The Rust by Juan Sebastián Mesa
Four Latin American films—from Argentina, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay—have been announced among the thirteen titles that will be competing for this year’s edition of the New Directors competition at the 69th edition of the San Sebastian Film Festival, running September 17-25 in Spain.
Argentine director Mara Pescio will present her debut feature film That Weekend / Ese fin de semana, telling the story of Julia, who returns to the neighborhood she left years ago after being swindled. She’s here to sign a travel permit, but more than anything she’s come back to recover that money which would solve a lot of her problems. The reunion with her past is nothing like she expected it to be.
Having participated in the New Directors competition in 2017 with Tigre, the directorial duo of the Argentine Silvina Schnicer and the Catalonian settled in Buenos Aires, Ulises Porra, returns to the section with the Dominican film Carajita, which follows Sara and her nanny Yarisa, who have a relationship that seems to transcend their class conditions: they are the closest thing to a daughter-mother, but an accident will test their intimate loyalty and the innocent illusion of never separating.
Also presenting a second feature in New Directors is the Colombian director Juan Sebastián Mesa, who, after winning the Audience Award at the Venice International Film Critics’ Week with his debut, Los nadie (2016), will participate with The Rust / La roya, a tale of rural identity conceived at the Festival de Cannes Cinéfondation residence and presented in San Sebastian’s WIP Latam (2020) and in the Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum (2017). The film tells the story of Jorge, who is the only one of his generation who has decided to stay in the countryside. The local festivities are just round the corner, and with them comes the reunion with his ex-girlfriend Andrea, back from the city. Her arrival throws him into physical and mental torment. Second feature film by its director.
And lastly, the Uruguayan director Agustín Banchero will present his debut feature filmLas vacaciones de Hilda / Hilda’s Short Summer, which follows Hilda, a lonely woman who lives in the town of Concepción, Uruguay. She intentionally breaks any type of emotional relationship with the people in her close environment. Her life is interrupted by the notice that her son is coming to visit after several years. So she begins preparations to improve her house, since her whole life has declined in recent times. Close to the date of his visit, he cancels the trip and postpones it indefinitely. Now Hilda must relive a summer of her past.
These five projects will be competing for the Kutxabank-New Directors Award with a cash prize of €50,000 to be shared by the director and the Spanish distributor.
