Marcela Said obtained a degree in aesthetics from the
Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. 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. 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. 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. 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., In 2013, Said's film
The Summer of Flying Fish premiered in the
Directors' Fortnight at the
2013 Cannes Film Festival. 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. ==Selected filmography==