With sand, wind and cinema. There are many versions, written by authors, that tell almost like a legend, or stories scattered between years that go by, why Mar del Plata is La Feliz. The truth is that something happens and as they say, you always return to a place where you find that I don’t know what. As if in front of the waves you could see more than its course; That’s where it’s the metaphor for our own film.” I see so many people who have a love for cinema and what would we do without cinema!”, said actress Graciela Borges, during the opening weekend at this 37th edition of the Mar del Plata International Film Festival that is an icon for the region, the country and for the world, where its light is also seen. “In Salvador de Bahia we always hear so well, so loud about Mar del Plata, which for us is always a beacon, a place of resistance that shows us that it is possible to make films,” said Brazilian director Haroldo Borges, already multi-awarded in this edition with his first film “Saudade fez morada aqui dentro”. It is that after a 2020 that celebrated its cinema virtually, and a 2021 that was encouraged to a more hybrid modality, the Festival positively shook the city and attracted visitors and residents with an edition that proposed to focus on their tributes.
Because to honor is to thank and thank, to recognize, the gala of this edition focused on highlighting the value of cinema, which until no more than a few weeks ago discussed its financing and continuity. As Nicolás Batlle, vice president of the National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts (INCAA), said during the closing ceremony: “I want to take this opportunity to celebrate the extension for fifty more years of the specific allocations for cultural industries, which was possible thanks to the approval of the Senate. In particular, I would like to highlight the work of Deputy Pablo Carro and all the associations that fought to make this possible. This triumph allows us to think that next year we can go for more; fight for an inclusive federal culture with a gender perspective.” From a young man who deployed as a director to a young festival dedicated to his cinema
The Festival took place between November 3 and 13, in a tribute edition to the filmmaker, musician, actor and screenwriter, Leonardo Favio; before the tenth anniversary of his departure immortalized in his works. From a dedicated artistic mural created by illustrator Gustavo Sala, and a special program of films that he projected to see again or for the first time his classics “The Dependent” (1969), “Juan Moreira” (1973) and “Nazareno Cruz and the Wolf” (1975); the celebration returned the honors of that young man who premiered there his debut as a director with the short “El amigo” (1960) and already with his debut film “Crónica de un niño solo” (1965). Before each film, an “Anecdotes” introduced whatever its function. A special where set designers, workers and artists in front of and behind the scenes who accompanied him, met him and lived in action told his memories. Anecdotes that tell who he is, who he was and will be forever.” I’m not an easy tear maker but I just saw his images, that of his captivating cinema, that of that camera that captured sinister and dark characters”—Graciela resumed during her first tribute to the director— “He always worked with love, that’s why I get excited … Long live the cinema!”. The tributes were extensive. Like French-Swiss filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, who passed away this year. Referent of the European avant-garde, challenge standards and stereotypes in his films that allowed a more human and sincere look. For and for that, it was his debut film “Sin aliento” (1960), which opened the festival. As in Spotlight and Retrospective for the French filmmaker Patricia Mazuy, the also Japanese actress Kinuyo Tanaka; Of course with part of his filmography exhibited in theaters. While in Trajectories and tributes were Cecilia Roth and Ricardo Darín, the chosen personalities; the 70th anniversary of the Cine Club Núcleo; and Renée Oro.Roth and Darín, who coincided in works such as “The Stranger” (1987), “Kamchatka” (2002), also presented films. She: “Las Fiestas”, the second film by Ignacio Rogers with a cast that integrates with Dolores Fonzi (also a member of the jury at the festival), Daniel Hendler, Ezequiel Díaz, Margarita Israel Gurman, Maitina De Marco.
While he, the recently released “Argentina, 1985” by Santiago Mitre with Peter Lanzani. The film that first brought to theaters the odyssey of prosecutors Julio Strassera and Luis Moreno Ocampo to perform the unprecedented Trial of the Military Juntas, could be seen both at the Cinema Los Gallegos, as in the Astor Piazzolla Hall of the Auditorium Theater, as in Villa Victoria.
The latter, outdoors on a night that went dark – unlike in his film – is also a tribute. If we take into account that the desire of the very founder of the Sur Magazine: that her houses (yes, in plural because it includes Béccar’s) were a UNESCO heritage site, in simpler words, a space so that as she did in life (and in other countries) she could gather culture, and connect art personalities.
Mentioning Victoria Ocampo was not simply in passing, since in turn, a film was released, about her. “I promise you a long friendship”, directed by Jimena Repetto, develops the link of the publisher with the Romanian-French author Benjamin Fondane, participated in the Argentine Competition. Perhaps her inclusion in the festival would give back to this woman of letters something of what she felt and did for Mar del Plata: a city that, as she once wrote, awakens “a tremebunda physical passion”. “I love its kilometric beaches that my feet know intimately, because for years I have been walking barefoot,” she says in one of her texts. If we talk about pioneering women, we talk about the producer Lita Stantic and Eva Landeck; and of many like Adriana Lestido, who took the historic photo of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, and who in this edition presented her film (by Lita Stantic Producciones), “Errante: la conquista del hogar”. The director, screenwriter and producer worked alongside María Luisa Bemberg and was a pioneer since her partner was told that “cinema is not for women”. From there her work began for her, but for all those who came after, chain that continues to this day. Present at the Auditorium Theater, as part of the special activities, he gave a talk where he reviewed his career and addressed the theme of gender in front of and behind the cameras. Books: the cinema of the pages to analysis
They were presented: For the nations of America: The silent documentary film of Renée Oro that develops the filmography of the director and Invaded Bodies. David Cronenberg’s Videodrome: Long live the new meat. In the rooms
The program was extensive for all cinema spaces in the city, with general tickets at 200 pesos, with special value for retirees and students at 100 pesos. The data of the students is added to another of the proposals mentioned by Batlle: the initiative aMAR al CINE, which summoned 600 students of careers related to audiovisual art and social communication from various regions of the country who arrived in Mar del Plata. Thus, one million seven hundred thousand young people received the scholarships to progress to pursue tertiary and university careers. In addition, the city inaugurated the Mar del Plata Headquarters of the National School of Experimentation and Cinematographic Realization (ENERC) specialized in 3D animation and digital technologies; and the INCAA Chauvin Space, the first of the INCAA theater network in the city.
AUDITORIUM THEATRE – Astor Piazzolla Hall. Blvd. Marítimo Peralta Ramos 2280
AMBASSADOR CINEMA. Cordoba 1673
CINEMA LOS GALLEGOS SHOPPING. Rivadavia 3050
CINEMAS OF THE PROMENADE. Diagonal Pueyrredón 3058
TEATRO COLÓN. Hipólito Yrigoyen 1665
CINEMA PASEO ALDREY. Alberti 2115
VILLA VICTORIA. Matheu 1851
PROVINCIAL MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART. Av. Félix U. Camet y López de Gomara.
Awards and winners
International competition
Jury:Dolores Fonzi (actress and director / Argentina), Alexandre Koberidze (director / Giorgia), Alberto Lechuga, journalist and critic / Spain), Inge Stache (Curator of cultural programming at the Goethe-Institut of Buenos Aires / Germany), Joe Swanberg (director / USA).
“Change change” – Lautaro García Candela | Argentina | World premiere
“The face of the jellyfish” – Melisa Liebenthal | Argentina | World premiere
“How to Blow Up a Pipeline” – Daniel Goldhaber | United States
“The Uruguayan” – Ana García Blaya | Argentina, Uruguay | World premiere
“Lobo e Cao” – Claudia Varejâo | Paraguay, France
“Los de abajo” – Alejandro Quiroga | Bolivia | World premiere
“O trio em e flat” – Rita Azevedo Gomes | Portugal”
“Réduit” – Leon Schwitter | Switzerland | World premiere
“Saudade fez morada aquí dentro” – Haroldo Borges | Brazil | World premiere
“So Much Tenderness” – Lina Rodriguez | Canada
“There There” – Andrew Bujalski | United States
“Three brothers” – Francisco J. Paparella | Argentina, Chile | World premiere
The Brazilian debut film was highlighted by the jury for “its ability to portray with beauty and truth a dramatic story that shows us that when people care about each other, there is hope.” Best Direction
The award was shared by directors Ana García Blaya and Melisa Liebenthal, for “La uruguaya” and “El rostro de la medusa”, respectively. Best Feature Film Screenplay in International Competition
The Astor Piazzolla award went to “There There”, written and directed by the American Andrew Bujalski, was made during the pandemic, and has the particularity that its characters never share a frame. Special Jury Prize
It was for “Tres hermanos”, by Argentine Francisco J. Paparella, for “his powerful use of cinematic tools (photography, sound design, acting and music) to portray his universe with rawness and authenticity”. Also for the Colombian actress Sonia Parada for the Best Performance for her leading role in the Bolivian film “Los de abajo”, by Alejandro Quiroga. And for Lautaro García Candela’s feature film, “Cambio Cambio”.
Photo: Courtesy of the press
Paula Felix-Didier
We already talked about women and their history in cinema but not about her. The historian and specialist in Argentine cinema, and director of the Pablo Ducrós Hicken Film Museum was distinguished with a recognition of her career and work in the preservation of audiovisual heritage. This Festival accompanies the work we have been doing for many years, so the emotion is very great. Trajectories don’t go through themselves, so I want to thank my mom, my colleagues, Museum workers and colleagues. This is a very difficult struggle and we owe a debt to audiovisual heritage,” she said excitedly upon receiving the award. Latin American Feature Film Competition
Jury: Brad Deane (producer, editor, Canada), Lili Jeanne Marie Hinstin (artistic director and programmer, France), Constanza Novick (screenwriter, producer and director, Argentina).
“Friends on a Country Road” – Santiago Loza | Argentina
“Anhell69” – Theo Montoya | Colombia, France, Germany, Romania
“The visitor” – Martin Boulocq | Bolivia, Uruguay
“Wandering. The conquest of the home” – Adriana Lestido | Argentina
“Huesera – Michelle Garza Cervera” | Mexico, Peru
“Mato seco en chamas” – Joana Pimenta, Adirley Queirós | Brazil, Portugal
“Notes for a movie” – Ignacio Agüero | Chile
“I have electric dreams” – Valentina Maurel | Belgium, France, Costa Rica
“Tinnitus – Gregorio Graziosi” | Brazil
“Trenque Lauquen” – Laura Citarella | Argentina
Latin American Short Film Competition
“Anima” – Manuel Mateo Gómez | Cuba
“Dust no longer clouds our eyes” – Colectivo Silencio | Peru
“The silence of children” – Sofía Quirós Ubeda | Costa Rica, Chile
“Between Two Islands” – Hideki Nakazaki | Cuba
“The biggest rivers slide underground” – Simón Vélez | Colombia
“We all want a place to call ours” – Daniela Delgado Viteri | Ecuador, Spain
Special Jury Prize for Latin American Film
“Mato seco en chamas”, by Joana Pimenta (Portugal) and Adirley Queirós (Brazil); with Special Mentions for “El silencio de los niños”, by Sofía Quirós Úbeda, and “Anhell69”, by Theo Montoya, they obtained special mentions.
Argentine Feature Film Competition
Jury:Gerard Casau (critic, programmer, teacher, Spain), Leonardo Bomfim (programmer, Brazil), María José Santacreu (director of Cinemateca Uruguaya, Uruguay).
“Model Neighborhood” – Mara Pescio | Argentina
“Buffalo – Nicanor Loreti | Argentina
“Love will come like wildfire” – Laura Spiner | Argentina
“I haven’t slept for a long time” – Agustín Godoy | Argentina, Colombia
“Herbaria” – Leandro Listorti | Argentina, Germany
“Juana Banana” – Matías Szulanski | Argentina
“Luminum” – Maximilian Schonfeld | Argentina
“Castaway” – Martín Farina, Willy Villalobos | Argentina, Uruguay
“On the Clouds” – Maria Aparicio | Argentina
“I promise you a long friendship” – Jimena Repetto | Argentina
Argentine Short Film Competition
“Flesh of God” – Patricio Plaza | Argentina, Mexico
“I really want to see you but it will take a long time” – Julieta Amalric | Argentina
“The Spiders” – Sol Giancaspro | Argentina
“The empty rooms” – Julia Pesce | Argentina
“The Mysteries of the World” – Mariano Luque | Argentina
“Moon that breaks over the darkness of my loneliness” – Lucila Mariani | Argentina
“The Spiral” – María Silvia Esteve | Argentina
“Tres cinematecas” – Nicolás Suárez | Argentina, Brazil
Plaza stood out with an emotional speech dedicated to the LGTBQI+ community, and for the mention of the jury that praised his work “of strong plasticity, which travels from the telluric to the lysergic, tearing down oppressive institutions to connect with a free and wild mystique”. José Martínez Suárez Award for Best Director of the Argentine Competition
It was a tribute to the memory of the outstanding director of Argentine cinema who served as honorary president of the Festival for more than a decade.
The winning production was “Herb”aria”, Leandro Listorti, who thanked mainly because “films like this are not usually awarded”. Competition Altered States
Jury: Beli Martínez (producer, doctor in audiovisual communication, Spain), Jessica Sarah Rinland (filmmaker, Argentina, England), Pedro Segura (curator, critic and distributor, Mexico).
“A Woman Escapes” – Burak Çevik, Blake Williams, Sofia Bohdanowicz | Canada, Turkey
“Afterwater” – Dane Komljen | Germany, Serbia, Spain, South Korea
“Private film” – Janaína Nagata | Brazil
“Fogo-Fátuo” – João Pedro Rodrigues | France, Portugal
“Human Flowers of Flesh” – Helena Wittmann | Germany, France
“Geographies of Solitude” – Jacquelyn Mills | Canada
“Lockdown Diaries” – Jeff Zorrilla | Argentina, United States
“Manuale di cinematografia per dilettanti” – Vol. I – Federico Di Corato | Italy
“Maria Schneider”, 1983 – Elisabeth Subrin | France
“The Newest Olds” – Pablo Mazzolo | Argentina, Canada
“The Plains” – David Easteal | Australia
“Negative Way” – Alan Martín Segal | Argentina, South Korea
With special mentions for “The newest olds”, by Pablo Mazzolo (Argentina), and “Filme particular”, by Janaína Nagata (Brazil). Award for the Best Project In Transit/Work in Progress
Jury:Manuel Ferrari (director, screenwriter and producer, Argentina), Miguel Ribeiro (programmer, Portugal), Susana Santos Rodrigues (programmer, distributor, Portugal).
“Bichos de luz” – Azucena Losana | Argentina, Mexico
“Echoes of XingJiang” – Pablo Martín Weber | Argentina, Chile
“The longest summer in the world” – Alejandra Lipoma, Romina Vlachoff | Argentina
“La hora de los brujos” – Cristian Ponce | Argentina
“La sudestada” – Edgardo Dieleke, Daniel Casabé | Argentina
“The major tones” – Ingrid Pokropek | Argentina
“Bigger than a tyrannosaurus” – Javier Zevallos | Argentina
“I will never be a policeman” – Carolina Moscoso | Chile
“Silver or shit” – Toia Bonino, Marcos Joubert | Argentina
“Punku” – Juan Daniel Fernández Molero | Peru
“Big Shadow” – Maximilian Schonfeld | Argentina
“Vlasta, memory is not eternal” – Candela Vey | Argentina
Special mentions for the projects “Punku”, by Peruvian Juan Daniel Fernández Molero, and “Sombra Grande”, by Maximiliano Schonfeld.In this edition
Under the artistic direction of Pablo Conde and the presidency of Fernando Juan Lima, this edition allowed the Festival to once again receive prestigious international guests such as the American John McTiernan, director of “Predator” (1987) and “Die Hard” (1988). To full rooms and tributes received more than 58 international guests from Brazil, Bolivia, Portugal, France, United States, Switzerland, Canada, Uruguay, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Costa Rica, Italy, Germany, Australia, Colombia and Ecuador in this 37th edition, which had seven world premieres in its International Competition.During the closing ceremony there were initial artistic presentations by Virginia Innocenti with Sergio Zabala, As Batle said: “cinema is alive, all it needs is a screen to be projected.” Spirit also valued by the words of Graciela Borges that meant a cry that resounded among the audience: “Long live the cinema!”.
