Films in Progress is the professional platform that supports the production of Latin American feature-length films, contributing to their completion and international circulation. Organised by the San Sebastian and Cinelatino, Rencontres de Toulouse festivals, Films in Progress fosters the meeting, dialogue and interaction among Latin American and European film professionals, promoting the diversity and talent of independent film makers.
198 feature-length films from 17 countries have registered in Films in Progress 31. The selection committee of the Toulouse and San Sebastian festivals have chosen 6 films, 5 of them début films. Jazmines en Lídice (Jasmines in Lidice) by Rubén Sierra Salles; Marilyn by Martín Rodríguez Redondo, a project that was selected at the third edition of the Europe-Latin America Co-production Forum; Meio Irmão (Half Brother) by Eliane Coster; La novia del desierto (The Desert Bride) by Cecilia Atán and Valeria Pivato; Temporada de caza (Hunting Season) by Natalia Garagiola and Los Perros, the new film by Marcela Said, which won the Films in Progress award in Toulouse in 2013 for El verano de los peces voladores (The Summer of Flying Fish).
Meche has not got over the absence of his son Raúl; His room remains intact, his clothes are still in the closet. Challenged by an imminent danger, her daughters Dayana and Anabel try to convince her to leave Lídice, the neighborhood where she has lived her entire life. With Dayana's birthday for excuse, the family gathers, even Raúl's wife comes over. The meeting becomes painful, bursting with complaints and open wounds, before the feeble gaze of whom who feels responsible for the misery of those who stayed behind. Debut feature.
Marcos, a seventeen years farm worker, discovers his sexuality in a hostile environment. Nicknamed Marilyn by other teenagers in town, he becomes the target both of human desire and discrimination. Marcos feels himself pushed into a corner more and more. Debut feature.
Sandra (16) is looking for her mother who's been missing for days. As time goes by, difficulties pile up and she has to seek her half brother Jorge, with whom she has little contact. Jorge lives and works with his father, they install surveillance systems. At the point Sandra finds him, he's being threatened not to leak a video he made on his phone of a homophobic attack on a male friend to whom he's secretly attracted to. Debut feature.
Teresa (54) has worked for decades as a live-in maid in Buenos Aires. When the family sells the house, she is forced to take a job in a distant town. Although feeling uncomfortable, she embarks on a journey through the desert. During her first stop, in the land of the miraculous “Saint Correa”, she loses her bag with all her belongings. This incident leads her to cross paths with a travelling salesman, the only one who can help her. What seemed like the end of her world will prove her salvation. Debut feature.
Mariana (42), is a slightly off-the-wall woman, who stands out from the Chilean upper class to which she belongs. Her father, Francisco, has raised her with love and kindness, but also with a strong grip. Pedro, her husband, is a workaholic architect who doesn’t seem to make her happy. She finds solace in the company of Juan (60), a riding teacher and a former colonel with a shady past.
Nahuel has almost finished high school in Buenos Aires when his mother suddenly dies. He is legally obliged to spend the last three months before turning 18 with his father Ernesto, a respected hunter who lives in a small village near the mountains. They haven't seen each other for more than a decade. As the journey begins and wilderness becomes his new environment, Nahuel is confronted with his ability to love and kill. Debut feature.
The following awards will be presented at Films in Progress 31:
FILMS IN PROGRESS TOULOUSE AWARD
Consisting of post-production services offered by the collaborating companies and a grant from the CNC for post-production work to be carried out in France.
The “Films in Progress Toulouse Award” will be delivered by a jury composed of representatives of companies and entities involved in the award:
CCAS (Caisse Centrale d’Activités Sociales du personnel des industries électriques et gazières), CNC (Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée), Commune Image, Eaux Vives, Firelfly, Mactari,
Titra TV.
SPECIAL CINE + IN PROGRESS AWARD
The CINE + channel guarantees to purchase the winning film for the amount of €15,000, and to broadcast it on its television network. This award will go to the distributor of the film in France.
EUROPEAN DISTRIBUTORS AND EXHIBITORS AWARD
Consisting of promotion of the film by the Europa Distribution network and by the Confédération Internationale des Cinémas d'Art et d'Essai (CICAE).
To see the award details, click here
Films in Progress enjoys the backing of the following companies and institutions: Programa Ibermedia, Daniel Goldstein, Deluxe Spain, Dolby Iberia, Laserfilm Cine y Video, Nephilim producciones, No Problem Sonido, Wanda Visión and Conferencia de Autoridades Cinematográficas Iberoamericanas, and the collaboration of Caisse Centrale d’Activités Sociales du personnel des industries électriques et gazières (CCAS), Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée (CNC), CINÉ + Commune Image, Confédération Internationale des Cinémas d’Art et Essai (CICAE), Conseil Général de la Haute Garonne, Creative Europe MEDIA, Eaux Vives, École Supérieure d’Audiovisuel (ESAV), Europa Distribution, Firefly, La Cinéfondation, La Trame, Mactari, Mairie de Toulouse, Producers Network (Cannes), Région Occitanie Pyrénées-Méditerranée, Signis and Titrafilm.
With the support of