Ventana Sur heads to Cannes, revealing its selection for the dynamic Goes To showcase, which ushers-in a curated works-in-progress lineup to team international talent with sales agents, distributors and further festival programming opportunities.
The five projects selected represent some of the best from Ventana Sur’s annual film market in Buenos Aires, Latin America’s premier audiovisual event.
Figuring among the titles is “A House with Two Dogs” from Argentina’s Matías Ferreyra, “My Father Is A Nihonjin” from Brazil’s Celia Catunda,“Lovers’ Farewell With A Glance” from Mexican helmer Rigoberto Perezcano, “The Virgin of the Quarry Lake” directed by Argentina’s Laura Casabé and “The Drownings” from Ecuador auteurs Juanse Jácome and Víctor Mares.
Love, lore, family, ritual and suspense play pivotal narrative roles in the films centered in South America, Mexico and Spain, with two–“The Virgin of the Quarry Lake” and “A House With Two Dogs” –hyper-focused on Argentina’s 2001 upheaval through the lens of youth and coming-of-age narratives, merging the broader turbulence with highly personal, relatable plot lines.
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Pulling from a couple of short stories by acclaimed Argentine author Mariana Enriquez, Casabé (“The Returned”), a Sitges award-winning Blood Window alum, deals in unrequited love in the sun-scorched countryside as her lead dabbles in the occult to win the affections of a teen crush in “The Virgin of the Quarry Lake.”
Written by Benjamin Naishtat, the acclaimed director behind cinematic hits “Puan” and “Rojo,” the project is produced by Argentina’s Ajimolido Films (“Charcoal”) and Mostra Cine (“A Night Alone”) alongside Spain’s Mr. Miyagi, which co-produced “The Platform,” and Mexico’s Caponeto (“Go Youth!”).
Alejandro Israel at Ajimolido hails Casabé as “one of the most promising female genre directors in Latin America.” The work-in-progress previously won the main prize at Sitges Pitch Box and took advantage of support from Argentine film-TV agency INCAA and the Ibermedia program along with national and local rebates and initiatives from Argentina, Spain (ICAA, ICEC) and Mexico (Eficine) while being included in San Sebastian’s Co-production Forum.
“A House With Two Dogs,” produced by Inés Barrionuevo, Martín Paolorossi and Sofía Castells at Argentina’s Gualicho Cine (“Ángeles”), is “a distrustful portrait of a family in crisis from a child’s point of view; a crisis that is also the one the country went through in 2001 when I was 12 years old. Suddenly, in today’s Argentina, the story takes on a curious validity and reflects a certain cyclical logic of our history with crises,” according to Ferreyra.
The project secured national funding from INCAA and won the Opera Prima Contest at Polo Audiovisual which constituted its second funding source, it also won the WIP Ibero-American prize at the Cartagena de las Indias Film Festival.
Perezcano, whose prior work includes the multi-prized “Northless,” relies on the moments that separate longing and ritual and differentiate the old guard from modern models of betrothal in “Lovers Farewell With A Glance,” introducing a steadfast protagonist who rallies against her parents to ensure she winds up with the man she loves.
The striking black-and-white drama is produced by Mexico’s Tiburón Films and Paloma Negra Films (“El Gran Fellove”) and won big at last December’s Ventana Sur Primer Corte strand, securing six prizes.
“My Grandfather is a Nihonjin,” created alongside Kiko Mistrorigo with a script written by Rita Catunda, “reflects the generational and cultural gap within immigrant families. At a time when intolerance towards migration movements becomes so evident, the story of Hideo and Noboru can contribute a little to show the beauty and cultural richness that arise from these processes,” the director toldPvNew.
The Pinguim Content-backed title is distributed nationally by H2O Films and participated in 2018’s Ventana Sur Pitching Session, 2019’s Cinekid Pitching session, 2022’s Mifa Campus Brasil and Ventana Sur WIP sessions in 2023.
Rounding out the selection is “The Drownings,” winner of four awards at Ventana Sur’s Primer Corte in 2023 – the TitraFilm Award, Dolby Award, Le Film Français Award and LaMayor Cine Award.
Billed by production as “a visually captivating and suspenseful thriller that combines genre and auteur elements, all set in a distinctively Latin American context,” the story further promises to “explore themes of privilege and impunity, offering a unique and engaging film.”
The five Ventana Sur bets nestle among selections from six additional showcase partners – Taiwan’s Golden Horse Film Festival, the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum, the Adelaide Film Festival, the Sydney-based Queer Screen Mardi Gras Film Festival, Estonia’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and Switzerland’s Solothurn Film Festival.
A further dive into the titles slated for presentation on May 20:
“A House With Two Dogs” (“Una Casa Con Dos Perros”) Matías Ferreyra (Argentina)
In his debut feature, Ferreyra paints a vivid portrait of Argentina in the midst of its 2001 financial crisis through the eyes of Manuel, a child forced to relocate with his family to his eccentric grandmother Tati’s home. When dividing the space between an increasing number of inhabitants becomes a chore, Tati and Manuel team up to enact their own brand of resistance and stake claim.
“My Father Is A Nihonjin” (“Meu Avô é um Nihonjin”) Celia Catunda (Brazil)
Young Noboru is curious about his family’s history and encourages his reluctant grandfather, Hideo, to open up about a long lost uncle and their place within Brazil’s bustling immigrant community. The two grow closer as Hideo recalls the past. This touching story is based on the novel by Oscar Nakasato and uses 2D Animation and 3D compositing to capture the narrative.
“Lovers’ Farewell With A Glance” (“Los Amantes Se Despiden con la Mirada”) Rigoberto Perezcano (México)
Elida, from the Oaxaca valley, is up against tradition as she shirks a forced marriage with Damián, an older and well-off suitor, to follow her heart toward Olivo, a younger man who draws constant inspiration from his late father. Familial tension runs hot in the “Carmín Tropical” director’s latest feature.
“The Virgin of the Quarry Lake” (“La Virgen de la Tosquera”) Laura Casabé ( Argentina, Spain, Mexico)
On a hot summer’s eve in the desolate outskirts of Buenos Aires before Argentina’s fateful and violent economic unraveling, Natalia pines for her friend Diego who has just met Sylvia, a more experienced and intriguing paramour. Natalia calls on ancestral magic to coax Diego away from Sylvia with incantations that unexpectedly awaken something deep within her rather than imploding the new couple’s budding romance.
“The Drownings” (“Los Ahogados”) Juanse Jácome, Victor Mares (Ecuador, Uruguay)
A mysterious drowning in their family home leads a novelist to question reality as illusion blurs the lines of sanity during the attemptto get to the center of the tragic occurrence. Renowned Ecuadorian television actress Giovanna Andrade makes her feature film debut alongside Bolivia’s award-winning actor Fernando Arze Echalar. Ecuador’s AbacaFilms and Uruguay’s Raindogs Cine produce the psychological thriller, picked up in Ecuador by Multicines.
