Thirteen films to compete in San Sebastian Festival’s Horizontes Latinos section

The Mexican movie ’’Miss Bala’’ will open the section

The Horizontes Latinos programme at the 59 edition of San Sebastian International Film Festival includes thirteen films from Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Ecuador, Brazil, Uruguay and Colombia. All will compete for the Horizontes Award.

- ABRIR PUERTAS Y VENTANAS (BACK TO STAY) is the opera prima from the Argentinean director Milagros Mumenthaler, a subtle portrayal of the everyday lives of three sisters living in their grandmother’s house since her death. In 2000, Milagros Mumenthaler (Córdoba, 1977) filmed her first short, ¿Cuándo llega papá?, followed by El patio (2003), Cape Cod (2003) and Amancay (2005). She won the Pardo d’Oro at the Locarno Film Festival with this first feature, sponsored by the Cannes Festival’s Cinéfondation programme.

- LAS ACACIAS by Pablo Giorgelli, a Spanish-Argentinean co-production, landed the Caméra d’Or (best opera prima) at the last Cannes Festival. The movie depicts the relationship between a truck driver and a woman and her baby, established on the long trip from Asunción to Buenos Aires. The woman and her baby have to travel in the truck’s cab, as part of the load. The film marks the feature directorial debut of Pablo Giorgelli, who started in film as an editor and had formerly directed the short El último sueño (1993).

- ANÓNIMO (ANONYMOUS), is a Chilean production directed by Renato Pérez, revolving around a man with a dark past who strikes up a peculiar relationship with his landlady’s teenage daughter. The film is the first production from the Film School of the University for Development in Chile’s capital, Santiago, and opera prima from the young filmmaker Renato Pérez (Santiago de Chile, 1986).

- ASALTO AL CINE (THE CINEMA HOLD UP) is a Mexican production directed by Iria Gómez Concheiro and winner of the CineCinéma Award as a participant in the Films in Progress section at the Rencontres Cinéma d’Amérique in Toulouse, followed by the Casa de América Award at the Films in Progress section corresponding to the 58th edition of the San Sebastian Festival; since then, it has competed at the Sundance Festival and landed the best Opera Prima award at Guadalajara Festival. This drama about four teenagers who decide to rob a cinema is the first feature from Iria Gómez Concheiro (Mexico City, 1979). Her previous work was the short Dime lo que sientes (2004), winner of the Ariel Award for Best Fiction Short Film.

- BONSÁI is the second film from Chilean director Christian Jiménez, a tragic-comical love story between two youngsters amid books, literary quotes, coming-togethers and fall-outs. With this film, Christian Jiménez (Valdivia, 1975) won the Films in Progress Award at the Rencontres Cinéma d’Amérique in Toulouse and participated in the “Un Certain Regard” section at Cannes Festival. His first feature, Ilusiones ópticas (Optical Illusions, 2008), was selected for Films in Progress at the Rencontres Cinéma d’Amérique in Toulouse and San Sebastian in 2008 and for the Horizontes Latinos section of the San Sebastian Festival in 2009.

- ENTRE LA NOCHE Y EL DÍA (BETWEEN NIGHT AND DAY), a Mexican production directed by Bernardo Arellano, tells the story of a solitary man with autism fleeing from domestic abuse and finding a haven in the midst of nature. This film won the Industry Award at the Films in Progress section of San Sebastian Festival’s 58th edition, going on to compete at the Guadalajara Film Festival and won the Award to the Best Opera Prima at the Guanajuato International Film Festival. Bernardo Arellano (Mexico City, 1981) had previously directed the movie La unión (2008) and the short film Zoogocho (2008).

- HISTORIAS QUE SÓ EXISTEM QUANDO LEMBRADAS is a Brazilian film directed by Julia Murat about a young woman as she attempts to unravel the mysteries of a ghost town inhabited by people who live a life tied to never-ending routines. The film participated in the Films in Progress section of the Rencontres Cinéma d’Amérique in Toulouse, where it landed a special mention and the Cine+ award. It will also participate in the “Giornate degli autori / Venice Days” section of the coming Venice Festival and in the Toronto Festival’s Discovery section. This is the first feature from Julia Murat, who had already directed the short film Pendular (2009) and the documentary Dia dos pais (2008).

- The Spanish-Brazilian co-production GIRIMUNHO, directed by Helvecio Marins Jr. and Clarissa Campolina tells the tale of an old widowed lady who has to deal with life in a small village with the sole company of her granddaughter. The movie will participate in the “Orizzonti” section of the coming Venice Festival. Clarissa Campolina had previously directed the documentary Notas flanantes (2009), while Helvecio Marins Jr had made the short Nascente (2005) and an episode of the collective film Dessassosego (Filme das Maravilhas, 2010).

- MISS BALA, a Mexican production directed by Gerardo Naranjo, competed in the “Un Certain Regard” section at the last Cannes Festival. The film narrates the story of an aspiring queen at a beauty contest set upon by warring criminal gangs. Gerardo Naranjo (Mexico City, 1971) formerly directed the films Malachance (2004), Drama/Mex (2006) and Voy a explotar (2008), winner of the FIPRESCI critics’ award at Thessaloniki Festival and three prizes at Guadalajara Festival.

- PESCADOR is the fourth movie from the Ecuadorian filmmaker Sebastián Cordero, about a fisherman turned impromptu drug dealer when he stumbles by chance on a load of cocaine. Sebastián Cordero (Quito, 1972) has participated in several international festivals including Venice and Cannes with his previous films: Ratas, ratones, rateros (1999), Crónicas (Scoops, 2004), an entrant in the Horizontes Latinos section at San Sebastian Festival where it landed a Special Jury Mention, and Rabia (Rage, 2009), winner of numerous awards at festivals including Tokyo, Guadalajara and Malaga. Sebastián Cordero chaired the Horizontes Award Jury at the 58th edition of San Sebastian Festival.

- The co-production PORFIRIO, directed by the Colombian-Ecuadorian Alejandro Landes, was successfully presented at the last Cannes Festival Directors’ Fortnight. Taking reality as its base and in poetic key, the film tells the tale of a man handicapped during the Colombian conflict who decides to take the law into his own hands using rather unconventional methods, his last resort in dealing with a deaf, bureaucratic State that refuses to support him. Director Alejandro Landes debuted with the film Cocalero (2007), premiered at the Sundance Festival.

- TODOS TUS MUERTOS (ALL YOUR DEAD ONES) is a Columbian production from Carlos Moreno which participated in the Films in Progress section at the 58th edition of San Sebastian Festival. It later competed at the Sundance and Rotterdam festivals. The movie narrates the ups and downs of a farmer who finds a pile of dead bodies on his land. Carlos Moreno already made his mark with his first movie Perro come perro (Dog Eat Dog), which competed at the Sundance Festival and landed awards at the Guadalajara and Huelva festivals, in addition to participating in the Horizontes Latinos section at the 56th edition of San Sebastian Festival.

- ULISES (ULYSSES) is a Chilean-Argentinean co-production focusing on the misadventures of a Peruvian immigrant in Chile. It is the first movie by the director Óscar Godoy and had its world premiere in the San Francisco International Film Festival.