In what marks a first for Chile’s Storyboard Media, Baremo Films of Mexico has boarded its psychological thriller “Quizas es cierto lo que dicen de nosotras” (“Maybe It’s True What They’re Saying About Us”), which has been shooting in Santiago since Feb. 1 and will wrap later this month.
Written and directed by Sofía Gomez (“Trastornos del sueño”) and Camilo Becerra (“Perro muerto”), the co-production also involves Chile’s La Jauria Cine as well as Argentina’s Murillo Cine and HDArgentina.
“We’re delighted to have our first co-production with Mexico, which is such an important market, given its relevance in terms of promotion and visibility in our region,” said Storyboard Media’s Gabriela Sandoval and Carlos Núñez.
The co-production pact with Baremo Films’ Pablo Modragon was closed at the Berlinale, said Sandoval.
“Few films so powerfully combine such a stark anecdote with deep and intimate spiritual mastery...
Written and directed by Sofía Gomez (“Trastornos del sueño”) and Camilo Becerra (“Perro muerto”), the co-production also involves Chile’s La Jauria Cine as well as Argentina’s Murillo Cine and HDArgentina.
“We’re delighted to have our first co-production with Mexico, which is such an important market, given its relevance in terms of promotion and visibility in our region,” said Storyboard Media’s Gabriela Sandoval and Carlos Núñez.
The co-production pact with Baremo Films’ Pablo Modragon was closed at the Berlinale, said Sandoval.
“Few films so powerfully combine such a stark anecdote with deep and intimate spiritual mastery...
- 2/21/2023
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Few facets of Chile’s Sanfic Industria are as keenly tracked as its Works in Progress. This is the section, after all, which introduced the industry to Sebastián Lelio’s “Gloria,” which went on to win best actress at Berlin for Paulina García and see a successful remake by Lelio himself with Juliane Moore in the title.
Sundance winners “Violeta Went To Heaven,” from Andrés Wood, Marialy Rivas’ “Young & Wild” and Alejandro Fernández Almendras’ “To Kill a Man” all made auspicious debuts at Sanfic as movies in post-production.
Sanfic Industria has now released the full list of Works in Progress set to screen onsite and online over Oct 27-Nov 5. A strong jury takes in Estrella Araiza, director of Mexico’s Guadalajara Film Festival, Busan Film Festival programmer Karen Park and Anabelle Aramburu, co-ordinator of the Mafiz industry umbrella at Spain’s Malaga Festival. They will select four titles which...
Sundance winners “Violeta Went To Heaven,” from Andrés Wood, Marialy Rivas’ “Young & Wild” and Alejandro Fernández Almendras’ “To Kill a Man” all made auspicious debuts at Sanfic as movies in post-production.
Sanfic Industria has now released the full list of Works in Progress set to screen onsite and online over Oct 27-Nov 5. A strong jury takes in Estrella Araiza, director of Mexico’s Guadalajara Film Festival, Busan Film Festival programmer Karen Park and Anabelle Aramburu, co-ordinator of the Mafiz industry umbrella at Spain’s Malaga Festival. They will select four titles which...
- 10/26/2021
- by JD Linville
- Variety Film + TV
GLAAD is teaming up with Outfest to host the first virtual Queer House during the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Celebrating LGBTQ films and filmmakers at the festival, Queer House will offer panels, discussions and performances.
“GLAAD is thrilled to lock arms with our friends at Outfest for this year’s virtual Sundance Film Festival, building upon both organizations’ long legacy of supporting LGBTQ-inclusive films and filmmakers at the festival that is known around the world as the birthplace of the ‘New Queer Cinema,’” GLAAD’s director of entertainment media Jeremy Blacklow said in a statement. “From GLAAD’s long track record of LGBTQ programming during Sundance, through Outfest’s hugely successful Outfest House just last year, we are proud to once again amplify and celebrate the groundbreaking LGBTQ films premiering at Sundance in 2021.”’
Outfest executive director Damien Navarro said, “Seeing how meaningful it was to see our brief partnership in programming...
“GLAAD is thrilled to lock arms with our friends at Outfest for this year’s virtual Sundance Film Festival, building upon both organizations’ long legacy of supporting LGBTQ-inclusive films and filmmakers at the festival that is known around the world as the birthplace of the ‘New Queer Cinema,’” GLAAD’s director of entertainment media Jeremy Blacklow said in a statement. “From GLAAD’s long track record of LGBTQ programming during Sundance, through Outfest’s hugely successful Outfest House just last year, we are proud to once again amplify and celebrate the groundbreaking LGBTQ films premiering at Sundance in 2021.”’
Outfest executive director Damien Navarro said, “Seeing how meaningful it was to see our brief partnership in programming...
- 1/26/2021
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
The writing team of Mauricio Katz and Pedro Peirano, who are known for working on notable Latin America projects for over 15 years, have signed with Range Media Partners.
On the TV side, Katz recently co-created the critically-acclaimed Amazon, Sky and Canal+ global, multilingual series ZeroZeroZero. His credits also include FX’s The Bridge where he worked as a writer and consulting producer. and Cary Fukanaga’s Maniac for which he served as a writer and co-executive producer and received a WGA and PGA nomination.
Katz and Peirano created Niño Santo, the popular series in Mexico, which was later developed and adapted with A&e Network and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television. Katz also penned Miss Bala, Mexico’s Oscar Entry for Best Foreign Language Film in 2012.
Chilean director, screenwriter, journalist, cartoonist, and television producer Peirano is best known for creating, writing and performing the long-running satirical puppet show 31 Minutos. In...
On the TV side, Katz recently co-created the critically-acclaimed Amazon, Sky and Canal+ global, multilingual series ZeroZeroZero. His credits also include FX’s The Bridge where he worked as a writer and consulting producer. and Cary Fukanaga’s Maniac for which he served as a writer and co-executive producer and received a WGA and PGA nomination.
Katz and Peirano created Niño Santo, the popular series in Mexico, which was later developed and adapted with A&e Network and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television. Katz also penned Miss Bala, Mexico’s Oscar Entry for Best Foreign Language Film in 2012.
Chilean director, screenwriter, journalist, cartoonist, and television producer Peirano is best known for creating, writing and performing the long-running satirical puppet show 31 Minutos. In...
- 1/25/2021
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Fremantle and Fabula have dropped the first trailer of eight-part series “La Jauría” (“The Pack”), showrun by Lucía Puenzo (“The German Doctor”), one of Latin America’s most prominent film and TV writer-directors, and starring Daniela Vega, the lead in the Academy Award winning “A Fantastic Woman.”
Set up at Chile’s Fabula, run by writer-director Pablo Larraín (“Jacky”) and brother Juan de Díos Larraín, “Gloria Bell”), “La Jauría”
Amazon’s first-ever locally-produced Amazon Original in Chile will be available to stream exclusively on Prime Video in Latin America, Caribbean and Spain.
It also marks the first international series from Fabula.
Brought onto the market at February’s Fremantle Screenings in London and now the Series Mania-MipTV virtual marketplace, “La Jauría” is also first fruit of a Fabula-Fremantle multi-year first-look production-distribution alliance. Fremantle is its global distributor.
Co-written by Puenzo, and set at a posh private Catholic school in Santiago de Chile,...
Set up at Chile’s Fabula, run by writer-director Pablo Larraín (“Jacky”) and brother Juan de Díos Larraín, “Gloria Bell”), “La Jauría”
Amazon’s first-ever locally-produced Amazon Original in Chile will be available to stream exclusively on Prime Video in Latin America, Caribbean and Spain.
It also marks the first international series from Fabula.
Brought onto the market at February’s Fremantle Screenings in London and now the Series Mania-MipTV virtual marketplace, “La Jauría” is also first fruit of a Fabula-Fremantle multi-year first-look production-distribution alliance. Fremantle is its global distributor.
Co-written by Puenzo, and set at a posh private Catholic school in Santiago de Chile,...
- 3/30/2020
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Madrid — Adding a new dimension to strong women action series, London-based global drama producer-distributor Fremantle is teaming with Fabula, headed by director Pablo Larrain (“Jackie”) and producer Juan de Dios Larraín (“Gloria Bell”), to produce “Talitha Kum.”
Directed by Marialy Rivas, the high octane Mexico-set action series promises to deliver a original genre twist to the scenario of valiant women pushing back against toxic masculinity with its bad ass young ninja nuns battling mano a mano with lethal sex traffickers.
“Talitha Kum” marks the second collaboration between Fabula and Fremantle as part of a multi-year first look deal between the partners, following on buzzed-up sexual abuse psychological thriller “La Jauría” (“The Pack”), showrun by Lucía Puenzo (“The German Doctor”), whose Ep. 1 premiered at September’s Zurich Festival to acclaim. As on “La Jauría,” Fremantle is co-producing “Talitha Kum” with Fabula and will handle international sales.
Fabula and Fremantle will introduce...
Directed by Marialy Rivas, the high octane Mexico-set action series promises to deliver a original genre twist to the scenario of valiant women pushing back against toxic masculinity with its bad ass young ninja nuns battling mano a mano with lethal sex traffickers.
“Talitha Kum” marks the second collaboration between Fabula and Fremantle as part of a multi-year first look deal between the partners, following on buzzed-up sexual abuse psychological thriller “La Jauría” (“The Pack”), showrun by Lucía Puenzo (“The German Doctor”), whose Ep. 1 premiered at September’s Zurich Festival to acclaim. As on “La Jauría,” Fremantle is co-producing “Talitha Kum” with Fabula and will handle international sales.
Fabula and Fremantle will introduce...
- 1/17/2020
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Santiago De Chile – When Dominga Sotomayor won an unprecedented best director prize at Switzerland’s Locarno Festival for her coming-of-age drama “Too Late to Die Young,” a big cheer resounded throughout the Chilean film industry.
As the first female director to receive Locarno’s Leopard for Best Direction, Sotomayor represents a growing surge of female talent – both creative and executive – behind the camera in Chile.
Constanza Arena, executive director of Chilean audiovisual promotion org CinemaChile, noted: “I remember that eight years ago, as the head of CinemaChile, the only producers I’d meet with were male.” “Nowadays, I’ve seen a greater parity, especially among the younger professionals aged between 20 and 35 years,” she added.
In CinemaChile’s film catalogue, Arena noted that 20 titles were directed by women, of which eight were fiction and 12 documentary, listing other female directors like Marcela Said, Claudia Huaiquimilla, Marialy Rivas and Maite Alberdi “who have...
As the first female director to receive Locarno’s Leopard for Best Direction, Sotomayor represents a growing surge of female talent – both creative and executive – behind the camera in Chile.
Constanza Arena, executive director of Chilean audiovisual promotion org CinemaChile, noted: “I remember that eight years ago, as the head of CinemaChile, the only producers I’d meet with were male.” “Nowadays, I’ve seen a greater parity, especially among the younger professionals aged between 20 and 35 years,” she added.
In CinemaChile’s film catalogue, Arena noted that 20 titles were directed by women, of which eight were fiction and 12 documentary, listing other female directors like Marcela Said, Claudia Huaiquimilla, Marialy Rivas and Maite Alberdi “who have...
- 8/22/2018
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
113 films from 20 countries were submitted to the Films in Progress 28 initiative at the San Sebastian Film Festival. The final selection includes: "Aquí no ha pasado nada" (Much Ado About Nothing) by Alejandro Fernández Almendras (Chile),whose previous film, "To Kill a Man," won numerous prizes at international festivals and represented Chile at the Oscars last year; "Era o Hotel Cambridge" (The Cambridge Squatter) by Eliane Caffé (Brazil - France), "La Emboscada" (The Ambush) by Daniel Hendler (Uruguay - Argentina), "La Princesita" (The Princess) by Marialy Rivas (Chile - Argentina - Spain), "Rara" by Pepa San Martín (Chile - Argentina) and "Sobrevivientes de Rober Calzadilla" (Venezuela - Colombia).
Films in Progress gains strength as a not-to-be-missed gathering for Latin American production. Four of the films presented last year at San Sebastian, in Films in Progress 26, will be screened at this year’s Festival: Eugenio Canevari’s "Paula" will compete in the New Directors section and Jayro Bustamante’s "Ixcanul,"which has just been announced as Guatemala's Oscar submission, will screen in the Horizontes Latinos section, having won the Silver Bear – Alfred Bauer Award at the Berlin Festival.
Salvador de Solar’s "Magallanes," winner of the Films in Progress Industry Award and Aly Muritiba’s "Para minha amada morta" (To My Beloved), will also compete for the Horizontes Award. And another of the films presented last year, Sergio Castro’s "La mujer de barro" (The Mud Woman), was programmed in the Berlin Festival’s Forum section.
Among the projects revealed at the Toulouse event last March, Pablo Agüero’s "Eva no duerme" (Eva doesn't sleep) is programmed in the official competition; Sebastián Brahm’s "Vida sexual de las plantas" (Sex Life of Plants) is part of the New Directors selection; and Lorenzo Vigas’s "Desde allá" (From afar) will be presented in Horizontes Latinos after having participated in the official competition at the Venice Festival.
"Aquí No Ha Pasado Nada" (Much Ado About Nothing) Alejandro Fernández Almendras (Chile) Young, daring and lonely, Vicente spends his life at his parent’s home by the beach. These are days of relaxation, sea and partying with anyone who’s up for it. But one night of alcohol and flirting will change his life forever; he is accused of a hit-and-run crime in which a fisherman is killed. "I wasn’t driving", he says, but his memories are hazy and he says the boy at the wheel was the son of an influential politician. Power, manipulation and guilt will send his sweet summer holidays careering towards a bitter end. This is the third time the director has participated in Films in Progress. His previous film, "Matar a un hombre" (To Kill a Man), landed the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Festival.
"Era o Hotel Cambridge" (The Cambridge Squatter)
Eliane Caffé (Brazil - France) The Cambridge Squatter shows us the unusual situation of the Brazilian homeless and refugees who squat together in an abandoned building in downtown Sao Paulo. The daily tension caused by the threat of eviction reveals the dramas, the joys and the different points of view of the squatters.
"La Emboscada" (The Ambush) Daniel Hendler (Uruguay - Argentina) Martin Marchand throws himself into the political contest. As a result of his work in the social media, a traditional political structure invites him to join their list. Martin calls in technicians and advisors to create his campaign image. Over a weekend, immersed in the bucolic setting of a country house, they get down to designing the leader’s image. But an infiltrator seeking to obtain information on the coming electoral alliance creates an atmosphere of mistrust. The film, with the working title of "El Palomar," participated in the I Europe-Latin America Co-production Forum.
"La Princesita" (The Princess) Marialy Rivas (Chile - Argentina - Spain) A film inspired by true events in Southern Chile. A family sect only has one purpose and belief: a new order is necessary. Tamara, 11, is responsible for procreating the leaders of the new world. Disgruntled with her "lot”, Tamara’s sexual exploration with a boy in her year at school will have unexpected consequences, marking her violent transition from childhood to womanhood. Tamara will gain her freedom in a way she had never imagined. Marialy Rivas’s previous film, "Joven y alocada," participated in Films in Progress and landed awards at Sundance and Bafici, among other festivals.
"Rara" Pepa San Martín (Chile - Argentina) A story inspired by the case of a Chilean judge who lost the custody of her children for being a lesbian, told from the point of view of her eldest daughter Sara, aged 13. The screenplay is based on true events that could be related as a tale of lawyers and courthouses, lawsuits, claimants, defenders and victims, but instead, it will be the story of a family.
"Sobrevivientes" Rober Calzadilla (Venezuela - Colombia) 1988. The town of El Amparo. Border with Colombia. Chumba and Pinilla survive an armed assault in the channels of the Arauca River in which fourteen of their companions are killed in the act. The Venezuelan Army accuses them of being guerrilla fighters and tries to seize them from the cell where they are being watched over by a policeman and a group of locals to prevent them from being taken away. They say they are simple fishermen, but pressure to yield to the official version is eye-watering.
Awards:
Films in Progress Industry Award : The companies Daniel Goldstein, Deluxe Spain, Dolby Iberia, Laserfilm Cine y Video, Nephilim producciones, No Problem Sonido and Wanda Visión will assume the post-production of a film until obtaining a Dcp subtitled in English and its distribution in Spain...
Films in Progress gains strength as a not-to-be-missed gathering for Latin American production. Four of the films presented last year at San Sebastian, in Films in Progress 26, will be screened at this year’s Festival: Eugenio Canevari’s "Paula" will compete in the New Directors section and Jayro Bustamante’s "Ixcanul,"which has just been announced as Guatemala's Oscar submission, will screen in the Horizontes Latinos section, having won the Silver Bear – Alfred Bauer Award at the Berlin Festival.
Salvador de Solar’s "Magallanes," winner of the Films in Progress Industry Award and Aly Muritiba’s "Para minha amada morta" (To My Beloved), will also compete for the Horizontes Award. And another of the films presented last year, Sergio Castro’s "La mujer de barro" (The Mud Woman), was programmed in the Berlin Festival’s Forum section.
Among the projects revealed at the Toulouse event last March, Pablo Agüero’s "Eva no duerme" (Eva doesn't sleep) is programmed in the official competition; Sebastián Brahm’s "Vida sexual de las plantas" (Sex Life of Plants) is part of the New Directors selection; and Lorenzo Vigas’s "Desde allá" (From afar) will be presented in Horizontes Latinos after having participated in the official competition at the Venice Festival.
"Aquí No Ha Pasado Nada" (Much Ado About Nothing) Alejandro Fernández Almendras (Chile) Young, daring and lonely, Vicente spends his life at his parent’s home by the beach. These are days of relaxation, sea and partying with anyone who’s up for it. But one night of alcohol and flirting will change his life forever; he is accused of a hit-and-run crime in which a fisherman is killed. "I wasn’t driving", he says, but his memories are hazy and he says the boy at the wheel was the son of an influential politician. Power, manipulation and guilt will send his sweet summer holidays careering towards a bitter end. This is the third time the director has participated in Films in Progress. His previous film, "Matar a un hombre" (To Kill a Man), landed the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Festival.
"Era o Hotel Cambridge" (The Cambridge Squatter)
Eliane Caffé (Brazil - France) The Cambridge Squatter shows us the unusual situation of the Brazilian homeless and refugees who squat together in an abandoned building in downtown Sao Paulo. The daily tension caused by the threat of eviction reveals the dramas, the joys and the different points of view of the squatters.
"La Emboscada" (The Ambush) Daniel Hendler (Uruguay - Argentina) Martin Marchand throws himself into the political contest. As a result of his work in the social media, a traditional political structure invites him to join their list. Martin calls in technicians and advisors to create his campaign image. Over a weekend, immersed in the bucolic setting of a country house, they get down to designing the leader’s image. But an infiltrator seeking to obtain information on the coming electoral alliance creates an atmosphere of mistrust. The film, with the working title of "El Palomar," participated in the I Europe-Latin America Co-production Forum.
"La Princesita" (The Princess) Marialy Rivas (Chile - Argentina - Spain) A film inspired by true events in Southern Chile. A family sect only has one purpose and belief: a new order is necessary. Tamara, 11, is responsible for procreating the leaders of the new world. Disgruntled with her "lot”, Tamara’s sexual exploration with a boy in her year at school will have unexpected consequences, marking her violent transition from childhood to womanhood. Tamara will gain her freedom in a way she had never imagined. Marialy Rivas’s previous film, "Joven y alocada," participated in Films in Progress and landed awards at Sundance and Bafici, among other festivals.
"Rara" Pepa San Martín (Chile - Argentina) A story inspired by the case of a Chilean judge who lost the custody of her children for being a lesbian, told from the point of view of her eldest daughter Sara, aged 13. The screenplay is based on true events that could be related as a tale of lawyers and courthouses, lawsuits, claimants, defenders and victims, but instead, it will be the story of a family.
"Sobrevivientes" Rober Calzadilla (Venezuela - Colombia) 1988. The town of El Amparo. Border with Colombia. Chumba and Pinilla survive an armed assault in the channels of the Arauca River in which fourteen of their companions are killed in the act. The Venezuelan Army accuses them of being guerrilla fighters and tries to seize them from the cell where they are being watched over by a policeman and a group of locals to prevent them from being taken away. They say they are simple fishermen, but pressure to yield to the official version is eye-watering.
Awards:
Films in Progress Industry Award : The companies Daniel Goldstein, Deluxe Spain, Dolby Iberia, Laserfilm Cine y Video, Nephilim producciones, No Problem Sonido and Wanda Visión will assume the post-production of a film until obtaining a Dcp subtitled in English and its distribution in Spain...
- 8/28/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Marialy Rivas had a hit on her hands with the delightfully provocative Sundance hit "Joven Y Alocada" (Young and Wild), a film that is an energetic kaleidoscope of sex, defiance & artistically experimental – everything that pretty much happens to you when you come-of-age. Rivas was back at Sundance this year, which saw her switch gears to a short documentary entitled "Melody." Set in Chonchi, a small town in Chiloé, one of the most southern islands in Chile, Melody Jerez is a teacher who was determined to bring escape through music to her students, one being Georgina, a flower on the wall, precocious young girl. Here we capture their journey from a poor, seemingly inescapable town to the grand Teatro Municipal in Chile’s capital, Santiago. "Melody" is one of the most beautiful, delicate films about the virtue of what the simple act of caring can do in a child’s life.
LatinoBuzz: How did you meet Melody Jerez and Georgina and what exactly made you decide that you wanted to make this film?
Marialy: I was participating in the short film challenge of the Sundance Institute, sponsored by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The premise was: to tell a story about people that help other people to overcome poverty. There are good people in the world they said, let's show their stories. I do believe that with all my heart so the challenge sounded perfect. What drew me to the film was an actual serious problem in Chile. My country, after Pinochet's dictatorship became a place with one of the most expensive education system in the world, this in time has generated no social mobility, if you are born poor, you won't be able to study so it's almost certain you will stay poor for the rest of your life. I thought the story of the Youth Orchestras, a free music program for at risk children, was a good example on how education can change your life forever so this would show how urgent is to make education free for everyone. This little story will mirror the big picture of my country. I knew the first youth Orchestra started during the 90's in Curanilahue so I start asking who belonged to that Orchestra.
Then one day Melody appeared. She was working as an Orchestra teacher herself for the Chilean Youth Orchestras Foundation. From then on everything was a mix of luck and the beauty of the always giving Universe. Approaching the Sundance challenge, I knew I wanted to tell the story about a woman and a girl, both musicians, I wanted the story of them to mirror each other. I spoke to Melody on a Tuesday by Skype and I flew to shoot her on Thursday because she was having the big concert that appears at the end of the film that same Sunday. I knew I have to shoot that event. The first day I arrived I asked Melody to introduce me to all her girls between 8 and 12 that played in her Orchestra. I took them all to a nearby gym and interview them about how they felt about music. Georgina struck me for her determination and hunger for music. When I told Melody I picked Geo, she asked why and I said I could see in her eyes she wanted music more than anything.
Only then the story of Geo was revealed to me, how she was living with Melody as a "daughter". I didn't know they were connected when I picked them separately and the story of both of them was more powerful than anything I could ever have imagined. When I was editing my editor told me: I think I have heard the name Melody before, I think a friend of mine did a short film in the nineties with a girl named Melody... we contacted the filmmaker and again another amazing gift: there she was, Melody on film, at 10 years old. That ended up closing the circle of the story. It was a beautiful experience to say the least.
LatinoBuzz: The voice over is spoken in such a wonderful manner you would think Melody and Georgina are thinking aloud to themselves or to anyone who may listen. What was the process of that?
Marialy: When I approached the documentary I knew I wanted the short to have a poetic feel to it, like Hiroshima Mon Amour or Miguel Gomes Redemption. I recorded hours of interview with both of them, I reviewed the material, I edited the conversations and then we went back with Melody and Geo to all the subjects so we will use their words and experience but sounding like a stream of consciousness, we recorded that and it was the final voice over of the film.
LatinoBuzz: Did you enjoy making a documentary as much as you do a narrative?
Marialy: Oh my God they are so exciting in such different ways. With the documentary it felt all the time like a gift, I was just there watching an amazing story unravel, these diamonds were there ready to shine and I just needed to pay attention. It is also a lot of improvisation, trust in the moment, to go where the story is taking you, you have to be present at all times. And wow, the places they can take you. At least this is how this experience felt to me. I liked the smaller crew. I liked the fact that the scripts builds itself as you go But I also think It Is So Incredibly Hard!!! This was a short film and I was lucky that everything flowed almost in a magical way but I can see how hard a feature documentary can be, building the trust, waiting, being there, I really think documentary filmmakers are heroes.
LatinoBuzz: You start the next film this week? Can you tell us a little bit about it?
Marialy: I can tell you that I feel like I am gonna start escalating the Everest and I know I need more weeks of training and more weeks to arrive to the top but it's now or never. Movies in Latin America and probably at this point everywhere in the world except Hollywood and Bollywood are always lacking money. I would give everything for one more week of preproduction and one more week of shooting. But what we have I have to make it work, so I will leap into the void hoping I will be able to make it. Are we ever ready to anything I wonder? Maybe I keep telling this to myself to not go crazy.
LatinoBuzz: Do you hope your film can open eyes in Chile to further enhance children’s education through the arts?
Marialy: Oh yes I wish it could. Kids are everything, they are so willing to learn and grow in all the possible ways and it is our duty as adults to open a world of opportunities to them. They can all make it and the arts introduce amazing values in the children. Creativity and Discipline in the same extent. Enjoy the music you play but also experience the tremendous effort to play it well. I think like sound pretty similar to life no?
LatinoBuzz: The closing shot of them is gorgeous. My favorite. They look like sisters and you feel the love formed between them. What is their relationship today?
Marialy: The have formed a family. A family with their own rules and timings, but a family. When I was shooting them, they used to only make jokes about music and talk long about composers. It’s true they are like sisters maybe even more than an "adoptive mom", they love each other profoundly and this love is what you see piercing the screen. They admire each other, they support each other. It is profoundly beautiful.
Follow Marialy on the twittersphere @marialy_rivas
Written by Juan Caceres . LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow [At]LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook...
LatinoBuzz: How did you meet Melody Jerez and Georgina and what exactly made you decide that you wanted to make this film?
Marialy: I was participating in the short film challenge of the Sundance Institute, sponsored by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The premise was: to tell a story about people that help other people to overcome poverty. There are good people in the world they said, let's show their stories. I do believe that with all my heart so the challenge sounded perfect. What drew me to the film was an actual serious problem in Chile. My country, after Pinochet's dictatorship became a place with one of the most expensive education system in the world, this in time has generated no social mobility, if you are born poor, you won't be able to study so it's almost certain you will stay poor for the rest of your life. I thought the story of the Youth Orchestras, a free music program for at risk children, was a good example on how education can change your life forever so this would show how urgent is to make education free for everyone. This little story will mirror the big picture of my country. I knew the first youth Orchestra started during the 90's in Curanilahue so I start asking who belonged to that Orchestra.
Then one day Melody appeared. She was working as an Orchestra teacher herself for the Chilean Youth Orchestras Foundation. From then on everything was a mix of luck and the beauty of the always giving Universe. Approaching the Sundance challenge, I knew I wanted to tell the story about a woman and a girl, both musicians, I wanted the story of them to mirror each other. I spoke to Melody on a Tuesday by Skype and I flew to shoot her on Thursday because she was having the big concert that appears at the end of the film that same Sunday. I knew I have to shoot that event. The first day I arrived I asked Melody to introduce me to all her girls between 8 and 12 that played in her Orchestra. I took them all to a nearby gym and interview them about how they felt about music. Georgina struck me for her determination and hunger for music. When I told Melody I picked Geo, she asked why and I said I could see in her eyes she wanted music more than anything.
Only then the story of Geo was revealed to me, how she was living with Melody as a "daughter". I didn't know they were connected when I picked them separately and the story of both of them was more powerful than anything I could ever have imagined. When I was editing my editor told me: I think I have heard the name Melody before, I think a friend of mine did a short film in the nineties with a girl named Melody... we contacted the filmmaker and again another amazing gift: there she was, Melody on film, at 10 years old. That ended up closing the circle of the story. It was a beautiful experience to say the least.
LatinoBuzz: The voice over is spoken in such a wonderful manner you would think Melody and Georgina are thinking aloud to themselves or to anyone who may listen. What was the process of that?
Marialy: When I approached the documentary I knew I wanted the short to have a poetic feel to it, like Hiroshima Mon Amour or Miguel Gomes Redemption. I recorded hours of interview with both of them, I reviewed the material, I edited the conversations and then we went back with Melody and Geo to all the subjects so we will use their words and experience but sounding like a stream of consciousness, we recorded that and it was the final voice over of the film.
LatinoBuzz: Did you enjoy making a documentary as much as you do a narrative?
Marialy: Oh my God they are so exciting in such different ways. With the documentary it felt all the time like a gift, I was just there watching an amazing story unravel, these diamonds were there ready to shine and I just needed to pay attention. It is also a lot of improvisation, trust in the moment, to go where the story is taking you, you have to be present at all times. And wow, the places they can take you. At least this is how this experience felt to me. I liked the smaller crew. I liked the fact that the scripts builds itself as you go But I also think It Is So Incredibly Hard!!! This was a short film and I was lucky that everything flowed almost in a magical way but I can see how hard a feature documentary can be, building the trust, waiting, being there, I really think documentary filmmakers are heroes.
LatinoBuzz: You start the next film this week? Can you tell us a little bit about it?
Marialy: I can tell you that I feel like I am gonna start escalating the Everest and I know I need more weeks of training and more weeks to arrive to the top but it's now or never. Movies in Latin America and probably at this point everywhere in the world except Hollywood and Bollywood are always lacking money. I would give everything for one more week of preproduction and one more week of shooting. But what we have I have to make it work, so I will leap into the void hoping I will be able to make it. Are we ever ready to anything I wonder? Maybe I keep telling this to myself to not go crazy.
LatinoBuzz: Do you hope your film can open eyes in Chile to further enhance children’s education through the arts?
Marialy: Oh yes I wish it could. Kids are everything, they are so willing to learn and grow in all the possible ways and it is our duty as adults to open a world of opportunities to them. They can all make it and the arts introduce amazing values in the children. Creativity and Discipline in the same extent. Enjoy the music you play but also experience the tremendous effort to play it well. I think like sound pretty similar to life no?
LatinoBuzz: The closing shot of them is gorgeous. My favorite. They look like sisters and you feel the love formed between them. What is their relationship today?
Marialy: The have formed a family. A family with their own rules and timings, but a family. When I was shooting them, they used to only make jokes about music and talk long about composers. It’s true they are like sisters maybe even more than an "adoptive mom", they love each other profoundly and this love is what you see piercing the screen. They admire each other, they support each other. It is profoundly beautiful.
Follow Marialy on the twittersphere @marialy_rivas
Written by Juan Caceres . LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow [At]LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook...
- 2/13/2015
- by Juan Caceres
- Sydney's Buzz
September 11 marked a very different occasion in Chile. It was 40 years ago that a CIA backed military operation ousted a democratically elected president and launched 17 years of fear and violence on the nation. Chilean artists only survived if they went in to exile and film schools were closed. Expression wasn't encouraged so it's incredible that today these Chilenos and Chilenas have a voice and have made such an impact on the international film landscape.
They came through the dictatorship and have an admiration and camaraderie with one another that inspires each other with an unbreakable bond. Today is Chilean Independence day and we wanted to ask these filmmakers who has inspired them. As a Chileno, I dedicate this to my mother.
Nicolas Lopez - Aftershock
Inspiration: Woody Allen, Alex de la Iglesia, Santiago Segura, Quentin Tarantino, Todd Solondz.
Sebastián Lelio - Gloria
Inspiration: John Cassavetes, Francois Truffaut, Raoul Ruiz, Pier Palo Pasolini, Roberto Rossellini.
Read SydneysBuzz interview with Sebastián Leilo Here
Alice Scherson - Il Futuro
Inspiration: Michelangelo Antonioni, Agnes Varda, Hal Hartley, Alfred Hitchcock, Raul Ruiz.
Marialy Rivas - Joven Y Alocada
Inspiration: Jean Luc Godard, Wim Wenders, Lars Von Trier, Alfred Hitchcock, Antonioni
“I'm going with the classics being cinema such a young art, no?”
Cristian Jimenez - Bonsai
Inspiration: Aki Kaurismaki, Nicholas Ray, Raúl Ruiz, Yasujiro Ozu, Jan Svankmajer
Che Sandoval - Te creís la más linda... (Pero erís la más puta)
Inspiration: Jim Jarmush, John Casavettes, Andrew Bujalsky, John Houston, Jean Luc Godard
Matias Lira - Drama
Inspiration: Werner Herzog, Luchino Visconti, John Cassavetes, David Lynch, Lars Von Trier (From Chile: Raul Ruiz, Andres Wood, Pablo Larrain, Ignacio Agüero, Patricio Guzman)
Rodrigo Marin - Zoologico
Inspiration: Ruben Ostlund, Ulrich Seidl, Yorghos Lanthimos, Cristian Jimenez, James Grey
Ernesto Diaz Espinoza – Santiago Violenta
Inspiration: Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Takeshi Kitano, Alfred Hitchcock
Maria Jose San Martin – La Ducha
Inspiration: Woody Allen, Michael Haneke, Martin Rejim, Rodrigo Garcia, John Cassavetes
Another recent notable Chilean film is The Summer of Flying Fish by Marcela Said
Read Sydney's interview with Marcela Said during Tiff Here
Read our review for the film Here...
They came through the dictatorship and have an admiration and camaraderie with one another that inspires each other with an unbreakable bond. Today is Chilean Independence day and we wanted to ask these filmmakers who has inspired them. As a Chileno, I dedicate this to my mother.
Nicolas Lopez - Aftershock
Inspiration: Woody Allen, Alex de la Iglesia, Santiago Segura, Quentin Tarantino, Todd Solondz.
Sebastián Lelio - Gloria
Inspiration: John Cassavetes, Francois Truffaut, Raoul Ruiz, Pier Palo Pasolini, Roberto Rossellini.
Read SydneysBuzz interview with Sebastián Leilo Here
Alice Scherson - Il Futuro
Inspiration: Michelangelo Antonioni, Agnes Varda, Hal Hartley, Alfred Hitchcock, Raul Ruiz.
Marialy Rivas - Joven Y Alocada
Inspiration: Jean Luc Godard, Wim Wenders, Lars Von Trier, Alfred Hitchcock, Antonioni
“I'm going with the classics being cinema such a young art, no?”
Cristian Jimenez - Bonsai
Inspiration: Aki Kaurismaki, Nicholas Ray, Raúl Ruiz, Yasujiro Ozu, Jan Svankmajer
Che Sandoval - Te creís la más linda... (Pero erís la más puta)
Inspiration: Jim Jarmush, John Casavettes, Andrew Bujalsky, John Houston, Jean Luc Godard
Matias Lira - Drama
Inspiration: Werner Herzog, Luchino Visconti, John Cassavetes, David Lynch, Lars Von Trier (From Chile: Raul Ruiz, Andres Wood, Pablo Larrain, Ignacio Agüero, Patricio Guzman)
Rodrigo Marin - Zoologico
Inspiration: Ruben Ostlund, Ulrich Seidl, Yorghos Lanthimos, Cristian Jimenez, James Grey
Ernesto Diaz Espinoza – Santiago Violenta
Inspiration: Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Takeshi Kitano, Alfred Hitchcock
Maria Jose San Martin – La Ducha
Inspiration: Woody Allen, Michael Haneke, Martin Rejim, Rodrigo Garcia, John Cassavetes
Another recent notable Chilean film is The Summer of Flying Fish by Marcela Said
Read Sydney's interview with Marcela Said during Tiff Here
Read our review for the film Here...
- 9/18/2013
- by Juan Caceres
- Sydney's Buzz
A look back at 2012 reveals an undeniable fact, it has been a great year for Latino film. Sundance started the year off strong with films like Aurora Guerrero’s sweet and tender Mosquita y Mari and Marialy Rivas’ rambunctious Joven y Alocada (Young & Wild). Gina Rodriguez broke out in Filly Brown, as a rapper who needs to make it big so she can raise money to get her mom out of jail. In the film, Jenni Rivera played the part of Filly’s mom in her first, and sadly last, movie role.
There was also a strong Latin American presence at Cannes this past summer, boasting films from Mexico, Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina. It might as well have been called Mexi-Cannes, with Mexican films winning awards across all main sections of the festival. Carlos Reygadas was honored as the Best Director for his controversial film Post Tenebras Lux, despite having received boos at its premiere screening. The prize for the Critics’ Week section went to Aquí y Allá (Here and There) and Después de Lucía (After Lucia) won the top prize for Un Certain Regard.
It’s been an especially favorable year for Chilean cinema. The New York Film Festival, in its 50th edition this past Fall, included three highly anticipated films by Pablo Larraín, Valeria Sarmiento, and the late Raúl Ruiz. And Chile continued to outshine the rest of the region by winning two top spots at the Festival Internacional de Nuevo Cine Latino de La Habana (the Havana Film Festival) just a few days ago. Pablo Larraín’s No, starring Gael Garcia Bernal, won the First Coral Prize. It’s a brilliant take on the real life story of an advertising campaign that ousted General Pinochet from power during a shining moment in Chilean politics. Violeta se fue a los cielos (Violeta Went To Heaven), a biopic about internationally famous Violeta de la Parra, a Chilean singer, songwriter, and poet won the Second Prize.
Whether it was at Cannes, Sundance, or countless other festivals, Latino films were winning award after award this year and even getting distribution (albeit usually in limited release). With the flurry of activity surrounding the region’s filmmaking, it can be hard to keep up with it all. Thankfully, there are professionals who get paid to keep track of what movies are receiving accolades, have the most buzz, and got picked up for distribution. LatinoBuzz went straight to the experts, film programmers, to ask, “What’s your top 5 Latino films of 2012?”
Carlos Gutierrez, Co-Founder and Director of Cinema Tropical
In no particular order, a list of five Latin American films that made it to Us screens in the past year (some of them are a couple of years old), which I highly recommend.
De Jueves a Domingo (Thursday Till Sunday), Director: Dominga Sotomayor, Chile
O Som ao Redor (Neighboring Sounds), Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho, Brazil
El Estudiante, Director: Santiago Mitre, Argentina
El Velador, Director: Natalia Almada, Mexico
El Lugar Más Pequeño (The Tiniest Place), Director: Tatiana Huezo, Mexico/El Salvador
Juan Caceres, Director of Programming at the New York International Latino Film Festival
Mosquita y Mari is a gorgeous film full of heart. Marialy Rivas (Director of Joven y Alocada) is an incredibly exciting new voice in Latin American cinema. She's fearless and full of love. I'm a huge fan of Lucy Mulloy (Director of Una Noche). She draws these wonderful performances from non-professional actors. A natural at using the lens to tell a story. In Las Malas Intenciones Fatima Buntinx plays the lead perfectly. Andres Wood made a beautiful film called 'Machuca', that captured the soul of Chile in the 70's and he does the same with a bio-pic of Violeta Parra, a folk singer who was a part of 'La Nueva Canción Chilena'.
Mosquita y Mari, Director: Aurora Guerrero, USA
Joven y Alocada (Young and Wild), Director: Marialy Rivas, Chile
Una Noche, Director: Lucy Mulloy, Cuba
Violeta Se Fue A Los Cielos (Violeta Went to Heaven), Director: Andrés Wood, Chile
Las Malas Intenciones (The Bad Intentions), Director: Rosario García-Montero, Perú
Christine Davila, Programming Associate at Sundance Film Festival
There are way too many Latino films and not enough coverage on American Latino films so with that -- mine are going to be strictly American Latino films.
Los Chidos, Director: Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, USA/Mexico
Mosquita y Mari, Director: Aurora Guerrero, USA
Elliot Loves, Director: Terracino, USA
Aquí y Allá (Here and There), Director: Antonio Méndez Esparza, USA/Spain/Mexico
Love, Concord, Director: Gustavo Guardado, USA
Lisa Franek, Artistic Director at the San Diego Latino Film Festival
Just 5?? That's tough! In Filly Brown, Gina Rodriguez turns in a great performance, and I expect to see more great things from her very soon. No, I saw at Cannes, and it was fascinating, especially in contrast to Larraín's previous (amazing) films. La Hora Cero has unforgettable scenes and characters! La Mujer de Ivan has amazing acting, and I believe Maria de Los Angeles Garcia is definitely a talent to watch. Reportero is also fantastic.
La Mujer de Iván, Director: Francisca Silva, Chile
No, Director: Pablo Larraín, Chile/France/USA
La Hora Cero, Director: Diego Velasco, Venezuela
Reportero, Director: Bernardo Ruiz, USA/Mexico
Filly Brown, Directors: Youssef Delara, Michael D. Olmos, USA
Marcela Goglio, Programmer for Latinbeat at The Film Society of Lincoln Center
Las Acacias, Director: Pablo Giorgelli, Argentina
As Cançoes (Songs), Director: Eduardo Coutinho, Brazil
Unfinished Spaces, Directors: Alyssa Nahmias & Benjamin Murray, USA
O Som ao Redor (Neighboring Sounds), Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho, Brazil
Aquí y Allá (Here and There), Director: Antonio Méndez Esparza, USA/Spain/Mexico
Pepe Vargas, Executive Director of the International Latino Cultural Center and Chicago Latino Film Festival
Not an easy task to come up with 5 titles - there are so many good movies.
La Piel que Habito (The Skin I Live In)
Director: Pedro Almodóvar, Spain
Salvando al Soldado Pérez, (Saving Private Perez)
Director: Beto Gómez, Mexico
Un Cuento Chino (Chinese Take-Out)
Director: Sebastián Borensztein, Argentina/Spain
Lobos de Arga (Game of Werewolves)
Director: Juan Martínez Moreno, Spain
Mariachi Gringo
Director: Tom Gustafson, USA/Mexico
Amalia Cordova, Coordinator of the Latin American Program at the Film and Video Center of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian
Granito, Director: Pamela Yates, USA/Guatemala/Spain
Desterro Guarani, Directors: Patricia Ferreira y Ariel Duarte Ortega, Brazil
Violeta Se Fue A Los Cielos (Violeta Went to Heaven), Director: Andrés Wood, Chile
5 x Favela – Agora por nós Mesmos (5 x Favela, Now by Ourselves), Directors: Manaíra Carneiro, Wagner Novais, Cacau Amaral, Rodrigo Felha, Luciano Vidigal, Cadu Barcelos, and Luciana Bezerra, Brazil
Un Cuento Chino (Chinese Take-Out), Director: Sebastián Borensztein, Argentina/Spain
Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on twitter.
There was also a strong Latin American presence at Cannes this past summer, boasting films from Mexico, Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina. It might as well have been called Mexi-Cannes, with Mexican films winning awards across all main sections of the festival. Carlos Reygadas was honored as the Best Director for his controversial film Post Tenebras Lux, despite having received boos at its premiere screening. The prize for the Critics’ Week section went to Aquí y Allá (Here and There) and Después de Lucía (After Lucia) won the top prize for Un Certain Regard.
It’s been an especially favorable year for Chilean cinema. The New York Film Festival, in its 50th edition this past Fall, included three highly anticipated films by Pablo Larraín, Valeria Sarmiento, and the late Raúl Ruiz. And Chile continued to outshine the rest of the region by winning two top spots at the Festival Internacional de Nuevo Cine Latino de La Habana (the Havana Film Festival) just a few days ago. Pablo Larraín’s No, starring Gael Garcia Bernal, won the First Coral Prize. It’s a brilliant take on the real life story of an advertising campaign that ousted General Pinochet from power during a shining moment in Chilean politics. Violeta se fue a los cielos (Violeta Went To Heaven), a biopic about internationally famous Violeta de la Parra, a Chilean singer, songwriter, and poet won the Second Prize.
Whether it was at Cannes, Sundance, or countless other festivals, Latino films were winning award after award this year and even getting distribution (albeit usually in limited release). With the flurry of activity surrounding the region’s filmmaking, it can be hard to keep up with it all. Thankfully, there are professionals who get paid to keep track of what movies are receiving accolades, have the most buzz, and got picked up for distribution. LatinoBuzz went straight to the experts, film programmers, to ask, “What’s your top 5 Latino films of 2012?”
Carlos Gutierrez, Co-Founder and Director of Cinema Tropical
In no particular order, a list of five Latin American films that made it to Us screens in the past year (some of them are a couple of years old), which I highly recommend.
De Jueves a Domingo (Thursday Till Sunday), Director: Dominga Sotomayor, Chile
O Som ao Redor (Neighboring Sounds), Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho, Brazil
El Estudiante, Director: Santiago Mitre, Argentina
El Velador, Director: Natalia Almada, Mexico
El Lugar Más Pequeño (The Tiniest Place), Director: Tatiana Huezo, Mexico/El Salvador
Juan Caceres, Director of Programming at the New York International Latino Film Festival
Mosquita y Mari is a gorgeous film full of heart. Marialy Rivas (Director of Joven y Alocada) is an incredibly exciting new voice in Latin American cinema. She's fearless and full of love. I'm a huge fan of Lucy Mulloy (Director of Una Noche). She draws these wonderful performances from non-professional actors. A natural at using the lens to tell a story. In Las Malas Intenciones Fatima Buntinx plays the lead perfectly. Andres Wood made a beautiful film called 'Machuca', that captured the soul of Chile in the 70's and he does the same with a bio-pic of Violeta Parra, a folk singer who was a part of 'La Nueva Canción Chilena'.
Mosquita y Mari, Director: Aurora Guerrero, USA
Joven y Alocada (Young and Wild), Director: Marialy Rivas, Chile
Una Noche, Director: Lucy Mulloy, Cuba
Violeta Se Fue A Los Cielos (Violeta Went to Heaven), Director: Andrés Wood, Chile
Las Malas Intenciones (The Bad Intentions), Director: Rosario García-Montero, Perú
Christine Davila, Programming Associate at Sundance Film Festival
There are way too many Latino films and not enough coverage on American Latino films so with that -- mine are going to be strictly American Latino films.
Los Chidos, Director: Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, USA/Mexico
Mosquita y Mari, Director: Aurora Guerrero, USA
Elliot Loves, Director: Terracino, USA
Aquí y Allá (Here and There), Director: Antonio Méndez Esparza, USA/Spain/Mexico
Love, Concord, Director: Gustavo Guardado, USA
Lisa Franek, Artistic Director at the San Diego Latino Film Festival
Just 5?? That's tough! In Filly Brown, Gina Rodriguez turns in a great performance, and I expect to see more great things from her very soon. No, I saw at Cannes, and it was fascinating, especially in contrast to Larraín's previous (amazing) films. La Hora Cero has unforgettable scenes and characters! La Mujer de Ivan has amazing acting, and I believe Maria de Los Angeles Garcia is definitely a talent to watch. Reportero is also fantastic.
La Mujer de Iván, Director: Francisca Silva, Chile
No, Director: Pablo Larraín, Chile/France/USA
La Hora Cero, Director: Diego Velasco, Venezuela
Reportero, Director: Bernardo Ruiz, USA/Mexico
Filly Brown, Directors: Youssef Delara, Michael D. Olmos, USA
Marcela Goglio, Programmer for Latinbeat at The Film Society of Lincoln Center
Las Acacias, Director: Pablo Giorgelli, Argentina
As Cançoes (Songs), Director: Eduardo Coutinho, Brazil
Unfinished Spaces, Directors: Alyssa Nahmias & Benjamin Murray, USA
O Som ao Redor (Neighboring Sounds), Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho, Brazil
Aquí y Allá (Here and There), Director: Antonio Méndez Esparza, USA/Spain/Mexico
Pepe Vargas, Executive Director of the International Latino Cultural Center and Chicago Latino Film Festival
Not an easy task to come up with 5 titles - there are so many good movies.
La Piel que Habito (The Skin I Live In)
Director: Pedro Almodóvar, Spain
Salvando al Soldado Pérez, (Saving Private Perez)
Director: Beto Gómez, Mexico
Un Cuento Chino (Chinese Take-Out)
Director: Sebastián Borensztein, Argentina/Spain
Lobos de Arga (Game of Werewolves)
Director: Juan Martínez Moreno, Spain
Mariachi Gringo
Director: Tom Gustafson, USA/Mexico
Amalia Cordova, Coordinator of the Latin American Program at the Film and Video Center of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian
Granito, Director: Pamela Yates, USA/Guatemala/Spain
Desterro Guarani, Directors: Patricia Ferreira y Ariel Duarte Ortega, Brazil
Violeta Se Fue A Los Cielos (Violeta Went to Heaven), Director: Andrés Wood, Chile
5 x Favela – Agora por nós Mesmos (5 x Favela, Now by Ourselves), Directors: Manaíra Carneiro, Wagner Novais, Cacau Amaral, Rodrigo Felha, Luciano Vidigal, Cadu Barcelos, and Luciana Bezerra, Brazil
Un Cuento Chino (Chinese Take-Out), Director: Sebastián Borensztein, Argentina/Spain
Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on twitter.
- 12/19/2012
- by Vanessa Erazo
- Sydney's Buzz
Who wins the World Cinema Screenwriting Award at Sundance and accepts it with: “I don’t speak very well English, but I want to say thanks and have a lot of sex”? Marialy Rivas does. That’s how dope she is. Marialy is part of a new generation of Chilean filmmakers such as Pablo Larrain, Cristian Jimenez, Dominga Sotomayor and Alicia Scherson, that are a re-birth in the country’s cinema much like La Nouvelle Vague. It’s provocative, daring, exciting and it’s especially non conforming. Her feature debut, the hyperactive and sexy ‘Joven Y Alocada’ (‘Young And Wild’)(Isa: Elle Driver) had its New York premiere recently at NewFest.
LatinoBuzz:How can you best describe the wave of young daring filmmakers that are coming out of Chile? Where did it come from? And is it a result of a generation of artists that were born under the dictatorship?
Marialy Rivas:I think that we had great Chilean filmmakers during the 70's that where killed during the dictatorship, only a few like Raul Ruiz or Patricio Guzman survived but they were exiled or they move to other countries in fear for their lives. All Cinema Schools were closed. Somehow, after more than 20 years of democracy, finally there is a new wave of filmmakers able to reconnect with those voices that were erased from our lives. The support of the State through grants (that mostly seeks a strong art proposal), the fact that we are all first timers and that there is no "industry" in the country has two consequences that I guess are resulting in a good mix; in one hand we are very free because we have no proper training or the pressures to answer to any kind of industry standard and at the same time because our country is small and so far away we are very conscious that we have to have a loud and clear voice to speak to the world.
LatinoBuzz: Why film?
Marialy Rivas:Because I was never able to love anything else. When I was 7 years old I decided to become a filmmaker, it felt like a calling and I have pursued that calling my whole life. In retrospective I think it had a lot to do with the fact that my parents around that age kicked off the TV from the house so I started going to the movies, any kind of movies three times a weeks. I remember being 10 or 12 and going alone to watch an American blockbuster like "No Retreat, No Surrender" and the next day Andrey Tarkovskiy's ‘Offret’. It felt like a ritual, like something so personal and intimate that was only mine, it was like being in love.
LatinoBuzz:If you could re-make a film which is it and who do you cast?
Marialy Rivas:I would do Saló all over again with American indie stars like Carey Mulligan, Fassbender, Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Gosling so they get fully naked all together once and for all.
LatinoBuzz:If two filmmakers were lovers and named their child Marialy Rivas, who are they?
Marialy Rivas: I wish my dad was Godard and my mom Leni Riefenstahl (scary) or a fantastic mom can also be Gus Van Sant.
LatinoBuzz:What song describes you best?
MarialyRivas: A mash up between ‘Gracias a la Vida’ by Violeta Parra and ‘Erotica’ by Madonna.
LatinoBuzz: Is there a film from your childhood that you thought was great but in retrospect was so goddamn awful?
Marialy Rivas:I was in love with Footloose, the story of this guy rebelling against the town religious craziness just killed me. I watched again with a friend like a week ago and realized that it wasn’t as good as in my memory, specially the camera and the light work. I keep loving the story and the dance scenes though.
I also used to watch “The Sound of Music” once a week on my neighbors house, we did planed to make it as a musical with all the kids from the Neighborhood. That one I still love very much.
LatinoBuzz:When you make a film, are you thinking about receiving acceptance?
Marialy Rivas:I think the experience of cinema is not complete till it arrives to an audience, is the coronation of the experience; you are ultimately having a conversation with them. I moved to NY for a couple of years and I remember being in the middle of the street standing up between hundreds of people passing me by. I kept thinking, we are crossing each other for this split tiny second and never again, I felt like hugging each one of them. And there I thought, “I hope that when I make a movie I will be able to reach out to most of them.
Acceptance is not what I think about though, I fall in love with the stories, madly in love and I can't think or do anything else, but I do wanna connect with an audience at the end, to show them the beauty I saw in the story to begin with, to provoke them, to communicate with them in as many ways as possible.
LatinoBuzz:What was the happiest moment in your life?
Marialy Rivas: Uff, so many. I am a very happy person I must say. If I have to summarize I can recount three:
1. The first time I had sex.
2. When they called me from Cannes to tell me I was being selected in the official competition with my short film ‘Blokes’.
3. When I was driving home after my last birthday this April and this feeling of perfection suddenly hit me. It was like a state of grace. Nothing in particular triggered it, I wasn’t drunk or high, I just realized how wonderful my life was and I was so deeply grateful and in joy for it that I stay up till 10am looking at the ceiling crying and smiling (again I don’t drink or do drugs and I’m not a hippie either).
LatinoBuzz: Let’s say Pablo Neruda and Matilde invited you over to their home on La Isla Negra. Who’s your date and what wine do you take?
Marialy Rivas: I imagine taking a modern version of Amelia Earhart with the face and body of Greta Garbo (yes, I aim high) and Vino Navegado, a Chilean preparation of hot wine, orange, cinnamon and more, to be able to actually drink it.
LatinoBuzz: Five years from now people will people say about Marialy?
Marialy Rivas: Wow, I wish they were talking at least about two more movies that I have done. Ah! And: How hot and smart her wife is and such beautiful kids!
For info on ‘Joven Y Alocada’ visit: www.facebook.com/jovenyalocadalapelicula
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 @LatinoBuzz on twitter.
LatinoBuzz:How can you best describe the wave of young daring filmmakers that are coming out of Chile? Where did it come from? And is it a result of a generation of artists that were born under the dictatorship?
Marialy Rivas:I think that we had great Chilean filmmakers during the 70's that where killed during the dictatorship, only a few like Raul Ruiz or Patricio Guzman survived but they were exiled or they move to other countries in fear for their lives. All Cinema Schools were closed. Somehow, after more than 20 years of democracy, finally there is a new wave of filmmakers able to reconnect with those voices that were erased from our lives. The support of the State through grants (that mostly seeks a strong art proposal), the fact that we are all first timers and that there is no "industry" in the country has two consequences that I guess are resulting in a good mix; in one hand we are very free because we have no proper training or the pressures to answer to any kind of industry standard and at the same time because our country is small and so far away we are very conscious that we have to have a loud and clear voice to speak to the world.
LatinoBuzz: Why film?
Marialy Rivas:Because I was never able to love anything else. When I was 7 years old I decided to become a filmmaker, it felt like a calling and I have pursued that calling my whole life. In retrospective I think it had a lot to do with the fact that my parents around that age kicked off the TV from the house so I started going to the movies, any kind of movies three times a weeks. I remember being 10 or 12 and going alone to watch an American blockbuster like "No Retreat, No Surrender" and the next day Andrey Tarkovskiy's ‘Offret’. It felt like a ritual, like something so personal and intimate that was only mine, it was like being in love.
LatinoBuzz:If you could re-make a film which is it and who do you cast?
Marialy Rivas:I would do Saló all over again with American indie stars like Carey Mulligan, Fassbender, Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Gosling so they get fully naked all together once and for all.
LatinoBuzz:If two filmmakers were lovers and named their child Marialy Rivas, who are they?
Marialy Rivas: I wish my dad was Godard and my mom Leni Riefenstahl (scary) or a fantastic mom can also be Gus Van Sant.
LatinoBuzz:What song describes you best?
MarialyRivas: A mash up between ‘Gracias a la Vida’ by Violeta Parra and ‘Erotica’ by Madonna.
LatinoBuzz: Is there a film from your childhood that you thought was great but in retrospect was so goddamn awful?
Marialy Rivas:I was in love with Footloose, the story of this guy rebelling against the town religious craziness just killed me. I watched again with a friend like a week ago and realized that it wasn’t as good as in my memory, specially the camera and the light work. I keep loving the story and the dance scenes though.
I also used to watch “The Sound of Music” once a week on my neighbors house, we did planed to make it as a musical with all the kids from the Neighborhood. That one I still love very much.
LatinoBuzz:When you make a film, are you thinking about receiving acceptance?
Marialy Rivas:I think the experience of cinema is not complete till it arrives to an audience, is the coronation of the experience; you are ultimately having a conversation with them. I moved to NY for a couple of years and I remember being in the middle of the street standing up between hundreds of people passing me by. I kept thinking, we are crossing each other for this split tiny second and never again, I felt like hugging each one of them. And there I thought, “I hope that when I make a movie I will be able to reach out to most of them.
Acceptance is not what I think about though, I fall in love with the stories, madly in love and I can't think or do anything else, but I do wanna connect with an audience at the end, to show them the beauty I saw in the story to begin with, to provoke them, to communicate with them in as many ways as possible.
LatinoBuzz:What was the happiest moment in your life?
Marialy Rivas: Uff, so many. I am a very happy person I must say. If I have to summarize I can recount three:
1. The first time I had sex.
2. When they called me from Cannes to tell me I was being selected in the official competition with my short film ‘Blokes’.
3. When I was driving home after my last birthday this April and this feeling of perfection suddenly hit me. It was like a state of grace. Nothing in particular triggered it, I wasn’t drunk or high, I just realized how wonderful my life was and I was so deeply grateful and in joy for it that I stay up till 10am looking at the ceiling crying and smiling (again I don’t drink or do drugs and I’m not a hippie either).
LatinoBuzz: Let’s say Pablo Neruda and Matilde invited you over to their home on La Isla Negra. Who’s your date and what wine do you take?
Marialy Rivas: I imagine taking a modern version of Amelia Earhart with the face and body of Greta Garbo (yes, I aim high) and Vino Navegado, a Chilean preparation of hot wine, orange, cinnamon and more, to be able to actually drink it.
LatinoBuzz: Five years from now people will people say about Marialy?
Marialy Rivas: Wow, I wish they were talking at least about two more movies that I have done. Ah! And: How hot and smart her wife is and such beautiful kids!
For info on ‘Joven Y Alocada’ visit: www.facebook.com/jovenyalocadalapelicula
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 @LatinoBuzz on twitter.
- 8/8/2012
- by Juan Caceres
- Sydney's Buzz
There are thousands of film festivals all over the world. Some are prestigious and well known--taking place in large cities across Europe and the U.S.--others in out-of-the-way towns that no one has ever heard of. These festivals show all kinds of films--from a range countries, on various topics and of many genres.
Often the films tend to be heavy on stories from the U.S.and Europe--focusing on the developed world and centering on mainstream populations. Generally speaking, they showcase films directed by men and about people who are White, straight, and well-off. As a result there are countless specialty festivals--Latino, Asian, African, and others--whose objective is to feature the talents of marginalized filmmakers. But even at a niche festival there are groups which continue to be underrepresented. At a Latino film festival it’s not always easy to find films that are Jewish, gay, indigenous, Afro-Latino or about Latin American immigrants from unexpected countries like Japan or Germany. Granted there aren’t as many movies made about these populations but--on the bright side--this year has proven to be a bountiful one for Latino Lgbt films. They have played renowned mainstream festivals like Sundance and Berlin and are making the rounds at gay festivals. It’s about time.
Mosquita y Mari (Isa: The Film Collaborative)
Aurora Guerrero
USA, 2011, 85 min
“This Sundance favorite is a sweet and genuine film about two Chicana high schoolers, Yolanda, a shy, straight-a student, and Mari, her “bad girl” classmate. Yolanda offers to tutor the feisty and hot troublemaker. As she and Mari study and share their intimate thoughts in an abandoned auto body shop, their feelings inevitably get deeper, furtive glances grow longer, and Yolanda starts to come into her own. Aurora Guerrero’s debut feature takes a tender look at what it’s like to discover yourself and fall in love for the first time.”
Olhe Pra Mim de Novo (LookatMeAgain) (Isa:FiGa Films)
Kiko Goifman, Claudia Priscilla
Brazil, 2011, 72 min
trailer: http://www.moma.org/explore/multimedia/videos/221/1116
“Syllvio Luccio, born a girl, grew to identify as a lesbian then finally a man, embarks on a road trip through Northeastern Brazil, a region characterized by rigid ideas rooted in evangelical religion and machismo. Syllvio engages with outsiders of different backgrounds on the road, including Lgbt youth, a man whose paternity is questioned by his family and a group of adults afflicted with a genetic disease. Directors Kiko Goifman and Claudia Priscilla draw candid testimony from their subjects to construct a moving portrait of an individual and exploration of outsider culture.”
Elliot Loves (Isa: Tla Releasing)
Terracino
USA, 2011, 92 min
trailer: http://vimeo.com/38051803
“Finding love in the big city is never easy. But it’s always entertaining in this bouncy romantic comedy from first time feature director Terracino. Elliot is an earnest twenty-one year-old Dominican American looking for love in all the wrong places. The juxtaposition of Elliot’s past and present paints a sweet, complex character study of a young gay man trying to find love and meaning in the big city. Wild visual nuances, surprising fantasy interludes and a non-traditional approach to just about every aspect of filmmaking make this a must see for connoisseurs of brave new cinema.”
Joven y Alocada (Young& Wild) (Isa: Elle Driver)
Marialy Rivas
Chile, 2012, 96 min
“Seventeen-year-old Daniela is obsessed with sex. But her self-proclaimed “pussy in flames” is in direct conflict with her well-to-do, strict evangelical family in Santiago, Chile. She finds an outlet by detailing her naughty ruminations and exploits on her blog Young & Wild to her eager online followers. Marialy Rivas masterfully directs her first feature, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and picked up the World Cinema Screenwriting Award. Rooted in a fearless and unforgettable performance by Alicia Rodríguez, Young & Wild is a stunning, energetic look at family and youth culture in contemporary Chile.”
Four
Joshua Sanchez
USA, 2012, 75 min
“An adaptation of Pulitzer prize finalist Christopher Shinn's first play of the same name, Four is both an emotional and urgent glimpse into the lives of four troubled and fascinating individuals. As the world around them celebrates the 4th of July with fireworks and festivity, a closeted married man, his young daughter, a gay teen, and a minor drug dealer haltingly negotiate one-night affairs. Filmmaker, author and artist Joshua Sanchez opens typical expectations of race and gender, reading Shinn’s drama with an intensity, candor, and carnality.”
Film Synopses taken from Frameline: The San Francisco International Lgbt Festival and OutFest: The Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.
Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzzthat 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.
Often the films tend to be heavy on stories from the U.S.and Europe--focusing on the developed world and centering on mainstream populations. Generally speaking, they showcase films directed by men and about people who are White, straight, and well-off. As a result there are countless specialty festivals--Latino, Asian, African, and others--whose objective is to feature the talents of marginalized filmmakers. But even at a niche festival there are groups which continue to be underrepresented. At a Latino film festival it’s not always easy to find films that are Jewish, gay, indigenous, Afro-Latino or about Latin American immigrants from unexpected countries like Japan or Germany. Granted there aren’t as many movies made about these populations but--on the bright side--this year has proven to be a bountiful one for Latino Lgbt films. They have played renowned mainstream festivals like Sundance and Berlin and are making the rounds at gay festivals. It’s about time.
Mosquita y Mari (Isa: The Film Collaborative)
Aurora Guerrero
USA, 2011, 85 min
“This Sundance favorite is a sweet and genuine film about two Chicana high schoolers, Yolanda, a shy, straight-a student, and Mari, her “bad girl” classmate. Yolanda offers to tutor the feisty and hot troublemaker. As she and Mari study and share their intimate thoughts in an abandoned auto body shop, their feelings inevitably get deeper, furtive glances grow longer, and Yolanda starts to come into her own. Aurora Guerrero’s debut feature takes a tender look at what it’s like to discover yourself and fall in love for the first time.”
Olhe Pra Mim de Novo (LookatMeAgain) (Isa:FiGa Films)
Kiko Goifman, Claudia Priscilla
Brazil, 2011, 72 min
trailer: http://www.moma.org/explore/multimedia/videos/221/1116
“Syllvio Luccio, born a girl, grew to identify as a lesbian then finally a man, embarks on a road trip through Northeastern Brazil, a region characterized by rigid ideas rooted in evangelical religion and machismo. Syllvio engages with outsiders of different backgrounds on the road, including Lgbt youth, a man whose paternity is questioned by his family and a group of adults afflicted with a genetic disease. Directors Kiko Goifman and Claudia Priscilla draw candid testimony from their subjects to construct a moving portrait of an individual and exploration of outsider culture.”
Elliot Loves (Isa: Tla Releasing)
Terracino
USA, 2011, 92 min
trailer: http://vimeo.com/38051803
“Finding love in the big city is never easy. But it’s always entertaining in this bouncy romantic comedy from first time feature director Terracino. Elliot is an earnest twenty-one year-old Dominican American looking for love in all the wrong places. The juxtaposition of Elliot’s past and present paints a sweet, complex character study of a young gay man trying to find love and meaning in the big city. Wild visual nuances, surprising fantasy interludes and a non-traditional approach to just about every aspect of filmmaking make this a must see for connoisseurs of brave new cinema.”
Joven y Alocada (Young& Wild) (Isa: Elle Driver)
Marialy Rivas
Chile, 2012, 96 min
“Seventeen-year-old Daniela is obsessed with sex. But her self-proclaimed “pussy in flames” is in direct conflict with her well-to-do, strict evangelical family in Santiago, Chile. She finds an outlet by detailing her naughty ruminations and exploits on her blog Young & Wild to her eager online followers. Marialy Rivas masterfully directs her first feature, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and picked up the World Cinema Screenwriting Award. Rooted in a fearless and unforgettable performance by Alicia Rodríguez, Young & Wild is a stunning, energetic look at family and youth culture in contemporary Chile.”
Four
Joshua Sanchez
USA, 2012, 75 min
“An adaptation of Pulitzer prize finalist Christopher Shinn's first play of the same name, Four is both an emotional and urgent glimpse into the lives of four troubled and fascinating individuals. As the world around them celebrates the 4th of July with fireworks and festivity, a closeted married man, his young daughter, a gay teen, and a minor drug dealer haltingly negotiate one-night affairs. Filmmaker, author and artist Joshua Sanchez opens typical expectations of race and gender, reading Shinn’s drama with an intensity, candor, and carnality.”
Film Synopses taken from Frameline: The San Francisco International Lgbt Festival and OutFest: The Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.
Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzzthat 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.
- 7/7/2012
- by Vanessa Erazo
- Sydney's Buzz
The all women French sales agent company based out of Paris oddly has 2/3rds of the New Wave Indian films featured on the Croisette this year in Vasan Bala’s Peddlers and the epic film Gangs of Wasseypur from helmer Anurag Kashyap (see pic above). We count four Sundance Film Festival films on their slate and the most noteworthy upcoming project comes from Cherin Dabis (Amreeka) – a Sundancer herself and her latest project, May in the Summer – the winner of the 2011 Sundance / Nhk International Filmmaker Award.
Mademoiselle C. by Fabien Constant
May In The Summer by Cherien Dabis
Painless by Juan Carlos Medina
28 Hotel Rooms by Matt Ross
A.C.A.B. (All Cops Are Bastards) by Stefano Sollima
Bachelorette by Leslye Headland
Black Rock by Katie Aselton
Bunker by Andres Baiz
Farewell My Queen (Les Adieux A La Reine) by Benoît Jacquot
Gangs Of Wasseypur by Anurag Kashyap
La...
Mademoiselle C. by Fabien Constant
May In The Summer by Cherien Dabis
Painless by Juan Carlos Medina
28 Hotel Rooms by Matt Ross
A.C.A.B. (All Cops Are Bastards) by Stefano Sollima
Bachelorette by Leslye Headland
Black Rock by Katie Aselton
Bunker by Andres Baiz
Farewell My Queen (Les Adieux A La Reine) by Benoît Jacquot
Gangs Of Wasseypur by Anurag Kashyap
La...
- 5/17/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
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