In this fifth episode, family bonds are discussed from a political and cinematic perspective.Ana Katz is an Argentine actress, screenwriter, director, and producer. In films such as Musical Chairs (2002), Florianópolis Dream (2018), My Friend from the Park (2015), and The Dog Who Wouldn't Be Quiet (2021), she resorts to unstable and deeply uncomfortable characters to examine, with unpredictable humor, the concept of family. Pablo Stoll is a screenwriter, director, producer, and editor from Uruguay. With Juan Pablo Rebella, he directed two works that have become major landmarks of the latest Latin American cinema boom: 25 Watts (2001) and Whisky (2004), films with minimalist narratives through which he has explored other faces of friendship, family and romantic love.After collaborating together on Whisky, Ana and Pablo have formed a long-standing friendship and in this episode they discuss their respective filmographies to confirm a common element: that private life can also be political. Listen to the fifth...
- 4/27/2022
- MUBI
After a multi-year hiatus, Pablo Stoll, who broke out with directing partner Juan Pablo Rebella on such hits as “25 Watts” and “Whisky,” is back in the director’s seat, albeit on his own, with “Summer Hit” (“El Tema del Verano”), a zombie pic now shooting on the beaches of Uruguay.
Presented at last year’s Cannes Producers Network, film is co-produced by Temperamento Films (Uruguay), Ice End Content (Chile) and La Unión de los Ríos (Argentina) in association with Nadador Cine (Uruguay).
Ice End Content is the new production shingle formed by Chile’s Florencia Larrea, producer of “My Tender Matador,” and Rodrigo Susarte, director of “The Monster Within,” who are pitching their dark comedy series, “Frankie,” at Sanfic Industria.
Stoll’s fifth feature film starts out as a post-pandemic summer romantic comedy but transforms into a scam film and finally one about the living dead. “Is it possible to...
Presented at last year’s Cannes Producers Network, film is co-produced by Temperamento Films (Uruguay), Ice End Content (Chile) and La Unión de los Ríos (Argentina) in association with Nadador Cine (Uruguay).
Ice End Content is the new production shingle formed by Chile’s Florencia Larrea, producer of “My Tender Matador,” and Rodrigo Susarte, director of “The Monster Within,” who are pitching their dark comedy series, “Frankie,” at Sanfic Industria.
Stoll’s fifth feature film starts out as a post-pandemic summer romantic comedy but transforms into a scam film and finally one about the living dead. “Is it possible to...
- 10/27/2021
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Other winners included P.S. Vinothraj’s ‘Pebbles’ and Martín de los Santos’s ’That Was Life’.
Russian director Philipp Yuryev was the big winner at this year’s Transilvania International Film Festival in Romania’s Cluj-Napoca, clinching the €10,000 Transilvania Trophy for his debut feature The Whaler Boy.
Distributed internationally by Laurent Danielou’s Paris-based Loco Films, the Russian-Polish-Belgian co-production also won the Director’s Award on its premiere at last year’s Venice Days.
It is the second Russian film in TIFF’s 20-year history to be presented with the top award: Ilya Krzhanovsky’s 4 shared the trophy with Juan Pablo Rebella...
Russian director Philipp Yuryev was the big winner at this year’s Transilvania International Film Festival in Romania’s Cluj-Napoca, clinching the €10,000 Transilvania Trophy for his debut feature The Whaler Boy.
Distributed internationally by Laurent Danielou’s Paris-based Loco Films, the Russian-Polish-Belgian co-production also won the Director’s Award on its premiere at last year’s Venice Days.
It is the second Russian film in TIFF’s 20-year history to be presented with the top award: Ilya Krzhanovsky’s 4 shared the trophy with Juan Pablo Rebella...
- 8/2/2021
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Director of 2017 Cannes Critics’ Week short film winner “The Disinherited,” Laura Ferrés will direct her awaited feature debut “The Permanent Picture,” which is a co-production between Barcelona-based Fasten Films and Le Bureau, based out of Paris and London.
International sales will be handled by The Bureau Sales, the sales arm of the French-British label.
A sort of “depressing comedy” – according to Ferrés – “The Permanent Picture” follows middle-aged Carmen, a casting director whose world collapses when her boss retires and the production company she works for takes a dramatic turn. Carmen will be forced to participate in a campaign for a corrupted party.
Selected by Variety as a Spanish talent to track, Ferrés studied at Barcelona’s prestigious Escac film school. She developed her feature debut script at the Next Step Program, a workshop created by Cannes’ Critics’ Week, The TorinoFilmLab and the Moulin d’Ande screenwriting support program.
“The feature...
International sales will be handled by The Bureau Sales, the sales arm of the French-British label.
A sort of “depressing comedy” – according to Ferrés – “The Permanent Picture” follows middle-aged Carmen, a casting director whose world collapses when her boss retires and the production company she works for takes a dramatic turn. Carmen will be forced to participate in a campaign for a corrupted party.
Selected by Variety as a Spanish talent to track, Ferrés studied at Barcelona’s prestigious Escac film school. She developed her feature debut script at the Next Step Program, a workshop created by Cannes’ Critics’ Week, The TorinoFilmLab and the Moulin d’Ande screenwriting support program.
“The feature...
- 9/22/2020
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
Leading international sales agency-production-distribution company, FiGa Films, has snagged all worldwide rights to “This is Cristina” (“Ella es Cristina”), the directorial debut of Chilean scribe Gonzalo Maza, who has co-written four of Sebastian Lelio’s films, including his Oscar-winning “A Fantastic Woman” and Berlin Festival winner “Gloria.”
“It’s a pleasure to collaborate with Gonzalo, whose writing we’ve admired so much in the past. He’s got a great future as a director and we’re fortunate to be behind his lovely feature,” said FiGa’s Sandro Fiorin who has already sold it to China’s Beijing Hualu NewMedia.
Produced by Primate Lab, Noise Media and Maza’s Mar Humano, the black and white dramedy revolves around the titular Cristina and her best friend, played by Mariana Derderian and Paloma Salas, who are both in their 30s. After a major bust up between them, Cristina’s life spirals just...
“It’s a pleasure to collaborate with Gonzalo, whose writing we’ve admired so much in the past. He’s got a great future as a director and we’re fortunate to be behind his lovely feature,” said FiGa’s Sandro Fiorin who has already sold it to China’s Beijing Hualu NewMedia.
Produced by Primate Lab, Noise Media and Maza’s Mar Humano, the black and white dramedy revolves around the titular Cristina and her best friend, played by Mariana Derderian and Paloma Salas, who are both in their 30s. After a major bust up between them, Cristina’s life spirals just...
- 10/17/2019
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Ana Katz’s “Sueño Florianópolis” has been generating buzz this week at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, where the Argentine film world premiered in the main competition. Variety’s Guy Lodge praised Katz for keeping “the mood appealingly low-key in this semi-sweet study of a disbanding family on vacation.”
This builds on Katz’s strong record at major festivals. “Musical Chairs” won the San Sebastian Made in Spanish award while “A Stray Girlfriend” was selected for Cannes’ Un Certain Regard. “Los Marziano” was part of the official selection at San Sebastián and “My Friend from the Park” won her the screenwriting award at Sundance.
She has appeared as an actress in a number of critical and box office successes in her native Argentina, such as Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll’s Cannes hit “Whisky” and Paco León’s “Kiki, Love to Love,” nominated for four Spanish Academy Goya Awards,...
This builds on Katz’s strong record at major festivals. “Musical Chairs” won the San Sebastian Made in Spanish award while “A Stray Girlfriend” was selected for Cannes’ Un Certain Regard. “Los Marziano” was part of the official selection at San Sebastián and “My Friend from the Park” won her the screenwriting award at Sundance.
She has appeared as an actress in a number of critical and box office successes in her native Argentina, such as Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll’s Cannes hit “Whisky” and Paco León’s “Kiki, Love to Love,” nominated for four Spanish Academy Goya Awards,...
- 7/6/2018
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
As a film fan, self-professed cinenerd, and an ex-film programmer at the New York International Latino Film Festival, the closure of the long-running fest last year was soul crushing. There are very few spaces dedicated to exhibiting Latino cinema and a lot of the remaining ones are on shaky ground.
Simultaneously though — as many U.S. Latino film institutions are on their last legs — movies directed by Latin American-born filmmakers are circling the globe at prestigious film festivals, winning awards, and garnering praise from critics. Production numbers, south of our border, have risen astronomically. It’s a renewal, renaissance, new wave — whatever you want to call it — that began in the mid-nineties. The Film Society of Lincoln Center, with its eye on this rebirth, founded a film series in 1997. A yearly showcase of the newest voices in Latin American cinema, it would eventually be called Latinbeat.
This year’s Latinbeat, running July 11 – 20, carries on with its mission of presenting emerging directors and film trends from across Latin America with movies from powerhouses like Argentina, Mexico, Chile, and Brazil plus countries with smaller film industries like Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic. From films about a Mexican garage band ("We Are Mari Pepa") to heavy metal in the Andes ("Holiday") and from first-time directors as well as established ones, this year’s lineup is centered on young protagonists.
In advance of the series’ opening night, I got the chance to chat with Marcela Goglio — Latinbeat’s film programmer since 1999 — about the origins of the longstanding showcase, how she ended up at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, and the constant rebirth of Latin American cinema. Plus, there are some good stories about the struggles of getting filmmakers to their screenings on time. Spoiler alert: if something can go wrong, it will.
When did the Latinbeat series start? Was there something specific that motivated the creation of the series?
Latinbeat started in 1997, conceived by Richard Peña, the Programming Director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center at the time (and until the end of 2012.) He actually programmed that first edition. I came in as an intern that year and helped with the marketing, outreach, and with Q&As. He came up with the idea mainly because at the time there was a very evident explosion or renaissance of film in Latin America, mainly Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico (the so called “New Argentine Cinema” started in the mid 90s). By explosion I mean not only a spike in quantity but mainly there was some really interesting formal exploration going on and new kinds of films emerging as a reaction to drastically changing socio-political realities — end of dictatorships in some countries, devastating economic crises that changed the social landscape in others — in a film landscape that, up until then, had become rather stale. It was the perfect time and there was a real need, as no other venues existed that were showcasing that cinema in New York. Latinbeat was the very first to showcase these new emerging filmmakers that later became such symbols of their time.
Where did the name Latinbeat come from?
Richard Peña chose the name. I think it was a reference to precisely an urgent, watershed moment, urgent films, something palpitating in the air that the festival wanted to capture. Also, it was a reference to a new rhythm or language that was being created.
How did you end up programming the series?
Newly arrived in New York City in 1997, after having lived in Costa Rica for four years where I worked as a journalist and programmed a series of Latin American cinema at the Spanish Cultural Center, I heard that Richard Peña, whom I had studied under at Columbia University before moving to Costa Rica, was organizing a Latin American film festival. (At the time it was called “Latin American Cinema Now.”) I called him up and volunteered to help on that festival that he programmed. So I became an intern at the Film Society helping with Latin American outreach and other stuff. In 1998, he asked me and a fellow colleague, Cord Dueppe, to program the following edition in 1999 (it was biannual back then) and we programmed the subsequent editions together. Ines Aslan, from the Public Relations department, joined our team around 2003 under Richard’s guidance. In 2007, I became the sole programmer (Ines and Cord left the Film Society) and have programmed it since.
Richard Peña, former Programming Director at the Film Society of Lincoln Center
Can you describe the process of discovering and selecting the films each year? How is the process different now than when you first started?
I take submissions — and I watch everything that is sent to me — but I don’t do an open call for entries. Up until recently, I had traveled to the Havana Film Festival almost every year since 1996 and to every Bafici (Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival) since its first edition 12 years ago and I go to a few other festivals. Distribution companies send me titles and screeners but mostly the process involves keeping up to date with productions in the region through connections with film schools, institutes, filmmakers, and producers with whom I have developed a relationship with over the years. Also, of course, I follow the programming at all the other festivals.
The process now is different in that there are many more films to watch because, amongst other things, of an explosion in production in other countries in the region (and more production too in the aforementioned strongest countries: Argentina, Mexico, Brazil). The programming, necessarily, must become more complex because there is more to choose from and more variety but also more festivals that compete for the same films. There are more films to watch but because of technology it is also easier, in a sense, since viewing links get sent quickly instead of having to wait for screeners or videos via mail.
What was the biggest challenge in the first year of the series?
Getting a crossover audience, in terms of nationality.
Marcela Goglio with Yamandu Ross, co-director of '3 Million'
What years do you feel were the heyday of the series? What are some of your favorite memories of that time?
Definitely 2003 – 2004, when the festival was hugely successful — we had sold out screenings back to back — and longer, it ran for three weeks. We had a lot of Cuban cinema and my very favorite sidebar (in 2003) was these fabulous archival Cuban music documentaries (from the 50s, 60s, 70s) that we brought back from Havana and were never again shown in the city, or the U.S. The theater was packed and now, looking back, I realize we should have repeated that program. It was also the first year that I started to notice some crossover amongst audiences — Mexicans coming to see Chilean films, Argentines to see Cuban, etc — and that was thrilling.
One of my favorite memories is recognizing a Mexican bus boy from a neighborhood restaurant who came to see Carlos Sorin’s "Intimate Stories" (a small independent film from Argentina). He was standing in the back — there were no empty seats in the theater — laughing like crazy. One of the great things of those years too was that this “renaissance of Latin American cinema” that had started in the early/mid 90s was starting to come into its own and become more well known and popular abroad. Seeing such a new independent cinema gain popularity and fill the theaters — at least in NY, it definitely was not happening in Latin America, which made it even more exciting and special — was very gratifying. It felt like we were really a part of that big change that Latin America was experiencing cinematically.
Have you ever had trouble getting filmmakers to New York for their screenings?
In 2011, we opened the festival with Gustavo Taretto’s "Sidewalls" from Argentina. Taretto, who is of Italian descent and had a beard at the time, was coming for opening night and he almost didn’t make it because he was held up at the airport and being questioned. He claimed it was because of his “Middle Eastern” appearance. The irony is that Coca Cola was one of his clients; when the officers stopped him at the airport (because of his beard) and asked him his profession he made a joke about how he actually helped the American Empire — I’m paraphrasing — impose its products on the rest of the world.
Gustavo Taretto and Marcela Goglio
Something similar happened to another opening night guest, Roxana Blanco, coming to introduce the Uruguayan film "Kill Them All", a political thriller set in Uruguay. This time it was not because of her appearance, but because of the title of the film.
It also happened to the director and producer (Kenya Marquez and Karla Uribe) of Expiration Date, the opening night film in 2012. There was a storm so they were delayed arriving from the airport and couldn’t introduce the film. They finally showed up as the film was ending, direct from the airport and soaking wet, and practically changed in the lobby before marching into the theater to do the Q&A.
To Gustavo Taretto, it actually happened twice in that trip. After opening night (a Friday, I think) he had to travel to Mexico for a publicity gig. On his way back to New York, where he had to introduce his second screening, he was singled out in the immigration line (supposedly again because of his beard) and questioned right there.
Are there filmmakers who screened their first film at Latinbeat and are now big names? Do you feel like you took part in discovering them?
None of these are “big names” but are well known now in the Latin American film world, with a respected body of work; I feel like we took part in discovering many of them, but not all: Celina Murga, Argentina ("Ana y los otros," ‘04), Damian Szifron, Argentina ("En el fondo del mar," ‘03 ), Matias Bize, Chile ("Sabado" ‘04), Marite Ugas and Mariana Rondon from Venezuela ("A la medianoche y media," ‘01), Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll from Uruguay ("25 Watts," ‘01), Everardo Gonzalez, Mexico ("Cancion del pulque," ‘04), Nicolas Pereda, Mexico ( "Perpetuum Mobile"— his second feature film, ‘09), Matias Meyer, Mexico ("Wadley," ‘08 ), Martin Rejtman, Argentina ("Silvia Prieto" — his second film, ‘99), Mercedes Moncada, Mexico/Nicaragua ("La pasion de Maria Elena," ‘03), Pedro Gonzales Rubio and Carlos Armella, Mexico ( "Toro Negro," ‘05), and finally Juan Jose Campanella from Argentina, we showed his "El mismo amor, la misma lluvia" in 1999. He went on to win an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2009 for "El secreto de sus ojos."
Matias Meyer, director of 'The Cramp' with Marcela Goglio
How does film production compare now to when Latinbeat started?
Numbers of films have increased twenty fold or more, in most countries — a lot. Mexico, Argentina and Brazil continue to produce the most but the main difference is that countries like Chile, Uruguay, Colombia and Venezuela — though Venezuela always had a high production — underwent their own explosion in the last years, as you might have heard. So, they are also important players. Another big difference is precisely the variety of themes, formal approaches and, storylines — political and personal, different genres — though the “independent”, low budget, formal exploration strain continues to be strong in all the countries, which is what is so fascinating. It’s as if the cinema in the region is constantly renewing itself. Also, the fact that there is this variety of genres, levels of production, styles — and the fact that there are some solid commercial films produced and consumed regularly in some of these countries — to me is an indication that there is an industry that’s getting strong. That is really great, even if we may not love everything that is being produced.
Have you ever considered including U.S. Latino films in Latinbeat?
We did include a few over the years — the Dominican-American "Red Passport" and the films of U.S.-based Puerto Rican director Mario Diaz. But, we focused on Latin America mostly and we understood that as separate from “Latino”. Also, the New York International Latino Film Festival seemed to have that area covered those years. [The Nyilff launched in 1999.] Now that that festival is gone [Nyilff], I would want to consider more Latino films. I also don’t see the “Latino” and “Latin American” as that separate anymore.
What is your favorite part of being a film programmer?
I love almost all aspects of it: watching the films (even when they’re not always great); choosing them and finding the best ways to make them work together; and finally, meeting the filmmakers and having conversations with them and the audience, onstage, brings everything full circle.
Pablo Cerda, director of 'P.E.' with Marcela Goglio
When you want to just sit on the couch and unwind what sort of films do you watch in your spare time?
I generally don’t watch films to unwind — I prefer to read. But these days I enjoy watching Argentine public television — many filmmakers are directing great series.
Did you ever want to be a filmmaker?
I did, a screenwriter. But wasn’t 100% sure. I went to film school briefly at the Universidad del Cine, in Buenos Aires, while I studied Journalism at Universidad de Buenos Aires.
This year, there are lots of films about young people, from "Somos Mari Pepa" (Mexico) to "Holiday" (Ecuador) and "Mateo" (Colombia). The opening night film "Casa Grande" also centers on a teenager but in Brazil. Was this on purpose? Is it a reflection of a larger trend in Latin American filmmaking?
"The Militant," "Root," "The Summer of Flying Fish" and "Natural Sciences" are also about young people and are a variation of “coming of age” stories. So it is definitely a recurring theme in the program. Yes, it’s on purpose. Most of our past editions have had many young first-time directors; it has been like this from the start. We look to reflect the region’s new trends with the program, to highlight emerging talents always, even if they might have imperfect films. And some of these titles mentioned are definitely by filmmakers to watch.
Latinbeat runs July 11 – 20 at The Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater.
Simultaneously though — as many U.S. Latino film institutions are on their last legs — movies directed by Latin American-born filmmakers are circling the globe at prestigious film festivals, winning awards, and garnering praise from critics. Production numbers, south of our border, have risen astronomically. It’s a renewal, renaissance, new wave — whatever you want to call it — that began in the mid-nineties. The Film Society of Lincoln Center, with its eye on this rebirth, founded a film series in 1997. A yearly showcase of the newest voices in Latin American cinema, it would eventually be called Latinbeat.
This year’s Latinbeat, running July 11 – 20, carries on with its mission of presenting emerging directors and film trends from across Latin America with movies from powerhouses like Argentina, Mexico, Chile, and Brazil plus countries with smaller film industries like Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic. From films about a Mexican garage band ("We Are Mari Pepa") to heavy metal in the Andes ("Holiday") and from first-time directors as well as established ones, this year’s lineup is centered on young protagonists.
In advance of the series’ opening night, I got the chance to chat with Marcela Goglio — Latinbeat’s film programmer since 1999 — about the origins of the longstanding showcase, how she ended up at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, and the constant rebirth of Latin American cinema. Plus, there are some good stories about the struggles of getting filmmakers to their screenings on time. Spoiler alert: if something can go wrong, it will.
When did the Latinbeat series start? Was there something specific that motivated the creation of the series?
Latinbeat started in 1997, conceived by Richard Peña, the Programming Director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center at the time (and until the end of 2012.) He actually programmed that first edition. I came in as an intern that year and helped with the marketing, outreach, and with Q&As. He came up with the idea mainly because at the time there was a very evident explosion or renaissance of film in Latin America, mainly Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico (the so called “New Argentine Cinema” started in the mid 90s). By explosion I mean not only a spike in quantity but mainly there was some really interesting formal exploration going on and new kinds of films emerging as a reaction to drastically changing socio-political realities — end of dictatorships in some countries, devastating economic crises that changed the social landscape in others — in a film landscape that, up until then, had become rather stale. It was the perfect time and there was a real need, as no other venues existed that were showcasing that cinema in New York. Latinbeat was the very first to showcase these new emerging filmmakers that later became such symbols of their time.
Where did the name Latinbeat come from?
Richard Peña chose the name. I think it was a reference to precisely an urgent, watershed moment, urgent films, something palpitating in the air that the festival wanted to capture. Also, it was a reference to a new rhythm or language that was being created.
How did you end up programming the series?
Newly arrived in New York City in 1997, after having lived in Costa Rica for four years where I worked as a journalist and programmed a series of Latin American cinema at the Spanish Cultural Center, I heard that Richard Peña, whom I had studied under at Columbia University before moving to Costa Rica, was organizing a Latin American film festival. (At the time it was called “Latin American Cinema Now.”) I called him up and volunteered to help on that festival that he programmed. So I became an intern at the Film Society helping with Latin American outreach and other stuff. In 1998, he asked me and a fellow colleague, Cord Dueppe, to program the following edition in 1999 (it was biannual back then) and we programmed the subsequent editions together. Ines Aslan, from the Public Relations department, joined our team around 2003 under Richard’s guidance. In 2007, I became the sole programmer (Ines and Cord left the Film Society) and have programmed it since.
Richard Peña, former Programming Director at the Film Society of Lincoln Center
Can you describe the process of discovering and selecting the films each year? How is the process different now than when you first started?
I take submissions — and I watch everything that is sent to me — but I don’t do an open call for entries. Up until recently, I had traveled to the Havana Film Festival almost every year since 1996 and to every Bafici (Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival) since its first edition 12 years ago and I go to a few other festivals. Distribution companies send me titles and screeners but mostly the process involves keeping up to date with productions in the region through connections with film schools, institutes, filmmakers, and producers with whom I have developed a relationship with over the years. Also, of course, I follow the programming at all the other festivals.
The process now is different in that there are many more films to watch because, amongst other things, of an explosion in production in other countries in the region (and more production too in the aforementioned strongest countries: Argentina, Mexico, Brazil). The programming, necessarily, must become more complex because there is more to choose from and more variety but also more festivals that compete for the same films. There are more films to watch but because of technology it is also easier, in a sense, since viewing links get sent quickly instead of having to wait for screeners or videos via mail.
What was the biggest challenge in the first year of the series?
Getting a crossover audience, in terms of nationality.
Marcela Goglio with Yamandu Ross, co-director of '3 Million'
What years do you feel were the heyday of the series? What are some of your favorite memories of that time?
Definitely 2003 – 2004, when the festival was hugely successful — we had sold out screenings back to back — and longer, it ran for three weeks. We had a lot of Cuban cinema and my very favorite sidebar (in 2003) was these fabulous archival Cuban music documentaries (from the 50s, 60s, 70s) that we brought back from Havana and were never again shown in the city, or the U.S. The theater was packed and now, looking back, I realize we should have repeated that program. It was also the first year that I started to notice some crossover amongst audiences — Mexicans coming to see Chilean films, Argentines to see Cuban, etc — and that was thrilling.
One of my favorite memories is recognizing a Mexican bus boy from a neighborhood restaurant who came to see Carlos Sorin’s "Intimate Stories" (a small independent film from Argentina). He was standing in the back — there were no empty seats in the theater — laughing like crazy. One of the great things of those years too was that this “renaissance of Latin American cinema” that had started in the early/mid 90s was starting to come into its own and become more well known and popular abroad. Seeing such a new independent cinema gain popularity and fill the theaters — at least in NY, it definitely was not happening in Latin America, which made it even more exciting and special — was very gratifying. It felt like we were really a part of that big change that Latin America was experiencing cinematically.
Have you ever had trouble getting filmmakers to New York for their screenings?
In 2011, we opened the festival with Gustavo Taretto’s "Sidewalls" from Argentina. Taretto, who is of Italian descent and had a beard at the time, was coming for opening night and he almost didn’t make it because he was held up at the airport and being questioned. He claimed it was because of his “Middle Eastern” appearance. The irony is that Coca Cola was one of his clients; when the officers stopped him at the airport (because of his beard) and asked him his profession he made a joke about how he actually helped the American Empire — I’m paraphrasing — impose its products on the rest of the world.
Gustavo Taretto and Marcela Goglio
Something similar happened to another opening night guest, Roxana Blanco, coming to introduce the Uruguayan film "Kill Them All", a political thriller set in Uruguay. This time it was not because of her appearance, but because of the title of the film.
It also happened to the director and producer (Kenya Marquez and Karla Uribe) of Expiration Date, the opening night film in 2012. There was a storm so they were delayed arriving from the airport and couldn’t introduce the film. They finally showed up as the film was ending, direct from the airport and soaking wet, and practically changed in the lobby before marching into the theater to do the Q&A.
To Gustavo Taretto, it actually happened twice in that trip. After opening night (a Friday, I think) he had to travel to Mexico for a publicity gig. On his way back to New York, where he had to introduce his second screening, he was singled out in the immigration line (supposedly again because of his beard) and questioned right there.
Are there filmmakers who screened their first film at Latinbeat and are now big names? Do you feel like you took part in discovering them?
None of these are “big names” but are well known now in the Latin American film world, with a respected body of work; I feel like we took part in discovering many of them, but not all: Celina Murga, Argentina ("Ana y los otros," ‘04), Damian Szifron, Argentina ("En el fondo del mar," ‘03 ), Matias Bize, Chile ("Sabado" ‘04), Marite Ugas and Mariana Rondon from Venezuela ("A la medianoche y media," ‘01), Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll from Uruguay ("25 Watts," ‘01), Everardo Gonzalez, Mexico ("Cancion del pulque," ‘04), Nicolas Pereda, Mexico ( "Perpetuum Mobile"— his second feature film, ‘09), Matias Meyer, Mexico ("Wadley," ‘08 ), Martin Rejtman, Argentina ("Silvia Prieto" — his second film, ‘99), Mercedes Moncada, Mexico/Nicaragua ("La pasion de Maria Elena," ‘03), Pedro Gonzales Rubio and Carlos Armella, Mexico ( "Toro Negro," ‘05), and finally Juan Jose Campanella from Argentina, we showed his "El mismo amor, la misma lluvia" in 1999. He went on to win an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2009 for "El secreto de sus ojos."
Matias Meyer, director of 'The Cramp' with Marcela Goglio
How does film production compare now to when Latinbeat started?
Numbers of films have increased twenty fold or more, in most countries — a lot. Mexico, Argentina and Brazil continue to produce the most but the main difference is that countries like Chile, Uruguay, Colombia and Venezuela — though Venezuela always had a high production — underwent their own explosion in the last years, as you might have heard. So, they are also important players. Another big difference is precisely the variety of themes, formal approaches and, storylines — political and personal, different genres — though the “independent”, low budget, formal exploration strain continues to be strong in all the countries, which is what is so fascinating. It’s as if the cinema in the region is constantly renewing itself. Also, the fact that there is this variety of genres, levels of production, styles — and the fact that there are some solid commercial films produced and consumed regularly in some of these countries — to me is an indication that there is an industry that’s getting strong. That is really great, even if we may not love everything that is being produced.
Have you ever considered including U.S. Latino films in Latinbeat?
We did include a few over the years — the Dominican-American "Red Passport" and the films of U.S.-based Puerto Rican director Mario Diaz. But, we focused on Latin America mostly and we understood that as separate from “Latino”. Also, the New York International Latino Film Festival seemed to have that area covered those years. [The Nyilff launched in 1999.] Now that that festival is gone [Nyilff], I would want to consider more Latino films. I also don’t see the “Latino” and “Latin American” as that separate anymore.
What is your favorite part of being a film programmer?
I love almost all aspects of it: watching the films (even when they’re not always great); choosing them and finding the best ways to make them work together; and finally, meeting the filmmakers and having conversations with them and the audience, onstage, brings everything full circle.
Pablo Cerda, director of 'P.E.' with Marcela Goglio
When you want to just sit on the couch and unwind what sort of films do you watch in your spare time?
I generally don’t watch films to unwind — I prefer to read. But these days I enjoy watching Argentine public television — many filmmakers are directing great series.
Did you ever want to be a filmmaker?
I did, a screenwriter. But wasn’t 100% sure. I went to film school briefly at the Universidad del Cine, in Buenos Aires, while I studied Journalism at Universidad de Buenos Aires.
This year, there are lots of films about young people, from "Somos Mari Pepa" (Mexico) to "Holiday" (Ecuador) and "Mateo" (Colombia). The opening night film "Casa Grande" also centers on a teenager but in Brazil. Was this on purpose? Is it a reflection of a larger trend in Latin American filmmaking?
"The Militant," "Root," "The Summer of Flying Fish" and "Natural Sciences" are also about young people and are a variation of “coming of age” stories. So it is definitely a recurring theme in the program. Yes, it’s on purpose. Most of our past editions have had many young first-time directors; it has been like this from the start. We look to reflect the region’s new trends with the program, to highlight emerging talents always, even if they might have imperfect films. And some of these titles mentioned are definitely by filmmakers to watch.
Latinbeat runs July 11 – 20 at The Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater.
- 7/16/2014
- by Vanessa Erazo
- Sydney's Buzz
Latin Americans have an iffy relationship with Spain. We get it, colonialism leaves scars. But, like it or not, they share language, culture, and DNA. They also share a faltering economy (along with the rest of the world). In times like these, when it’s hard for anyone to put together enough money to make a movie, collaboration is key. Spanish and Latin American co-productions are at an all-time high. This in part has led to a resurgence in the amount of movies produced each year in both Spain and Latin America.
Why a co-production?
There are many benefits to collaborating: pooling of financial resources, more options for government incentives and subsidies, better chances at entering each other’s markets, and risk reduction. Particularly in smaller Latin American countries where a weak film industry provides few funding opportunities and finding crews with professional experience is difficult, a co-production with Spain is a no-brainer. But, this is not without controversy.
Spanish Conquistadors or Equal Partners?
There are critics who warn about reproducing dependency on Spain (some dare to use the word neo-colonialism) and reinforcing economic disparities between the two regions. There is also concern about the effect outside sources of funding can have on content. Many wonder how much editorial control comes with allowing Spain to bankroll a project. Despite the criticism and concern Spanish-Latin American co-productions continue to increase and can offer lots of lessons to U.S. producers looking to team up with their southern neighbors.
How does it work?
As a result of the creation of a film institute (the Icaa or Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales) and policy changes in the eighties, Spain spearheaded a multinational organization called Caaci (La Conferencia de Autoridades Audiovisuales y Cinematográficas de Iberoamerica, or Conference of Ibero-American Audiovisual and Film Institutes). Its members are Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, México, Panamá, Perú, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Caaci brokered the creation of conventions and co-production treaties amongst its member countries. On top of these multilateral agreements, Spain has several bilateral agreements with individual Latin American countries. Depending on which agreement or convention is applied the conditions are:
(Taken from ‘Industry Report: Produce - Coproduce. How to coproduce with Spain”)
For bilateral agreements; the minor producer’s participation cannot account for less than 20%, while the main producer’s cannot account for more than 80%, only allowing co-productions with real creative participation. For multilateral agreements, where the European or Ibero American Conventions are applied; the minor producer’s participation cannot account for less than 10%, while the main producer’s cannot exceed 70%. In this last case, certain financial co-productions are permitted.
Ibermedia is another source of funding that pools financial contributions from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, México, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Although the fund receives contributions from each member country, the majority of the money comes from Spain and mostly goes to production costs. Ibermedia also grants financing for a film's development, distribution, exhibition and promotion. The main requirements are:
(Taken from ‘The New International Co-Production Scenario’ and ‘Co-Production and the Cultural Politics of Constructing an Ibero-American Audiovisual Space' by Tamara Falicov.
Co-productions must be among at least three countries. Films must be in Spanish or Portuguese. The director, actors, and technical crew must be from an Ibero-American country. Beneficiaries are limited to independent production companies in countries that are members of the Ibermedia Program. Repayable loans are allocated to each co-producer on the basis of their financial contribution in the co-production. Up to 50 percent of the funding may be awarded by Ibermedia; the rest must come from additional financing sources Films receiving funding are typically very low-budget, and Ibermedia’s contributions range from $30,000 to $200,000 per project
What about us in the U.S.?
It may be hard to believe but the U.S. has no co-production treaties. None! Still, Americans can enter as a third-party in treaty co-productions giving access to the same tax incentives and expanded market access as their partners. With an eye towards fostering collaborations in the absence of treaties, Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) offers the No Borders International Co-Production Market, “the oldest and most prominent co-production market in the U.S.” Ifp also operates the International Alliance Program with partners in various regions, the Latin American Training Center (Latc) acts as the official partner for Latin America. And for Latin American immigrants and U.S-born Latinos who are eligible for dual citizenship, opportunities abound.
Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights emerging and established Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow@LatinoBuzzon twitter.
Notable Spanish-Latin American Co-productions
El espinazo del diablo (The Devil’s Backbone, dir. Guillermo del Toro, Spain-Mexico, 2001)
La ciénaga (The Swamp, dir. Lucrecia Martel, Argentina-Spain-France, 2001)
El crimen del Padre Amaro (The Crime of Father Amaro, dir. Carlos Carrera, Mexico-Spain-Argentina-France, 2002)
Whisky (dir. Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll, Uruguay-Spain, 2004)
Xxy (dir. Lucía Puenzo, Argentina-Spain, 2007)...
Why a co-production?
There are many benefits to collaborating: pooling of financial resources, more options for government incentives and subsidies, better chances at entering each other’s markets, and risk reduction. Particularly in smaller Latin American countries where a weak film industry provides few funding opportunities and finding crews with professional experience is difficult, a co-production with Spain is a no-brainer. But, this is not without controversy.
Spanish Conquistadors or Equal Partners?
There are critics who warn about reproducing dependency on Spain (some dare to use the word neo-colonialism) and reinforcing economic disparities between the two regions. There is also concern about the effect outside sources of funding can have on content. Many wonder how much editorial control comes with allowing Spain to bankroll a project. Despite the criticism and concern Spanish-Latin American co-productions continue to increase and can offer lots of lessons to U.S. producers looking to team up with their southern neighbors.
How does it work?
As a result of the creation of a film institute (the Icaa or Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales) and policy changes in the eighties, Spain spearheaded a multinational organization called Caaci (La Conferencia de Autoridades Audiovisuales y Cinematográficas de Iberoamerica, or Conference of Ibero-American Audiovisual and Film Institutes). Its members are Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, México, Panamá, Perú, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Caaci brokered the creation of conventions and co-production treaties amongst its member countries. On top of these multilateral agreements, Spain has several bilateral agreements with individual Latin American countries. Depending on which agreement or convention is applied the conditions are:
(Taken from ‘Industry Report: Produce - Coproduce. How to coproduce with Spain”)
For bilateral agreements; the minor producer’s participation cannot account for less than 20%, while the main producer’s cannot account for more than 80%, only allowing co-productions with real creative participation. For multilateral agreements, where the European or Ibero American Conventions are applied; the minor producer’s participation cannot account for less than 10%, while the main producer’s cannot exceed 70%. In this last case, certain financial co-productions are permitted.
Ibermedia is another source of funding that pools financial contributions from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, México, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Although the fund receives contributions from each member country, the majority of the money comes from Spain and mostly goes to production costs. Ibermedia also grants financing for a film's development, distribution, exhibition and promotion. The main requirements are:
(Taken from ‘The New International Co-Production Scenario’ and ‘Co-Production and the Cultural Politics of Constructing an Ibero-American Audiovisual Space' by Tamara Falicov.
Co-productions must be among at least three countries. Films must be in Spanish or Portuguese. The director, actors, and technical crew must be from an Ibero-American country. Beneficiaries are limited to independent production companies in countries that are members of the Ibermedia Program. Repayable loans are allocated to each co-producer on the basis of their financial contribution in the co-production. Up to 50 percent of the funding may be awarded by Ibermedia; the rest must come from additional financing sources Films receiving funding are typically very low-budget, and Ibermedia’s contributions range from $30,000 to $200,000 per project
What about us in the U.S.?
It may be hard to believe but the U.S. has no co-production treaties. None! Still, Americans can enter as a third-party in treaty co-productions giving access to the same tax incentives and expanded market access as their partners. With an eye towards fostering collaborations in the absence of treaties, Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) offers the No Borders International Co-Production Market, “the oldest and most prominent co-production market in the U.S.” Ifp also operates the International Alliance Program with partners in various regions, the Latin American Training Center (Latc) acts as the official partner for Latin America. And for Latin American immigrants and U.S-born Latinos who are eligible for dual citizenship, opportunities abound.
Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights emerging and established Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow@LatinoBuzzon twitter.
Notable Spanish-Latin American Co-productions
El espinazo del diablo (The Devil’s Backbone, dir. Guillermo del Toro, Spain-Mexico, 2001)
La ciénaga (The Swamp, dir. Lucrecia Martel, Argentina-Spain-France, 2001)
El crimen del Padre Amaro (The Crime of Father Amaro, dir. Carlos Carrera, Mexico-Spain-Argentina-France, 2002)
Whisky (dir. Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll, Uruguay-Spain, 2004)
Xxy (dir. Lucía Puenzo, Argentina-Spain, 2007)...
- 6/13/2013
- by Vanessa Erazo
- Sydney's Buzz
#97. Manuel Nieto Zas’ El Lugar Del Hijo (The Militant)
Gist: Workshopped at Cannes’ Cinefondation Residence in 2008′, this is about a college student involved in militant leftist activism is faced with some difficult decisions when his father suddenly dies, leaving him in charge of their troubled ranch and forcing him to take on the role of a middle class bourgeois.
Prediction: Un Certain Regard: Right on cue, we should meet with a new figure in Uruguayan cinema and logically the launching pad might be in the same lieu where his first director work on films from Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll (25 Watts and Whisky), Lisandro Alonso (Los Muertos and Liverpool) and Paz Encina (Hamaca Paraguaya) were presented. His first feature film, The Dogpound showed at the Rotterdam International Film Festival 2006, where it won the Vpro Tiger Award, and work on this sophomore film actually began in late 2011 – so this is...
Gist: Workshopped at Cannes’ Cinefondation Residence in 2008′, this is about a college student involved in militant leftist activism is faced with some difficult decisions when his father suddenly dies, leaving him in charge of their troubled ranch and forcing him to take on the role of a middle class bourgeois.
Prediction: Un Certain Regard: Right on cue, we should meet with a new figure in Uruguayan cinema and logically the launching pad might be in the same lieu where his first director work on films from Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll (25 Watts and Whisky), Lisandro Alonso (Los Muertos and Liverpool) and Paz Encina (Hamaca Paraguaya) were presented. His first feature film, The Dogpound showed at the Rotterdam International Film Festival 2006, where it won the Vpro Tiger Award, and work on this sophomore film actually began in late 2011 – so this is...
- 4/2/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Early in the morning, the Directors’ Fortnight section hosted the international premiere to Pablo Stoll Ward’s 3. Starring a broken up family of the father (Humberto De Vargas), mother (Sara Bessio) and late teens daughter (Anaclara Ferreyra Palfy), the film navigates between solitudes, and post break-up connections. Put on the map via 25 Watts (2003) and then the Un Certain Regard selected Whisky (2004), Stoll took a bit of a break to produce and put energy towards the more experimental Hiroshima, before returning to a story that was originally created by him and Juan Pablo Rebella. The majority of the Q&A was in Spanish/French, but in a nutshell, the Uruguayan filmmaker discussed a.) the type of comedies he tries to make – more in the vein of those that make you think and smile rather than burst out laughing, b.) he mentioned the their cinema has started receiving support in terms of funding about five years back,...
- 5/21/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
3 – Pablo Stoll Ward
Buzz: After attaining international acclaim with his break out pair of films (25 Watts and Whisky) alongside Juan Pablo Rebella, helmer Pablo Stoll understandably had a rebirth of sorts. He focused on producing oeuvres from the next wave of talents from his native Uruguay and worked on a tribute to Rebella with his first solo, experimental directing debut in Hiroshima (which played at Tiff in 2009). The filmmaker is back into a familiar terrain with this Latin American-European co-production number that premiered in his native country last month.
Gist: In the longstanding tradition of films featuring household occupants each on his or her pathway, Ana (Anaclara Ferreyra Palfy), an enterprising teenager, is living through a decisive moment in her life. Her mother, Graciela (Sara Bessio), seems at a turning point as well. For Rodolfo, Ana’s father and Graciela’s ex-husband, domestic life in the home of his second wife,...
Buzz: After attaining international acclaim with his break out pair of films (25 Watts and Whisky) alongside Juan Pablo Rebella, helmer Pablo Stoll understandably had a rebirth of sorts. He focused on producing oeuvres from the next wave of talents from his native Uruguay and worked on a tribute to Rebella with his first solo, experimental directing debut in Hiroshima (which played at Tiff in 2009). The filmmaker is back into a familiar terrain with this Latin American-European co-production number that premiered in his native country last month.
Gist: In the longstanding tradition of films featuring household occupants each on his or her pathway, Ana (Anaclara Ferreyra Palfy), an enterprising teenager, is living through a decisive moment in her life. Her mother, Graciela (Sara Bessio), seems at a turning point as well. For Rodolfo, Ana’s father and Graciela’s ex-husband, domestic life in the home of his second wife,...
- 5/15/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Uruguayan filmmaker Federico Veiroj was born in Montevideo in 1976. In 2000 he obtained a Degree in Social Communication at the Catholic University in Montevideo, coursing one semester at Vcu (Virginia Commonwealth University, USA). He has been directing and producing short-films since 1996. He has also worked as an actor in many Uruguayan short-films and as script supervisor in Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll's features 25 Watts and Whisky. He has followed up his first feature film Acné with the cinephilic valentine A Useful Life (La vida útil, 2010).
A Useful Life was the first film at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival I heard applauded at its press screening, confirming as Diana Sanchez had written in her program capsule that "for anyone who loves cinema in its purest form, this film will be a revelation." As Sanchez synopsized: "Federico Veiroj's thoughtful and delicate second feature contemplates the value of outmoded occupations with this evocative (and alarming!
A Useful Life was the first film at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival I heard applauded at its press screening, confirming as Diana Sanchez had written in her program capsule that "for anyone who loves cinema in its purest form, this film will be a revelation." As Sanchez synopsized: "Federico Veiroj's thoughtful and delicate second feature contemplates the value of outmoded occupations with this evocative (and alarming!
- 10/1/2010
- MUBI
A tribute to his former collaborator, the late Juan Pablo Rebella, Pablo Stoll's maiden solo flight has little chance of seeing major international theatrical distribution, but it remains a welcomed experimental film that might be mum on dialogue, but heavy on soundtrack... - Part two of two back to back offerings in Uruguayan cinema, there are some people who when decide to move away from society, they do so by not crawling into a ball, but by severing contact, communication in gradual, somewhat obscure steps. A tribute to his former collaborator, the late Juan Pablo Rebella, Pablo Stoll's maiden solo flight has little chance of seeing major international theatrical distribution, but it remains a welcomed experimental film that might be mum on dialogue, but heavy on soundtrack and ideas of isolation and disbanding from the family (the filmmaker employs his own members) – actual home movies intelligently inserted in this discourse.
- 11/30/2009
- by Ioncinema.com Staff
- IONCINEMA.com
- #10. Hiroshima Director: Pablo Stoll Cast: Juan Andrés Stoll, Mario Stoll, Guillermo Stoll, Noelia Burlé, Leonor CourtoisieDistributor: Rights Available. Buzz: It's difficult to discuss a movement when one gets that sense that we might be in still in the nascent stages of it, but such as the new wave of Romanian films, Uruguay is seeing a definite collective that Pablo Stoll started along with the late Juan Pablo Rebella by introducing 25 Watts and Whisky to the int. film community. Stoll borrows family members, keeps the dialogue to a minimum, cranks up the volume and I imagine explores some personal turf with his first solo effort dedicated to the memory of his creative partner. The Gist: Set in Montevideo, Juan sings in a rock band, but he doesn’t talk much. He also works at a bakery during the night and sleeps most of the day. This is the story of
- 9/1/2009
- IONCINEMA.com
- Just when you think its safe to start considering making a short list, Tiff announce another eleven titles to the mix including: Pablo Stoll's first solo effort in Hiroshima (see pic) since the suicide of co-filmmaker friend Juan Pablo Rebella (together the pair gave us Whisky and 25 Watts), Harmony Korine returns to eating spaghetti in the tub with Trash Humpers, we get a Thailand filmmaker collective in Wisit Sasanatieng, Aditya Assarat, Kongdej Jaturanrasmee and Pen-ek Ratanaruang in Sawasdee Bangkok and favorite Czeck contemo filmmaker Jan Hrebejk explores sex and marriage with Eastern bloc humor in Shameless. Probably the last batch of titles to be added to the Contemporary World Cinema and Visions sections, here are the smorgasbord of mostly world premiere offerings from all four corners. Contemporary World CinemaBeyond the Circle Golam Rabbany Biplob, Bangladesh World Premiere In this political fable from Bangladesh’s leading filmmaker, a simple
- 8/6/2009
- IONCINEMA.com
Oscar 2005: Best Foreign-Language Film Entries (Afghanistan to China) Oscar 2005: Best Foreign-Language Film Entries (Croatia to Malaysia) Mexico, Innocent Voices, Luis Mandoki, director; The Netherlands, Simon, Eddy Terstall, director; Norway, Hawaii, Oslo, Erik Poppe, director; Palestine, The Olive Harvest, Hanna Elias, director; Philippines, Crying Ladies, Mark Meily, director; Poland, The Welts, Magdalena Piekorz, director; Portugal, The Miracle According to Salomé, Mário Barroso, director; Romania, Orient-Express, Sergiu Nicolaescu, director; Russia, Night Watch, Timolir Bekmambetov, director; Serbia and Montenegro, Goose Feather, Ljubiša Samardic, director; Slovenia, Beneath Her Window, Metod Pevec, director; South Africa, Yesterday, Darrell Roodt, director; Spain, The Sea Inside, Alejandro Amenabar, director; Sweden, As in Heaven, Kay Pollak, director; Switzerland, Mein Name Ist Bach, Dominique de Rivaz, director; Taiwan, 20 : 30 : 40, Sylvia Chang, director; Thailand, The Overture, Itthisoontorn Vichailak, director; Uruguay, Whisky, Juan Pablo Rebella, Pablo Stoll, directors; Venezuela, [...]...
- 4/19/2009
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
- From the Director's Fortnight section comes a coming-of-age portrait of the hormonally imbalanced young protag who instead of going from first base and making his way to home plate - instead he does everything in reverse. Acne is Federico Veiroj's directorial debut - he was a script supervisor for Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll’s features 25 Watts and Whisky. [Note: Full review coming soon]. ...
- 5/19/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
COLOGNE, Germany -- German sales group Bavaria Film International said Wednesday that it has picked up worldwide sales rights for Bombon -- El Perro, a dog-show drama from Argentine director Carlos Sorin (Minimal Stories). Bombon tells the story of a mechanic in Patagonia whose life changes for the better when he adopts a dog that goes on to win first prize at a local dog show. Produced by Argentina's Guacamole Films and OK! Films with Spain's Wanda Vision, Bombon is being released in Argentina by 20th Century Fox. Munich-based Bavaria Film has shown an appetite for South American cinema, most recently picking up Argentine Daniel Burman's Lost Embrace, which won two Silver Bears at the Berlin International Film Festival. It also has picked up the Uruguayan feature Whisky, from Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll.
CANNES -- A slow-moving and quite dull film, "Whisky", directed by Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll, could have used a shot or two of the hard stuff. As it is, the title comes from what apparently in Uruguay a photographer asks his subjects to say to the camera, just as other countries say "cheese."
The smiles are few and far between, however, in this story of an aging sock-factory owner named Jacobo Koller (Andres Pazos) who asks his assistant, Marta (Mirella Pascual), to pretend to be his wife while his estranged brother, Herman (Jorge Bolani), visits from Brazil.
The film, a Control-Z Films/Fernando Epstein production, has some affection for these three deeply lonely people who lead solitary lives with considerable dignity, and some gentle humor is derived from their singular habits.
Marta and Jacobo always arrive at his small sock factory at the same time and perform the same rituals. He calls her Marta; she calls him Mr. Koller. When he invites her into his home, where he has lived for years with his recently deceased mother, the dynamics of their relationship are thrown out of kilter.
The younger brother's arrival further adds to the dislocation in their lives, and neither is capable of addressing it until Jacobo makes a fateful decision in a casino. There is little suspense, however, and while all the attention on the small details of their lives is laudable, it isn't very interesting.
The smiles are few and far between, however, in this story of an aging sock-factory owner named Jacobo Koller (Andres Pazos) who asks his assistant, Marta (Mirella Pascual), to pretend to be his wife while his estranged brother, Herman (Jorge Bolani), visits from Brazil.
The film, a Control-Z Films/Fernando Epstein production, has some affection for these three deeply lonely people who lead solitary lives with considerable dignity, and some gentle humor is derived from their singular habits.
Marta and Jacobo always arrive at his small sock factory at the same time and perform the same rituals. He calls her Marta; she calls him Mr. Koller. When he invites her into his home, where he has lived for years with his recently deceased mother, the dynamics of their relationship are thrown out of kilter.
The younger brother's arrival further adds to the dislocation in their lives, and neither is capable of addressing it until Jacobo makes a fateful decision in a casino. There is little suspense, however, and while all the attention on the small details of their lives is laudable, it isn't very interesting.
CANNES -- A slow-moving and quite dull film, "Whisky", directed by Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll, could have used a shot or two of the hard stuff. As it is, the title comes from what apparently in Uruguay a photographer asks his subjects to say to the camera, just as other countries say "cheese."
The smiles are few and far between, however, in this story of an aging sock-factory owner named Jacobo Koller (Andres Pazos) who asks his assistant, Marta (Mirella Pascual), to pretend to be his wife while his estranged brother, Herman (Jorge Bolani), visits from Brazil.
The film, a Control-Z Films/Fernando Epstein production, has some affection for these three deeply lonely people who lead solitary lives with considerable dignity, and some gentle humor is derived from their singular habits.
Marta and Jacobo always arrive at his small sock factory at the same time and perform the same rituals. He calls her Marta; she calls him Mr. Koller. When he invites her into his home, where he has lived for years with his recently deceased mother, the dynamics of their relationship are thrown out of kilter.
The younger brother's arrival further adds to the dislocation in their lives, and neither is capable of addressing it until Jacobo makes a fateful decision in a casino. There is little suspense, however, and while all the attention on the small details of their lives is laudable, it isn't very interesting.
The smiles are few and far between, however, in this story of an aging sock-factory owner named Jacobo Koller (Andres Pazos) who asks his assistant, Marta (Mirella Pascual), to pretend to be his wife while his estranged brother, Herman (Jorge Bolani), visits from Brazil.
The film, a Control-Z Films/Fernando Epstein production, has some affection for these three deeply lonely people who lead solitary lives with considerable dignity, and some gentle humor is derived from their singular habits.
Marta and Jacobo always arrive at his small sock factory at the same time and perform the same rituals. He calls her Marta; she calls him Mr. Koller. When he invites her into his home, where he has lived for years with his recently deceased mother, the dynamics of their relationship are thrown out of kilter.
The younger brother's arrival further adds to the dislocation in their lives, and neither is capable of addressing it until Jacobo makes a fateful decision in a casino. There is little suspense, however, and while all the attention on the small details of their lives is laudable, it isn't very interesting.
- 5/20/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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