SILENCIO AZUL

Matías Rojas Ruz
SILENCIO AZUL / BLUE SILENCE
Cile 2025, 15’30”

Off the coast of Manquemapu, Chile, buried beneath the indifferent waves lies the wreck of the Janequeo. The ship capsized in 1965, killing 51 people. Blue Silence does not attempt to reconstruct that story. By way of analogue footage in which the colours have faded or become saturated, the film delves into memories worn down by time and eroded by the salty sea. "My childhood was a time of daydreaming and imagination, where the need to explore the sea, the colour blue, the ambiguity of silence, and the thunderous roar of the Pacific Ocean began to emerge. In places such as Manquemapu, so isolated and difficult to reach, the scarcity of audiovisual material forced me to reflect on how to capture the essence of these stories. Official records of the tragedy are ambiguous and varied, so gathering the testimonies from local inhabitants became essential. In recent years, 16mm and 8mm film have become part of my personal and artistic toolkit, a way to give voice and permanence to the stories I encounter.” (Matías Rojas Ruz)