Lila Aviles’ Totem and Felipe Galvez’s The Settlers are among the films selected for the Horizontes Latinos strand of the 71st San Sebastian International Film Festival (SSIFF, September 22-30).
The 12 Latin American titles are competing for the Horizontes Award of €35,000 which is split between the director and the Spanish distributor.
Totem first premiered at Berlinale earlier this year, picking up the Ecumenical jury prize before collecting further awards at Hong Kong and Jerusalem. The Mexican drama is told from the perspective of a seven-year-old girl as her family descends into crisis around her.
Winner of the Un Certain Regard Fipresci prize at Cannes, The Settlers follows three horsemen hired to mark out the perimeter of a property for a rich landowner in Chile. It’s a co-production between Chile, Argentina, the UK, Taiwan, France, Denmark and Sweden.
Other titles include Martin Benchimol’s The Castle, a Berlinale Panorama premiere that won San Sebastian’s WIP Latam industry award last year in addition to the Egeda Platino industry award for best WIP Latam. The Argentina-Spain-French co-production follows a housekeeper who inherits a mansion from her employer.
Tatiana Huezo’s The Echo also screens, having picked up best documentary at Berlinale as well as best director in the festival’s Encounters strand. The film explores life in a remote village in northern Mexico.
Horizontes Latinos will open with Paula Hernandez’s A Ravaging Wind, about a daughter and her reverend father who embark on an evangelical mission; and will close with Carolina Markowicz’s Toll, about a toll booth attendant looking to make some extra cash.
Any first or second features are also eligible for the TCM Youth Award, decided by a jury of 150 students aged between 18 and 15 years.
Last year, the Horizontes Award went to Valentina Maurel’s I Have Electric Dreams.
San Sebastian Horizontes Latinos
A Ravaging Wind (Arg-Uruguay) - opening night film
Dir. Paula Hernandez
Toll (Bra-Port) - closing night film
Dir. Carolina Markowicz
Alemania (Arg-Sp)
Dir. Maria Zanetti
Blondi (Arg-Sp-US)
Dir. Dolores Fonzi
Clara Gets Lost In The Woods (Arg)
Dir. Camila Fabbri
The Castle (Arg-Sp-Fr)
Dir. Martin Benchimol
The Echo (Mex-Ger)
Dir. Tatiana Huezo
A Strange Path (Bra)
Dir. Guto Parente
Heroic (Mex)
Dir. David Zonana
The Settlers (Chile-Arg-UK-Tai-Fr-Den-Swe)
Dir. Felipe Galvez
Los Impactados (Arg)
Dir. Lucia Puenzo
Totem (Mex)
Dir. Lila Aviles
No comments yet