Burial: Subterranean Light

Several reels of film are buried in a forest in sourthern Chile. Ten years later the films are unearthed from the soil and projected. Ghosts have appeared on the surface of the decaying celulloid, they are the protagonists of Niles Atallah's earlier feature films "Lucia" and "Rey". The fictional characters have returned to haunt the images, peering through the layers of earth, as if interested in us, the spectators who watch them. Who is looking at who? Why have these characters returned? What do they want? The film is a secret code written by the earth itself.

Directed by Niles Atallah, Burial: Subterranean Light leans on a strong ensemble — Rodrigo Lisboa, Gabriela Aguilera — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 2022.