We proudly present the nine Chileans most talked about by the international press in February:
People
- Bárbara Hernández
This month, the Chilean ice water swimmer has featured in various international publications. She set a new world record by swimming 2.5 kilometers in Antarctic waters and is currently preparing to swim the Cook Strait, New Zealand, which is nearly 27 kilometers long. (El País and EFE).
- Martín Vidaurre
The Chilean cyclist featured in February’s agenda after being crowned champion of the Vuelta de Porvenir 2023, held in Argentina. The Mountain Bike specialist won the international road cycling competition with only a few seconds’ difference ahead of the Panamanian, Franklin Archibold. (TNT Sports)
- Alenka Lovy
This year, the professor at the Universidad Mayor’s Center for Integrative Biology (CIB), was awarded a grant to create state-of-the-art microscopes in Latin America that assist in research, collaboration and education. Lovy’s project, called “Construction of Flamingo Light Sheet”, obtained recognition from The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, founded by the creator of Meta (Facebook), and was granted financial support from the CZL Imaging Program. (El Mercurio)
- Lucas Cespedes
During the fires affecting several regions in southern Chile, 13-year-old Lucas Cespedes made a name for himself by helping firefighters cross the Futa River in a yellow boat with oars. The boy’s parents took action, after fires spread, to extinguish the flames that were approaching their house, which can only be accessed by crossing the river. Thus, Luca helped transport troops across more than 30 meters of water in his boat, so that they could control the fires in this area near Valdivia. (US News)
- Patricio Guzman
The documentary Nostalgia de Luz (Nostalgia for the Light) is the first Chilean produced film listed in the 100 Best Films of All Time, compiled by the British magazine Sight and Sound. The film, created in 2010 by Chilean filmmaker Patricio Guzmán, is on par with such works as A Clockwork Orange (1971) and Annie Hall (1977) in the voting list. The ranking was published in December last year and was drawn up after consulting 1,600 specialized critics, programmers, academics and curators of different nationalities. (CHV)
- Pedro Pascal
After the premiere of the series based on the video game The Last Of Us, featuring the Chilean actor, Pedro Pascal, he moved back into the world spotlight by appearing on the Saturday Night Show. Pascal has been internationally recognized for his appearances in series such as The Mandalorian, Game Of Thrones and Narcos. The performer hosted the program, participated in some sketches and performed a monologue at the end. (Esquire, SNL and Los 40)
- Maite Alberdi
Maite Alberdi, the Chilean director and creator of films such as The Mole Agent and Tea Time, stood out thanks to her participation in the Berlinale, Berlin’s international film festival. On this occasion, the filmmaker presented her work The Eternal Memory, which focuses on the relationship between Augusto Góngora and Paulina Urrutia, with special emphasis on the period after his diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. During the film festival, the documentary won second place in the Audience Award (Infobae, Radio Bío Bío).
- Eduardo Cisternas
The 19-year-old Chilean swimmer, who attended the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games, is preparing for his participation in the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games. The athlete is at the peak of his career after beginning his first collegiate season with Penn State Swimming and Diving in the United States. He also won five medals at the South American Youth Games in Rosario and was recognized by the NCAA as the “Best Swimmer” after breaking his university’s record. (Swim Swam)
- Christiane Endler
The women’s national soccer team goalkeeper is making headlines in the world of international sport after being nominated once more for FIFA’s The Best 2022 Award. The Olympique Lyon goalkeeper had already won this award in the 2021 edition. This time she competes against her peers Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany/Chelsea) and Mary Earps (England/Manchester United). (El Mostrador)
