Oscar-Nominated ‘Bestia’ Director Hugo Covarrubias’ Debut Feature ‘Baptism’ Boarded by Vivement Lundi! (EXCLUSIVE)

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I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve teamed up with Pista B, a renowned Chilean production company, as a co-producer for “Baptism,” the debut full-length film by director Hugo Covarrubias. This exciting project follows his Oscar-nominated short film, “Bestia.

The ongoing project, employing the technique of stop-motion animation, is a nostalgic exploration of fictionalized family memories set in 1980s Santiago. At present, we’re working on acquiring the last bits of co-production and development financing, with plans to start production in 2027.

This project is being created as a collaboration between France and Chile, with negotiations ongoing for potential international partners in Europe and North America. We’ve already obtained backing from various local funds due to the success of our pitch at Ventana Sur’s Animation! and Annecy’s Mifa events.

The movie ‘Baptism’ uses home videos from the Covarrubias family archives to narrate the story of his youth during Chile’s dictatorship and the passing of a beloved relative due to AIDS. The film combines realistic, everyday scenes with surreal, dream-like sequences in an attempt to evoke a tangible, vintage Santiago using stop-motion animation techniques.

I’m thrilled to hop aboard this creative venture alongside Hugo and Lucas,” I, Jean-François Le Corre from Vivement Lundi!, exclaim. Stop-motion animation is not just a technique for us; it’s deeply rooted in our identity. As a producer, I relish the chance to blend animation with historical and political narratives. After collaborating on projects like ‘Flee’ by Jonas Poher Rasmussen and ‘No Dogs or Italians Allowed’ by Alain Ughetto, I was yearning for another ambitious and exhilarating project. To me, ‘Bestia’ stands out as one of the most remarkable short films of recent times, and I feel incredibly proud to be part of Hugo’s first feature. Mathieu Courtois and I are truly honored to be a part of this journey.

Created by Lucas Engel at Santiago studio Pista B, “Baptism” serves as the cornerstone for a collection of experimental animations catering to mature audiences. In addition to “Baptism”, Pista B is planning to debut three additional short films on the festival circuit this year, with an anticipated six more in 2026.

Engel shared that he struggles with conventional animation styles. Instead, he prefers the mistakes and raw, punkish vibe of this type of work. The future projects will blend genres extensively, merging horror, satire, and surrealism. These creations are often made using uncommon materials like thermoplastics or found objects, and some are even animated through DIY methods such as heat-gun distortion or layering analog video.

Based in Chile, Pista B operates more like an informal collective, where visual artists and animators seamlessly work together on various projects.

As a cinephile, I find myself captivated by this unique collaboration among directors, animators, and artists. Essentially, we’ve formed a collective where each of us swaps roles across different projects and lends a helping hand to one another. It’s truly breathtaking to witness the beauty that arises from such teamwork. Many within our group are either alumni or previous collaborators of filmmakers like Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña, who brought us “The Wolf House”. Often, we work side by side in a communal workshop space nestled in Santiago.

This vibrant group of storytellers pursues a style infused with punk’s edgy disregard, disrupting conventional methods in animation production. As Engel put it, “Although it might seem specialized, I believe that this niche is rapidly growing more mainstream. There’s an increasing demand for something fresh and unique.

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2025-06-04 16:17