American programmer Peter Scarlet has been appointed as the new artistic director of the Mar del Plata Film Festival in Argentina, the only film festival in Latin America with a category 'A' granted by the FIAPF, and which will celebrate its 32nd edition in November 2017. Scarlet's appointment was done by the Argentine Film Institute (Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales, INCAA), and he will replace film critic and programmer Fernando Martín Peña in the job.
A veteran professional in the film festival circuit, Scarlet ran the San Francisco International Film Festival for 20 years, he served as the director general of the Cinémathèque Française, was creative director at the Tribeca Film Festival, and more recently, was the executive director the Abu Dhabi Film Festival.
The Argentine film festival also named Rosa Martínez Rivero as the new producer of the festival, a position she played in between 1996 and 1997. She also produced the Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival (BAFICI) between 1998 and 2003, and 2008 and 2012. Through her production company Ruda Cine, Martínez Rivero has also produced the films Copacabana and Two Shots Fired by Martín Rejtman, and The Human Surge by Eduardo Williams, among others.
The appointment of Scarlet comes after some controversial staff changes at the Argentine film institute following the forced resignation of Alejandro Cacetta, a decision that was contested and protested by the local film community.
The 32nd edition of the Mar del Plata Film Festival will take place November 17-26 in Argentina.
