Dominga Sotomayor is the first woman to receive the Leopard for Best Direction at the Locarno Film Festival with her second feature Tarde para morir joven (2018). Born in Santiago, Chile, she has cultivated a subtle and sensorial cinematic language, characterised by intimate narratives and characters in transition becoming the most distinctive voices in contemporary cinema worldwide. The set of her work: post-dictatorship Chile, offering a lyrical portrayal of adolescence and the promise of freedom in a nation undergoing reconstruction.

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Her earlier feature films such as De jueves a domingo (2012), and her short films have earned her critical recognition for their sensitivity to landscape, time, and the transitions that shape human lives. Sotomayor’s work frequently explores how private lives are shaped by external forces: family, place, class, social expectations, absence and belonging. Her involvement in collective projects, such as The Year of the Everlasting Storm, reflects a cinematic sensibility deeply attuned to the present moment.

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Her newest film, Limpia (2025), marks a pivotal moment in her oeuvre. Adapted from the acclaimed novel by Alia Trabucco Zerán, it is Sotomayor’s first venture in collaboration with Netflix. 

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This retrospective will showcase Sotomayor's feature films and shorts in a dedicated programme that traces her artistic evolution, from early explorations of personal and familial identity, through to her recent accomplishments. The focus will include the theatrical exhibition her latest film Limpia. Sotomayor will deliver a masterclass as part of a retrospective and will receive the Golden Deer of the City of Athens: Independent Heroine.