The Shadow of Yolüja Wins the Sunny Side of the Doc Prize at Chile Conecta

Sunny Side of the Doc is proud to announce that The Shadow of Yolüja, directed and produced by Hanz Rippe and Fernanda Pineda under Paramo Films (Colombia), has won the Sunny Side of the Doc special prize during the ninth edition of Chile Conecta.

This year, Sunny Side of the Doc was taking part in the Chilean event for the first time. On this occasion, Jean-Jacques Peretti, Programming and Training Coordinator for Sunny Side of the Doc, had the honor of presenting the special prize as part of The Whickers Pitch session.

The Whickers Pitchfeatured eight debut projects in development, all vying for £3,000 and additional special prizes.

As the winner of the Sunny Side of the Doc prize, The Shadow of Yolüja has been awarded two complimentary accreditations for Sunny Side of the Doc 2025 and a project submission fee waiver.

© Paramo Films

The Shadow of Yolüja tells the haunting story of Yolüja, an evil spirit who travels on the coal train, bringing illness and misfortune to the Wayúu community. Through an exhumation ritual, the Pushaina family bids a final farewell to their ancestors, displaced from their ancestral lands by the coal mining company, El Cerrejón.

 

About the event

Chile Conecta is an international meeting of the documentary industry, designed to support Latin American producers and filmmakers working on documentary projects at various stages of development, editing, or post-production. The event, now in its hybrid edition, fosters collaboration between Latin American creators and the global documentary community through workshops, panels, public exhibitions, and pitch sessions.