Private Project

Transatlantic Malaise

A Venezuelan government official is sent to Switzerland to work on a project, strangely descending into sickness as unsettling events unfold back home.

  • Diego Andres Murillo
    Director
  • Diego Andres Murillo
    Writer
  • Diego Andres Murillo
    Producer
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Malestar Transatlántico
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short, Other
  • Genres:
    Drama, Satire, Archive
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 55 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 30, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    1,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
  • Country of Filming:
    Switzerland
  • Language:
    English, Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Locarno Film Festival
    Locarno
    Switzerland
    August 3, 2023
    World Premiere
Director Biography - Diego Andres Murillo

Filmmaker & musician. Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. Graduated from Audiovisual Arts at the Andrés Bello Catholic University and from The Roberto Mata School of Photography. His short films have screened and won awards at international festivals such as SITGES FF, Brussels Film Festival, Cinélatino de Toulouse, Uruguay Film Festival, Beijing ISFF, Curtas Cinema Río de Janeiro, Tacoma FF, Cinefest Miskolc, and more.

He’s been part of programs such as the Locarno Spring Academy, Cine Qua Non-Lab, and others. He is the co-founder of Maldito Fantasma (Damn Phantom), a production company spread between Caracas and NYC, with the intention of bringing to life a free, boundless cinema. He is currently developing his first feature.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Using solely archive footage, the film portrays an intimate reinvention of a man caught up in one of the pivotal moments in Venezuelan history: the death of President Hugo Chávez, this time occurring in 2033. Its invisible and apparently apathetic protagonist embarks on a journey of uncertainty. Swiss landscapes, TV zapping, sexual encounters, censored tapes, and haunting images of his country all collide in this undisclosed fever voyage. Is the sickness of a body the malaise of a nation? All he wants is to return, to sleep in the violent sea where he was born.