A Hidden Passage: The Perilous Journey Behind “Sunset Over America”
At a moment when global migration dominates headlines—from the Darién Gap to the Mediterranean, from the U.S.–Mexico border to the Horn of Africa—a new short documentary from Chile quietly reframes the conversation. Sunset Over America (Atardecer en América), directed by Matías Rojas Valencia and produced by Françoise Nieto-Fong, arrives as both a timely intervention and a haunting revelation.
The film, which received an Honorable Mention at the 2025 Berlinale, turns its lens on one of Latin America’s most treacherous and least visible migrant routes: the Andean Plateau, a high-altitude corridor stretching 4,000 meters above sea level.
The 17-minute Chile–Brazil–Colombia co-production centers on Bárbara, a 15-year-old Venezuelan girl who crossed half the South American continent in search of a new life in Chile. Through her recollections, the film exposes a reality shared by thousands—yet rarely seen in global media.
Against the backdrop of snowcapped mountains, wild alpacas, and vast desert plains, Sunset Over America transforms its narrative into a visceral experience. Bárbara’s memories, paired with a haunting soundscape, reveal both the beauty and brutality of this overlooked journey, where cold, altitude, hunger, and isolation turn each step into a risk.
“The media in Chile often link migration to crime, ignoring the personal realities behind those journeys,” says director Matías Rojas Valencia. “This film gives space to one of those stories, to see what happens at night through what we see in the daylight.”
A Rising Voice in Latin American Cinema
Matías Rojas Valencia is one of the most acclaimed new voices in Chilean cinema. His debut feature, Raíz, premiered at the San Sebastián Film Festival and won Best Chilean Film at Valdivia IFF. His second feature, Un Lugar Llamado Dignidad, was a multinational co-production supported by CNC and Ibermedia. His latest film, Winter Howl, won Best Chilean Film at SANFIC 2024 after premiering at Tallinn Black Nights.
Sunset Over America continues its successful festival run with official selections at Guadalajara, Curtas Vila do Conde IFF, SANFIC, KUKI Young Short Film Berlin, Doha Film Festival, Interfilm, and more. The film will celebrate its U.S. Premiere at DOC NYC, the largest documentary festival in the United States—marking a major milestone in its international trajectory. It has also earned Best Screenplay at the Montreal International Festival and Best Regional Documentary at FECILS (La Serena Film Festival).
The film is produced by Françoise Nieto-Fong, Colombian screenwriter and founder of LAP Producciones, whose career spans works for National Geographic, Fox Latin American Channels, MTV Latin America, and Al Jazeera English. Her documentary Los Archivos Privados de Pablo Escobar was released theatrically in Colombia and the United States, while her productions Corazón de Hielo and Viviendo Positivamente aired across Latin America and Europe. Nieto-Fong’s dedication to human-centered, politically resonant storytelling brings depth and nuance to Sunset Over America, situating it within a broader global conversation on migration and displacement.
Françoise Nieto-Fong and Centauro Comunicaciones (Brazil/Colombia), alongside Tomas Gerlach Mora from A Simple Vista Producciones (Chile), highlight a growing movement of Latin American co-productions addressing urgent global issues—including the often-ignored human stories behind migration.
About the Film
Title: Sunset Over America (Atardecer en América)
Director: Matías Rojas Valencia
Producer: Françoise Nieto-Fong
Runtime: 17 minutes
Countries: Chile / Brazil / Colombia
Language: Spanish
Genre: Documentary
Year: 2025
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