Patricia Chica

Patricia Chica also known as Chicatronica is a Canadian film and television director, producer, writer, speaker, acting coach and energy influencer. She was born in San Salvador, El Salvador. 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 60 awards, her productions have been presented on television in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Australia, at numerous universities, within niche communities as well as in the international film festival circuit.

The American horror movie site Dread Central referenced her in their list of the "Rising Female Filmmakers" to watch along other notable female directors like the Soska Sisters and Jennifer Kent. "Patricia Chica is known for making bold, edgy, and visually striking independent films”, mentioned the article.

Patricia Chica's groundbreaking energy influence, education and activism is transforming her cast and crew’s collaborative processes through her mission of inclusive filmmaking and conscious professional practices. She promotes an environment of expression, harmony and growth thanks to an integrated creative process involving Chi Energy. Her holistic and educational approach, combined with extensive explorative work with her actors, pushes the boundaries of performance and storytelling.

As reported in the documentaries "Let it Out!" (2013), "The Gold Inside" and "Morning After - Making-of" Patricia Chica incorporates energy work within her directing as a tool to empower her actors, collaborators and even herself. She uses energy and meditation in order to bring her actors to a higher level of consciousness and awareness that will allow them to connect, in a more profound way, with their characters.

Over the years, Patricia has developed a cinematic style characterized by its use of surreal imagery and meticulous editing techniques to portray the intrapsychic of her characters. She also uses twisted and disturbing elements within her films to shock audiences and make them think differently about certain hard-hitting realities.

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, Discovery-Travel Channel, MTV, Bravo! Canada, Life, Slice, Animal Planet, etc.. Her productions have aired on prime-time worldwide.

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. The film won the Best Documentary Award at the Director's Chair Film Festivalin 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), #5 (in 2010), #8 (in 2011)and #10 (2012) 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 Film Fest in Mexico presented her films and videos followed by a conference about her creative process. Other venues, art galleries, film festivals and theatres have also presented retrospectives of her work in Montreal (Canada), Connecticut (US), San Salvador (El Salvador), etc.

In December 2012, Patricia Chica returned to El Salvador for the first time since the civil war. She was warmly welcomed by the artistic community and media. On December 21, she was interviewed live on Viva la Mañana to talk about her career. The next day she presented some of her short films and videos at the Cine La Casa Tomada (Centro Cultural de España) in front of a full theatre.

In May 2013, Patricia Chica presented her film Ceramic Tango (written by Charles Hall) at the Short Film Corner of the Festival de Cannes in France.

In 2013, the readers of CULT #MTL Magazine voted for Patricia Chica in the TOP 3 of the Best Local Filmmakers making her the only female on the list. Her short film Ceramic Tango also made it to the TOP 4 in the Best Local Film category.

In May 2014, Patricia Chica's short film Serpent's Lullaby (written by her collaborator Charles Hall) gets a "Coup de Coeur" mention at the Short Film Corner of the Festival de Cannes in France.

On June 1, 2014, Bronx World Film presents Patricia Chica's first film retrospective in New York City.

In August 2014, Patricia Chica relocates to Los Angeles, CA.

In 2015, Patricia Chica was part of the Anthology film Women in Horror Month PSA. She is listed by Dread Central in the "Rising Female Filmmakers"to watch.

In May 2017, SODEC (Quebec's film funding agency) selects Patricia Chica as one of the 5 young producers for the SODEC_Lab Immersion Cannes, a mentorship program during the Festival de Cannes in France.

In September 2018, Patricia Chica was one of the 10 Canadian directors selected to participate in the TIFF Filmmaker Lab during the Toronto International Film Festival.

2020Montréal Girls (director, co-writer, producer - feature film)

2017Morning After (director, producer, editor - short film)

2016Crimson Dance (director, writer, producer, editor - short film)

2016Missing Offering (co-writer, editor - short animated film)

2016The Gold Inside (producer, herself - documentary)

2016Women In Horror Recognition Month (director, writer, producer, editor - short segment of this anthology PSA produced by the Twisted Twins Productions, Jen and Sylvia Soska)

2015A Tricky Treat (director, producer, editor - short film written by Kamal John Iskander)

2015Women In Horror Recognition Month (director, producer, editor - short segment of this anthology PSA produced by the Twisted Twins Productions, Jen and Sylvia Soska)

2014Serpent's Lullaby (director, producer, editor - short film written by Charles Hall)

2014Women In Horror Recognition Month (director, cinematographer, editor - two short segments of this anthology PSA produced by the Twisted Twins, Jen and Sylvia Soska)

2013Ceramic Tango (director, producer, editor - short film written by Charles Hall)

2013Let it Out! (producer, contributor - short documentary directed and edited by Laura Antohi)

2012Tangled Forest (director, camera operator, editor - music video for Kelly Padrick)

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

2010Day Before Yesterday (director - short film)

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

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

20055 Takes (series producer season 1, director - television series)

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

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

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

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

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