San Seb unveils co-pro winner

The 3rd San Sebastian Co-Production Forum Europe-Latin America has been won by August, a co-production betweeen Cuba ad Costa Rica.

The film, a production of Marcela Esquivel of La Feria Producciones directed by Armando Capó, who couldn not travel to Spain due to visa problems, has been granted a €10,000 prize ($12.700).

The film is set in 1994 Cuba when the downfall of the USSR created a crisis on the island that led to thousands abandoning the country.

Producer Marcela Esquivel told Screen that August centres on a 14 year old boy who experiences “feelings that will change his life forever through pain and nostalgia. It’s about the scars that affect us throughout our lives.“

The film has not only won the Forum, it also reached an agreement with French production company Paraíso Films.

“We can’t be happier”, said Esquivel. “This agreement with Paraíso is a big step for this project”.

The Costa Rica producers added: “I think it’s a very important film for Cuba because it will explore the major migrations after the 94 collapse. I feel like the film from now on will have a more clear path”.

A Special Mention was granted to Walls, a Spanish project firected by Pablo Iraburu and Migueltxo Molina and produced by Arena Comunicación. Walls is a documentary about the walls that divide the world, from Palestine to South Africa.

The 26th Films in Progress Award, that grants the winner post-production support, has been handed to Magallanes, a Peruvian film directed by Salvador Solar that is a co-production between Peru, Argentina and Colombia.

Magallanes tells the story of the casual encounter in a taxi by an ex soldier of the terrorist group Sendero Luminoso and one of his victims. “It’s a story of redemption and forgiveness, a very Peruvian story and also a very universal one,“ Solar told Screen.

Magallanes is a co-production between Pendulo Films (Peru), Tondero Producciones (Peru), Cepa Audiovisual (Argentina) and Cinerama (Colombia).

Producer Enid Campos told Screen: “We are very proud to bring a Peru story to the rest of the world. This films tells a very important story in our country and speaks about something very universal as forgiveness, something very important right now in all the world.“

With a $600.000 budget, Magallanes casts Mexican actor Damián Alcazar and Peruvian actress Magaly Solier. Pendulño and Tondero Films have produced Peruvian blockbusters Asu Mare and at 40.

Ixcanul, by Guatemala director Jayro Bustamante, won the Special Mention of the Films in Progress. The film tells the story of a young maya girl who refuses an arranged marriage. It is a co-production between France Tu Vas Voir and Guatemala Casa de Producción.

The Films in Progress award is sponsored by the companies Daniel Goldstein, Deluxe Spain, Dolby Iberia, Laserfilm Cine and Video, Nephilim producciones, No Problem Sonido and Vértigo Films assume the post-production of a film until obtaining a DCP (Digital Cinema Package) subtitled in English and its distribution in Spain.