San Sebastian unveils Films in Progress

Films in Progress 24 will run in San Sebastian from Sept 23-25 as part of the 61st edition of the festival. This year, for the first time, Films in Progress will last for three days to coincide with the II Europe-Latin America Co-production Forum.

The titles programmed for presentation in Films in Progress 24 are:

• La comodidad en la distancia (Chile) Jorge Yacoman Saavedra
• Historia del Miedo (Argentina-Uruguay-France-Germany) Benjamín Naishtat
• Matar a un hombre (Chile-France) Alejandro Fernández Almendras
• Nacimiento (Colombia) Martín Mejía Rugeles
• Pantanal (Argentina) Andrew Sala
• La Salada (Argentina) Juan Martín Hsu.

Films in Progress is the programme of aid to Latin American cinema called twice yearly by the San Sebastian Festival and Cinélatino Rencontres de Toulouse.

For this edition a total of 82 submissions from 16 countries were received.

The Films in Progress Industry Award will be granted at the event.

The companies Daniel Goldstein S.L., Deluxe Spain, Dolby Iberia, Laserfilm Cine y Video, Nephilim producciones, No Problem Sonido, and Vértigo Films will assume the post-production of a film until achieving a DCP subtitled in English and its distribution in Spain.

Films

La Comodidad En La Distancia (The Comfort In The Distance)
Jorge Yacoman Saavedra (Chile)

A 24-year-old ex-university student from a well-off family wanders the streets of Santiago de Chile when his father, his only remaining relative, disappears without warning, leaving him locked out of the house. In the streets he tries to find a new home among people he doesn’t know and others from his former life, hounded by memories of his past and a strange illness that seems to be rapidly consuming his health.

Historia Del Miedo (History Of Fear)
Benjamín Naishtat (Argentina-Uruguay-France-Germany)

Christian spends his days tending the gardens and football pitches in a private district. Surrounded by the chaos of a shanty town, many of the locals lead a rather secluded life. But Christian lives nearby and is completely at home in both worlds: the ‘safe’ and the ‘dangerous’. People in the District start to worry when strangers move into unused land close to them. Someone suggests that perhaps the District has been invaded. They try to stay calm, but fear starts taking its toll.

Matar A Un Hombre (To Kill A Man)
Alejandro Fernández Almendras (Chile-France)

The new project from Alejandro Fernández Almendras, who participated in Horizontes Latinos in 2009 with Huacho and in Zabaltegi-New Directors in 2011 with Sentados frente al fuego (By the Fire). Jorge is mugged one afternoon by Kalule, a neighbourhood thug. His son decides to get his stolen belongings back and tackles Kalule, who retaliates by shooting the boy. The son survives the attack and the delinquent is sentenced to two years in prison. On getting out of jail Kalule swears revenge. The police ignore the family’s pleas for help, and just when Kalule seems to be on the point of getting his much yearned-for revenge, Jorge decides to take the law into his own hands. Winner of the Carte Blanche Award at the Locarno Festival by way of aid to completion of the film.

Nacimiento (Delivery)
Martín Mejía Rugeles (Colombia)

When the rainy season begins Helena will give birth. Her adoptive mother and brother gather food and wood in the jungle to take them through the coming weeks of rain and maternity. Others dry fish, some harvest their crops, and in the middle of everyday actions we see stories of pain and loneliness that fill this far-off, inescapable place. The day of rest comes round and the neighbours set out to accompany the birth. The rain starts. Life continues.

Pantanal
Andrew Sala (Argentina)

A man skedaddles from Buenos Aires towards the Pantanal in Brazil’s Mato Grosso with a bag full of money. He plans to repay a debt outstanding with the brother he lost touch with years ago. The tale intertwines with documentary testimonies of people who say they met him on the way. Pantanal is a South American road movie midway between fiction and documentary.

La Salada
Juan Martín Hsu (Argentina)

A mosaic of the experiences suffered by new immigrants to Argentina, linked through three stories taking place at the La Salada Fair. People of different races struggle with loneliness and feeling far from home: a Korean father and his daughter preparing for an arranged marriage, a young Bolivian freshly arrived in the country looking for work, and a Taiwanese DVD seller who wants a girlfriend to keep him company.