a literal demon in the North Vancouver writer-director’s partly autobiographical feature
The artist also known as Neil Fraser will revisit his work with Massive Attack in a VIFF Live show at the Chan Centre
Visions Ouest screens a lighthearted Cannes entry that looks at family, connection, and fine art, bouncing between 1895 and 2025
Five boundary-pushing events mix audio and visual components at the festival, which takes place from October 2 to 12
Through intensely personal perspectives and sharp detail, audacious new features and short films throw light on culture-spanning issues
French videographer and activist Vincent Verzat reconnects with biodiversity in Visions Ouest presentation
Documentary at the Vancouver Queer Film Festival highlights peer-led groups working to overcome a long history of stigma and isolation by creating connection to the broader queer community
With sharp visions of life in Mexico, Venezuela, and early-’70s Quebec, the event continues to reveal a deeply interconnected world where history is ever-present
Strong performances in the story of a French bookstore owner who forms bonds with a father and child make Visions Ouest’s final summer installment a must-see
Through its mix of Indigenous artists, musicians, and technicians, the Vancouver Latin American Film Festival feature puts the common good at the centre
Ido Fluk’s ode to Keith Jarrett concert Köln 75 closes the fest, while VIFF Live brings in Mad Professor, claire rousay, and more
The Polygon Gallery’s annual outdoor film series takes place on Cates Deck
Visions Ouest screens earthy charmer set in Jura agricultural region
In documenting years of official disapproval and meddling, independent Cuban filmmakers Miguel Coyula and Lynn Cruz set out to trouble viewers of all political stripes
Award-winning feature film tells the story of two Indigenous women who meet during a chance encounter
People-pleasing goes haywire as Visions Ouest presents the sequel to the hit Quebec comedy Menteur
Opening with The Best Mother in the World, the fest features diverse titles as part of Vanguardias, Migraciones, and Mexico Today
Local documentary A Place Where I Belong makes world premiere, while Starwalker musical movie makes its Vancouver debut
As part of VIFF Live series, a performance by all-star jazz ensemble Triology sets up screening of two films powered by music of a Canadian legend
Visions Ouest presents the Cannes opener about a star chef who reconnects with her earthy, truck-stop roots
Street cameras capture the hope and art of young protesters in Khartoum in a revolution the world forgot
NFB’s “Corpus and the Wandering” and “Inkwo for When the Starving Return” take a spotlight at international conference hosted in Vancouver
Radu Jude’s Dracula, Mary Bronstein’s If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, and Hong Sang-soo’s What Does That Nature Say to You are among offerings unveiled as Artist & Industry Passes set to go on sale