Argentinian director Pablo Giorgelli’s first feature Las Acacias is screening in Cannes’ Critics Week.

The Argentinian director Pablo Giorgelli’s first feature is a road movie about a truck driver who has to transport a woman and her baby 1,500km, starring German de Silva, Hebe Duarte and Nayra Calle Mamani.

Where did the idea for the film come from? Was it based on personal experience?

The spirit of the film and also the inner conflict that Ruben, the main character, is going through, have a lot to do with my life during the last decade; my father fell ill, I went through a break-up and then the social and economic crisis struck my country and left me out of work. This film is about my pain when facing loss and the ability to reconstruct oneself.

What was the biggest challenge on the shoot?

This was a very hard film to shoot, with almost everything outdoors, many trucks and action vehicles, numerous technical crew, blocked roads, babies… and to make things even worse, there were even dogs. Most of the scenes are travel scenes, and filming in movement is in itself something complex. Moreover, it’s a trip on a truck, which is not the same as a trip in a car: everything is bigger and more complicated.

Is this your first time in Cannes? Are you nervous?

It is my first feature and my first time in Cannes, but I feel easy with the movie I made. I’ve heard many things about the festival and I know a bit of its history, but I don’t quite know what to expect. I’m glad the movie is programmed in La Semaine. I have a feeling there could not be a better section for my movie.

What do you plan to do in your spare time in Cannes?

Sleep! It’s been two years since I have been on holiday. I am exhausted, also happy, but very tired.

Who are you most looking forward to meeting in Cannes?

I remember that a couple of years ago Kusturica presented his film in Cannes and [football legend] Diego Maradona was there on the Croisette. If I had been there then I have no doubt whom I would like to have met that year… but this time I don’t know. I have been told [Aki] Kaurismaki is a bar owner. Together with my producer and friend Ariel Rotter, I have a bar in Buenos Aires, so I’d love to have a chat with him about bars… and cinema! Do you know if Sophia Loren will be here this year? Messi?

Las Acacias is screening in Critics’ Week during Cannes

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