| Marcela Said | |
| Birth Date: | 26 March 1972 |
| Birth Place: | Santiago, Chile |
| Occupation: | Film director, screenwriter. |
| Years Active: | 1999–present |
| Spouse: | Jean de Certeau |
| Children: | 1 |
Marcela Paz Said Cares (born 26 March 1972) is a Franco-Chilean director and screenwriter.
Marcela Said obtained a degree in aesthetics from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.[1] In 1997, Said moved to France, studying film and media at the Paris-Sorbonne University.
In 1999, Said's first documentary, Valparaíso, premiered, produced by Les Films d’Ici. Two years later she directed the documentary I Love Pinochet, which focused on supporters of the late dictator Augusto Pinochet. The film won awards at the Valparaíso Film Festival and the Santiago International Documentary Festival (FIDOCS), and received an Altazor Award.[2]
In 2006, Said directed a third documentary, Opus Dei, una cruzada silenciosa (Opus Dei, A Silent Crusade) alongside Jean de Certeau. The film looked at the influence of Opus Dei in Chile.[3] Her next film, The Young Butler (El Mocito in Spanish), focuses on the story of Jorgelino Vergara, a man who worked in a torture centre during the Chilean military regime.[4] This documentary was also directed together with Jean de Certeau and it premiered at Forum, Berlinale 2011. The Young Butler also received an Altazor Award in the category of best documentary.,[5]
In 2013, Said's film The Summer of Flying Fish premiered in the Directors' Fortnight at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.[6] [7] The fictional film tells the story of young Manena, on vacation in the south of Chile, and explores the Mapuche conflict and Mapuche culture in Chile.