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| 09/01/2006 |
SIXTEEN FILMS COMPETE IN THE Horizontes Latinos HORIZONTES
SELECTION
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Sixteen films will compete in the San Sebastian International
Film Festival Horizontes Selection. The movies
participating in this showcase of the year’s Latin American
production will compete for the Horizontes Award going to the
best film in the Selection.
The Horizontes Selection includes ten films presented at some
point as a project in one of the Films in Progress calls, now
completed, and in some cases already having set out on promising
international careers, as is the case, for example, of El violín,
participant in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes 2006, or
La perrera, winner of the VPRO Tiger Award at Rotterdam Festival.
We will also be able to see others that are already well on the
road to international stardom, like El custodio, which competed
in the Official Selection at Berlin Festival, or Glue (a teenage
story in the middle of nowhere), presented at the Rotterdam and
Buenos Aires Festivals.
We will similarly be treated to a Horizontes special screening,
out-of-competition, of Román Chalbaud’s Venezuelan
movie, El Caracazo.
Lastly, Made in Spain will offer a carefully-made
selection of the most interesting Spanish productions of the year,
which, alongside some of the projects already announced and participating
in Films in Progress 10, will complete the three
parts of the Festival section totally dedicated to Spanish and
Latin American films, under the heading of Horizontes
Latinos. |
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OS 12 TRABALHOS (THE 12 LABOURS), Ricardo
Elías (Brazil)
A young boy tries to rebuild his life after having spent two years
in a remand home for car theft. His cousin lands him a trial job
with a parcel delivery service that he tackles with caution and
dedication. While there is no lack of dangers in the big city
neighbourhoods he is obliged to frequent, the boy uses his head
to avoid them. Opera prima fleeing the typical favela atmosphere
to uncover other aspects of the big city and offer an image far
from usual in Brazilian cinema. |
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EL CUSTODIO, Rodrigo Moreno (Argentina-Germany-France-Uruguay)
Portrait of a minister’s bodyguard who is obliged to follow
his ward wherever he goes, putting up with insults and long waits.
There’s no let up in his private life either, and his only
satisfaction is drawing portraits. One day the minister is attacked
and the bodyguard has to go into action. Particularly remarkable
distanced, subtle mise-en-scène and fine acting by the
hero. Presented in competition at the last Berlin Festival. |
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ESAS NO SON PENAS, Anahí Hoeneisen,
Daniel Andrade (Ecuador)
Out of touch for some time, four women, Marina, Tamara, Diana
and Elena, all of around 30 years of age, decide to meet with
a fifth and seriously ill friend with whom they went to school.
The dinner between friends serves as the setting for them to unveil
their problems, their frustrated illusions, their professional
and sentimental failures. A title from Film in Progress showing
the directors’ obvious talent for mise-en-scène and
directing actresses, all excellent. Completely finished, this
movie can be seen for the first time at San Sebastian. |
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FUERA DEL CIELO, Javier Patrón
“Fox” (Mexico)
The devastated urban landscape of Mexico City serves as the backdrop
for a day in the lives of a handful of people. Just out of jail,
Malboro is looking for his brother, Cucú, possibly responsible
for landing him behind bars. In 24 hours they’ll have time
to meet again and forgive one another, with the strange feeling
of being unable to escape a world dominated by violence. One of
the movies selected for Films in Construction 6, participant in
Guadalajara Festival this year. |
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GLUE (A TEENAGE STORY IN THE MIDDLE
OF NOWHERE), Alexis dos Santos (Argentina-UK)
Two young boys play and stroll unseparably. They organise a
weekend outing to Neuquen, where one of their fathers has a
flat. Although they’d love Andrea, a girl they fancy,
to accompany them, the girl’s parents won’t let
her go, and the young boys turn to blowing their minds away
with glue. The experience doesn’t go as planned, but there
will be other occasions. A film about teenagers made by teenagers,
focussing above all on portraying the characters. Screened at
the Rotterdam and Buenos Aires Festivals.
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LO MÁS BONITO Y MIS MEJORES AÑOS,
Martín Boulocq (Bolivia-USA)
Berto, who dreams of selling his car and buying a plane ticket
to Spain, and Victor, a videoclub assistant, are friends with
little in common. Victor smooth-talks women and shows Berto how
to get along with the other sex. Berto does his best, but without
much success. A film concentrating more on the characters than
on the story, on these exotic people who’re more than a
bit lost. A curious example of nervous, modern cinema from a country
like Bolivia, not often to be found on our cinema bills. |
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METEORO, Diego de la Texera (Brazil-Puerto
Rico-Venezuela)
In the late 60s, a group of men working on a new road from Rio
to Forteleza running through the middle of nowhere see their needs
somewhat relieved with the arrival of a bus full of female visitors
who soon find the men of their lives. The lack of resources due
to the crisis suffered by the country is compensated by the spotting
of a strange meteorite that crosses the sky at the most unexpected
moments. The three years required to complete this film were well
worth while on observing the amusement and freshness of the end
product. Discovered thanks to Films in Progress, this movie can
be seen for the first time at the San Sebastian Festival. |
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MORIRSE EN DOMINGO, Daniel Gruener (Mexico)
The uncle had nothing better to do than die on a Sunday, when
all of the undertaker’s businesses were closed and the only
person willing to deal with the body sold it to the university.
When the nephew discovers the situation and demands that his uncle’s
body be cremated, he ends up falling in love with the daughter
of the man who operates the incinerator. This tale of a corpse
that can’t find rest is told in true black comedy mode,
skilfully structured by the director, causing highly amusing situations
with the help of some truly excellent actors. Heaps of laughs,
biting dialogue and constant surrealism. This movie can be seen
for the first time at the San Sebastian Festival |
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LA PERRERA, Manuel Nieto (Uruguay-Argentina-Canada-Spain)
David is 25, has a girlfriend who doesn’t pay much attention
to him, is allergic to studying and work, and has a father who’s
sick and tired of paying for his keep. The latter’s suggestion
that he build himself a small house in the country is met with
little enthusiasm from the boy. An opera prima about youngsters
with neither dreams nor professions, well made and with a tremendous
sense of humour. Presented at Films in Progress, this film landed
the VPRO Tiger Award at this year’s Rotterdam Festival.
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LA PUNTA DEL DIABLO, Marcelo Paván
(Argentina-Venezuela-Uruguay)
A brain surgeon accustomed to removing brain tumours discovers
that he himself is suffering from a tumour and has only a short
time to live. Deciding to travel with no set destination, thinking
he’s seen one of his former patients, he sets off after
the woman to a distant spot known as La punta del diablo. There
he discovers his loneliness, and that of other people who live
in a small paradise where it’s possible to fish sharks.
An intimate movie, laced with long silences, in which nature has
the same importance as people. Originating in Films in Progress
9, this movie will be released for the first time at San Sebastian.
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RABIA, Oscar Cárdenas Navarro
(Chile)
Camila is 25, lives with the mother she has to keep, has only
received basic education and hopes to become a secretary. Competition
is hard and the waiting caused by the numerous interviews exasperates
her. She finally lands a job that’s short-lasting despite
her efforts and dedication. A film shot in only two days, on
a shoestring budget with excellent cast of neo-professional
actresses. But this low-cost production does nothing to taint
the various and extremely obvious merits of this seductive experiment,
originating in Films in Progress and presented at Locarno Festival
this year.
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EL REY DE SAN GREGORIO, Alfonso Gazitúa
Gaete (Chile-Switzerland)
Living in a slum inhabited by the handicapped, down-and-outs and
dregs of society, Pedro and Caty try to escape from their dreamless
world with an incipient love that the “responsible”
adults try to prevent. One day Caty disappears and Pedro, helped
by his friends, sets out to find her. A quasi-documentary on the
touchy subject of sexual and emotional relations between handicapped
people, which is particularly remarkable when it stops to concentrate
on their faces and on little details. This film, screened at Films
in Progress, was shown at Miami Festival. |
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SONHOS E DESEJOS/DANCING IN UTOPIA, Marcelo
Santiago (Brazil-Portugal)
Brazil in the 70s, a young girl student, a literature lecturer
and an injured guerrilla fighter with his face covered, are three
activists confined to a flat in Belo Horizonte. All three share
their affective and political feelings in a mixture of loyalty,
betrayal and desire. |
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SUSPIROS DEL CORAZÓN, Enrique
Gabriel (Spain-Argentina)
A young, handsome Spanish millionnaire shark living in Buenos
Aires is surprised at the veracity of his horoscope in a photomagazine
called Suspiros del Corazón. About to take an important
business decision, he’d give anything to know the prediction
for the next month. His search takes him to the magazine publishing
house, where he disguises his identity, pretending to be a actor
in photomagazines. One of the films selected for Films in Progress,
and which participated in the Moscow and Montreal Festivals. |
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EL TELÓN DE AZÚCAR, Camila
Guzmán Urzúa (France-Cuba-Spain)
The director of this documentary grew up in Cuba during
the 1970s and 80s, the "golden years" of the Revolution,
and recalls that it was like a paradise. Fifteen years later,
she goes back to Havana with the aim of recapturing that happy
period and of investigating what has happened to some of her colleagues.
This journey to the past becomes a journey to disappointment,
guided by the author’s reflections on a complex, contradictory
reality. This film won the Spanish Television Award at last year’s
Films in Progress. It was selected at the Toronto Film Festival. |
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EL VIOLÍN, Francisco Vargas Quevedo
(Mexico)
In a rural area of a Latin American country, the army wages a
bitter battle to eliminate a group of volunteer but badly organised
guerrilla fighters who don’t think twice of taking recourse
to torture, threats and all kinds of repression. An old man who
earns his living playing the violin uses the case of his musical
instrument to supply the guerrillas with arms. But the soldiers
aren’t duped. A surprising, profound opera prima filmed
in splendid black and white, coming from Films in Progress and
won the Un Certain Regard Award for Best Actor at the last Cannes
Festival. |
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NON-COMPETITIVE HORIZONTES SELECTION
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EL CARACAZO, Román Chalbaud (Venezuela)
August 2002, Nicolás Petrov reads out the Inter-American
Human Rights Court verdict ordering the Venezuelan State to compensate
the relatives and victims of the tragic events of 27th February
1989, the date on which the country experienced a social outbreak
known as “El Caracazo”. Those present recall the tragic,
bloody events marking a before and after in contemporary Venezuelan
history. The famous filmmaker Román Chalbaud pays tribute
to all who lived (and died) that day. |
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- LOS 2 LADOS DE LA CAMA, Emilio Martínez-Lázaro
(Spain)
- LOS AIRES DIFÍCILES (Rough Winds),
Gerardo Herrero (Spain)
- AZULOSCUROCASINEGRO (DarkBlueAlmostBlack),
Daniel Sánchez Arévalo (Spain)
- BIENVENIDO A CASA, David Trueba (Spain)
- LA BUENA VOZ (The Good Voice), Antonio
Cuadri (Spain)
- CUADERNOS DE CONTABILIDAD DE MANOLO MILLARES,
Juan Millares Alonso (Spain)
- LA DAMA BOBA, Manuel Iborra (Spain)
- DIES D’AGOST (August Days), Marc
Recha (Spain) OPENING FILM
- ESTRELLAS DE LA LÍNEA (The Railroad All
Stars), Chema Rodríguez (Spain)
- HONOR DE CAVALLERIA, Albert Serra (Spain)
- ISILTASUN KALEA / CALLE SILENCIO, Juan
Miguel Gutiérrez (Spain)
- LA LEYENDA DEL TIEMPO, Isaki Lacuesta
(Spain)
- LOS MANAGERS, Fernando Guillén
(Spain)
- POBLADORES (Inhabitants), Manuel García
Serrano (Spain)
- REMAKE (Remake), Roger Gual (Spain-Argentina)
- SEGUNDO ASALTO (Round Two), Daniel Cebrián
(Spain)
- LA SILLA (The Chair), Julio Wallovits
(Spain)
- TIRANTE EL BLANCO, Vicente Aranda (Spain-UK)
- EL TRIUNFO (El Triunfo: The Beat of the Streets),
Mireia Ros (Spain)
- VEINTE AÑOS NO ES NADA (Twenty Years is
Nothing), Joaquín Jordá (Spain)
- LA VIDA SECRETA DE LAS PALABRAS (The Secret Life
of Words), Isabel Coixet (Spain)
- VOLVER, Pedro Almodóvar (Spain)
- LA ZONA, Carlos Rodríguez (Spain)
- ZULO, Carlos Martín Ferrero (Spain)
- 20 AÑOS DE “DOCUMENTOS TV”:
- Bienvenido Mister Kaita, Albert Albacete
(Spain)
- Muerte de una puta, Harmonía
Carmona (Spain)
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San Sebastin, 1st September 2006 |
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