Z365" or "Festival all year round" is the new strategic point of the Festival in which converge investigation, accompaniment and development of new talents (Ikusmira Berriak, Nest); training and cinematic knowledge transfer (Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola, Zinemaldia + Plus, Filmmakers' dialogue); and investigation, disclosure and cinematic thought (Z70 project, Thought and Discussion and Research and publications).
The Cambridge Squatter, Eliane Caffé’s portrayal of Sao Paulo’s homeless - their joys, dramas, divergences, and constant fear of eviction – won the Industry Award at San Sebastian’s pix-in-post showcase Films in Progress, one of its main industry attractions.
Award reps vindication for Brazil’s Caffé, whose movies have grabbed major awards at big Brazilian fests such as Rio de Janeiro with O Sol do Melo Dia and now walk a major industry stage at San Sebastian. The Industry Award marks yet another triumph at the Spanish fest, the biggest event in the Spanish-speaking world, for Paris-based Edgard Tenembaum at Tu Vas Voir, The Motorcycle Diaries producer, who won San Sebastian’s 2nd Europe-Latin American Co-production Forum in 2013 with Cuban Pavel Giroud’s The Companion and snagged acclaim and a sales agent (Film Factory) at 2014’s Films in Progress with Jayro Bustamante’s Ixcanul which went on to garner Berlin’s Alfred Bauer Award and sell worldwide.
Squatter shut out a powerful Chilean trio of Much Ado About Nothing, from Sundance winner Alejandro Fernandez Almendras, Marialy Rivas Princess, produced by the Larrain brothers’ Fabula, and Pepa San Martin’s Rara. No matter: Though still far from a final cut, Much Ado sparked large distributor interest. On Princess and Rara, it looks like just a question of who will snag world sales rights, not if they’ll see a pick-up.
JOHN HOPE WELL