Patricia Chica

Patricia Chica (born in San Salvador, El Salvador) also known as Chicatronica is a Canadian film and television director. She is one of the most internationally renowned filmmakers of Salvadorian descent. In 2007 and 2010, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador gave her a diploma of recognition for her outstanding contribution to the country's cinematic heritage. Winner of over 30 awards, her productions have been presented on television in North America, Europe and Australia, at numerous universities, within niche communities as well as in the international film festival circuit.

Life & Career

In January 1981, during the civil war in El Salvador, Patricia Chica and her family fled death squads for the safety of Canada. She became a naturalized Canadian Citizen in 1985. She grew up in Montreal, Quebec. Her mother Alicia Gizzi was of Italian descent.

Patricia Chica graduated with distinction from the Film Production department of Concordia University. Her first professional short film La Promesse (The Promise) was presented in over 50 films festivals internationally. The film won 10 awards among which the Grand Prize for Best Film in a Foreign Language at the Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF), the Best Short Drama Award at the Magnolia Independent Film Festival in Mississippi, as well as the Best Directing Award at the Saint-Affrique Short Film Festival in France. This film received financial assistance from the National Film Board of Canada via their FAP and ACIC programs and was signed by Cinéma Libre for worldwide distribution.

In 2000, Patricia Chica directed a 5-hour documentary series on the history of jazz music entitled Jazz: Music of the Century that was nominated for the Best Musical Program Award at the Rose d'Or in Switzerland. The series was a success on CFCF12 Canadian television network. The series featured archival footage as well as original footage and exclusive musical performances from the biggest names in jazz of the past Century: Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Wynton Marsalis, Diana Krall, Tony Bennett, Al Jarreau, and Joshua Redman just to name a few.

From 2001 to 2008, Patricia worked as a writer, director and producer on a dozen documentary series shot around the world for networks such as National Geographic, CBC, Showcase, OLN, CTV, W Network, Oxygen^[1], Discovery-Travel Channel ^[2], MTV ^[3], Bravo! Canada, Life, Slice, Animal Planet, etc.. Her productions have aired on prime-time worldwide.

In 2006, New York singer-songwriter Kelly Padrick discovered Patricia Chica's work on MySpace and contacted her to direct the video of her debut single "Start Clean". Their video collaboration has since then grown and they eventually collaborated on all the singer's videos. They have built a style that combines provocative imagery, sensuality, BDSM and sexual subject-matter.

In 2008, Patricia completed another author-driven documentary entitled Rockabilly 514, co-directed with British filmmaker Mike Wafer. For over four years, they documented the lives and tribulations of a group of young people who live a lifestyle inspired by 1950's rock n' roll music.^[4] The film won the Best Documentary Award at the Director's Chair Film Festival ^[5] in New York and has been screened at numerous festivals around the world. The documentary has aired many times on Bravo!, Canal D and in Sweden on SVT1. Some Universities have screened this film during their ethno-sociology classes.

In 2010, Patricia directed her next short Day Before Yesterday which has been a festival success, winning 10 awards including the Platinum Remi Award for Best Directing at the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, the Best Short Drama Award at the Magnolia Independent Film Festival, the Best Foreign Short at the Sacramento Film Festival. Over 50 film festivals have selected the film to this date.

Patricia Chica was ranked by popular vote #10 (in 2009)^[6], #5 (in 2010)^[7] and #8 (in 2011) ^[8] in the Top 10 list of the best local filmmakers in the Montreal Mirror Reader's Poll, making her the first female director to ever be part of the list.

In June 2010, Festivalissimo presented a tribute to her career and retrospective of her films and videos at the EXcentris Cinema in Montreal.

In November 2011, the Oaxaca International Independent Film and Video Festival in Mexico presented her films and videos followed by a conference about her creative process.

Filmography (selected work)

2011 Hello My Love (director, cinematographer, editor - music video for Kelly Padrick)

2010 Day Before Yesterday (director - short film)

2008 Rockabilly 514 (co-director, cinematographer - feature length documentary)

2006 Tiara Girls (producer of 1 episode - MTV reality series)

2005 5 Takes (series producer season 1, director - television series)

2004 Live To Dance! (series director - television series)

2001 Variations on a New Generation (writer, director, editor - performance documentary)

2000 Jazz: Music of the Century (director - documentary series)

2000 La Promesse (writer, producer, director - short film)

1997 Renaissance d'Aphrodite (writer, producer, director - art video)

Awards (selected list)

ROCKABILLY 514 – Feature Documentary
Best Documentary, Best Soundtrack - Also nominated for Best Editing & Best Sound.
(Director's Chair Film Festival, Staten Island, NY)

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY – Short Drama

Winner of a Platinum REMI Award (1st Place, Best Directing) (WolrdFest – Houston International Film Festival, Houston, TX)

Winner of Best Short Drama (Magnolia Film Festival, Mississippi, USA)

Winner of Outstanding Achievement Award – Short Filmmaking (Williamsburg International Film Festival, NY, USA)

Winner of Outstanding Foreign Short Film Award (Sacramento International Film Festival, CA, USA)

Winner of First Prize for Best Editing + Opening Short (Rhode Island International Film Festival, Providence, RI, USA)

Winner of a Honorary Diploma of Excellence at Festivalissimo/El Salvador Government (Montreal, QC, Canada)

Winner of Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Sound – Also nominated for Best Short Film, Best Screenplay, Best Editing. (Director's Chair Film Festival, Staten Island, NY)

Winner of the Festival's Choice Award (Dark River Film Festival, Luisville, KT)

Winner of the 3rd Place (International Short Film Festival of India - Chennai, India)

Finalist Best International Short (Drama) (Film Skillet International Short Film Competition)

Nominated as Best Quebec short film (Prix Prends Ça Court! 2010)

LA PROMESSE (THE PROMISE) – Short Musical Drama

Grand Prize for Best Directing (Saint-Affrique Short Film Festival, Saint-Affrique, France)

Best Independent Film (Canadian Int’l Annual Film & Video Festival, Campbell-River, Canada)

Best Independent Scenario (Canadian Int’l Annual Film & Video Fest., Campbell-River, Canada)

Public’s Choice Award (Festival Int’l du film d’Objectif Image de Palavas-Les-Flots, France)

Best Short Drama – Closing Short Film (Magnolia Independent Film Fest., Mississippi, USA)

Grand Prize for Best Film in a Foreign Language (Rhode Island Int’l Film Fest., RI, USA)

Best Foreign Film (Film Expo 2001, Orange County, CA, USA)

OFQJ Award for Best Representation in an Event OFQJ (OFQJ, Quebec, Canada)

Special Mention from the Jury (Fest. Int’l Cinema Delle Donne di Torino, Italy)

Special Jury Mention (Ulisses Int’l Children Film Festival, Portugal)

Nominated Best Drama & Best Performance by a Female (Yorkton Short Film & Video Fest., SK, Canada)

Nominated Best Actress & Best Cinematography (Festival de Films avec Twist, Montreal, QC, Canada)

References

Links

Official Website www.patriciachica.com

Patricia Chica on the Internet Movie Data Base

Patricia Chica on MySpace