Biography
Niles Atallah was born in 1978 in California, USA, and studied Fine Arts and Photography at the University of Santa Cruz. He then moved to Santiago, Chile, where he has been living and working since. In 2007, he was one of the founders of the production company Diluvo, which focuses on audiovisual art and film. Atallah realized music videos, installations as well as photo and video works. His first short film, the experimental animated film "Lucía" (2007, co-director: Joaquín Cociña and Cristóbal León), was screened at festivals around the world and received many awards; just as successful was the sequel "Luis" (2008).
Niles Atallah's feature film debut was the character study "Lucía" (2010): The film portrays the everyday life of a young factory worker in Santiago and also reflects on life in Chile after the Pinochet dictatorship. "Lucia" ran at numerous international festivals. At the Festival Rencontres Cinémas d'Amérique de Toulouse, it was awarded the FIPRESCI Prize, the Prix Découverte de la Critique Française and the Jury's Special Prize. Atallah won Best Director at the International Film Festival in Valdivia, Chile.
In 2011, Niles Atallah began working on his second feature film "Rey", an international co-production with German participation. The world premiere took place some six years later, in January 2017, at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. The experimental feature film tells the story of the Frenchman Orélie-Antoine de Tounens, who in 1860 founded a "kingdom" on the territory of today's state of Chile. After other festival appearances (including in Melbourne and Turin), "Rey" was released in German cinemas in January 2019.