Bad Influence

(Mala junta)

Claudia Huaiquimilla / Chile / 2016 / 89 min
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  • Valdivia Int'l Film Festival

    Best National Film

  • Palm Springs Int'l Film Festival

  • CinéLatino Toulouse Int'l Film Festival

    Audience Award, Student Prize, Special Mention

  • Göteborg Film Festival

    Bergman Debut Award Nominee

  • Guadalajara Int'l Film Festival

  • Fecich – Festival de Cine Chileno

    Best Picture, Best direction, Best Actor

  • FEMCINE Santiago Women's Film Festival

  • Seattle Int'l Film Festival

  • AFI Latin American Film Festival

Spanish Film Club
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Synopsis

Spanish, Mapuche with English subtitles

With Andrew Bargsted, Francisco Pérez-Bannen, Eliseo Fernández

Rebellious Tano is sent from Santiago to Southern Chile under the custody of his father whom he has not seen in years. In his new school, he meets Cheo, a shy boy who gets bullied for his indigenous origins.

The two outsiders start a friendship and together, they learn how to brave their difficulties: while Tano becomes less angry, Cheo finds strength in claiming his identity. Their involvement in the struggle with the Mapuche community will transform them.

A reflection of the ongoing Mapuche conflict portrayed through the friendship and solidarity of two pure souls, as well as the analysis of social prejudices, unspoken family stories, and the daily violent routine of a community threatened by local big business and government methods of eviction.

Related Subjects
About the Director
Claudia Huaiquimilla is a critically acclaimed Chilean filmmaker, director, and screenwriter of Mapuche descent. She is known for her powerful storytelling and focus on Indigenous identity, social justice, and youth.

Claudia Huaiquimilla - My Brothers Dream Awake, Bad Influence

Available for Q&As, Masterclasses, and workshops upon request, in English or Spanish.
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A prominent voice in Latin American cinema, Huaiquimilla gained international recognition with her debut feature film Bad Influence (Mala junta, 2016), which received numerous awards at film festivals worldwide for its raw, honest portrayal of friendship, marginalization, and the Mapuche struggle in Chile.

Born in Temuco, Chile, and of Mapuche descent, Huaiquimilla’s work reflects a deep commitment to telling underrepresented stories with cultural sensitivity and emotional depth. Her follow-up feature, My Brothers Dream Awake (Mis hermanos duermen despiertos, 2021), further cemented her reputation as a powerful voice in Latin American cinema, exploring themes of institutional violence and resilience among incarcerated youth.

In addition to her feature films, Claudia Huaiquimilla has directed award-winning short films and worked on major Chilean television productions, including the globally acclaimed Netflix series 42 Days of Darkness. Her work has been recognized at top international festivals, including the Locarno Film Festival, the Toulouse Film Festival, and the Guadalajara Film Festival.

With a unique cinematic voice rooted in empathy and cultural identity, Huaiquimilla stands out as one of the most important Chilean directors of her generation.

Press

“An honest and simple film in its dramatic structure but powerful and solid in terms of what it tells and the ability to take advantage of the director's knowledge and expertise on the subject. In this reinforcement Huaiquimilla leaves his point of view, but without leaving aside his own Mapuche origin, on the contrary, claiming it even more.” – Rolando Gallego, Escribiendocine

“A heartfelt call to arms touching both heart and conscience.” – Palm Spring Int'l Film Festival

Notes on the Film

“Bad Influence because maybe I was considered that way at some point by my family for not being adequate to the expected patterns, and also because I suffered discrimination for being indigenous. I suffered a lot of discrimination. When you are a child, you are “the Indian” and you are bullied. And when you are older, you are a terrorist. Then you can be a danger in a job. You raise your voice loudly and that is not always very well seen, especially in a woman.

I was very interested to see when children or adolescents are labeled as problems. It is not that one is born bad, but that it has to do with the consequences of upbringing, of the environment that touched one. I believe that it is in childhood, the first five years of life, where all the things one lives, traumas or good experiences, determine many of the decisions we make later in life. Sometimes we do not understand why something affects us, and that is the explanation, at this moment.”

– Claudia Huaiquimilla, Director

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