Alisson Larrea

Alisson Larrea is a Canadian, born in Ecuador, who holds a MBA and an undergraduate degree of Applied Arts in Radio and Television Production.

Alisson has worked in film and television for over 10 years, producing and directing educational, promotional and corporate videos as well as short documentaries and films shot in Canada and Latin America. She was nominated as "Best Communicator" at the 2002 Latin American Achievement Awards in Toronto.

Alisson's strong commitment to promote her culture in Canada and help Hispanics better integrate to this society made her produce and direct her first feature length documentary "Memories of a Dreamer" – a film that showcases the journey of a political prisoner from Chile, his struggle as an exile and determination to overcome those obstacles to make his dreams come true.

Parallel to television, Alisson had developed a successful marketing career working in major Canadian organizations.

Director's Statement

"A topic touched upon by several documentaries has been the human rights violations committed against thousands of innocent Chileans during the totalitarian Pinochet regime. However, not much is known about those Chileans who were tortured and forced into exile because they did not agree with the new government policies.

"Life gave me the opportunity to meet one of those people - Félix Mora - a great friend and colleague. I felt that telling his story would showcase how strong human willingness can be when faced with horrendous life challenges.

"Félix's history, as he has indicated, reflects the lives of thousands of exiled Chileans who despite the tortures and humiliations they suffered, never gave up in their struggle to have a more just Chile. They are individuals who from the distance continued to fight for the freedom of their country and suffered in a different way the negative consequences of the dictatorship. And at the same time, they developed a great life in their adopted countries without forgetting their roots.

"This documentary is neither against nor in favour of a political or economic system. It is a showcase of how courage and determination can overcome terror and injustice.

"Special thanks to Félix for trusting me with his life story and make of it a documentary that hopefully will inspire the audience and showcase the work of thousands of Chileans exiles."

-Alisson Larrea