Trapero Announced as Venice Film Fest Juror

The Venice International Film Festival announced today that Argentine filmmaker Pablo Trapero (pictured) will participate as member of the jury of the 69th edition of the Venice International Film Festival to take place August 29-September 8 in the Italian city. Trapero, who's made seven feature films to date including Mundo Grúa (1999), Carancho (2010), and more recently Elefante blanco / White Elephant (2012), will participate in the nine-member jury headed by American filmmaker Michael Mann.

The other confirmed jury members are the Italian director Matteo Garrone, British actress Samantha Morton, Serbian artist Marina Abramovic, French actress Laetitia Casta, Hong Kong producer and director Peter Ho-Sun Chanm Israeli director and screenwriter Ari Folman, and Franco-Swiss filmmaker Ursula Meier. The jury will be giving out eight awards, including the Golden Lion for Best Film, the Silver Lion for Best Director, the Special Jury Prize, and the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress.

Pereda and Hernández Cordón Will Premiere New Films at Locarno

Mexican filmmaker Nicolás Pereda and Guatemalan filmmaker Julio Hernández Cordón will have the world premiere of their newest films at the International Competition of the upcoming 65th edition of the Locarno Film Festival to take place between August 1-11 at the lakeside Swiss city. Both Pereda (b. 1982) and Hernández Cordón (b. 1975) are great examples of two young Latin American directors who have been able to build a robust and important film career in just few years.   

Pereda wil be presenting Los mejores temas / Greatest Hits, his fifth feature film which provides a conclusion for the saga of several mother and son characters the director has created, with interfamily conflict. The story tells of Gabino, a 27 year-old who sells pirate music in the subway of Mexico city and lives with his mother Teresa. One day, after 15 years of no contact, his estranged father Emilio returns, planning to stay an indefinite period of time. Eventually his presence causes a rift in the family’s set dynamics, causing Teresa to decide to throw him out of the house. In making this choice, her relationship with Gabino will change their lives forever.

Hernández Cordón, who just premiered another film just last week at FID Marseille winning two prizes at the French Festival, will premiere Polvo, Ignacio and Alejandro decide to produce a documentary about Comalapa. There they meet Juan, a man who’s father was kidnapped and has lost all hope of recovery. Juan knows who was responsible, for whom he harbors feelings of intense vengeance which Ignacio and Alejandra bear witness to.

Both Los mejores temas and Polvo will be competing along with other 17 film for the Golden Leopard, the festival's main prize, which last year, was awarded to the Argentine film Abrir puertas y ventanas / Back to Stay by Milagros Mumenthaler.

The Swiss festival announced its complete lineup today, which will also include the Chilean film No by Pablo Larraín and a showcase of Latin American short films including Boa Sorte, Meu Amor / Good Luck, Sweetheart by Daniel Aragao (Brazil); Feliz / Happy by Achille Milone (Argentina); Ismael by Sebastián Hofmann (Mexico); Los Retratos / Portraits by Iván D. Gaona (Colombia); Dizem que os cães veem coisas / Dogs Are Said to See Things by Guto Parente (Brazil); Insight by Sebastián Díaz Morales (Netherlands/Argentina); Monumento by Gregorio Graziosi (Brazil); and Enjoy Yourself by Gastón Solnicki (Argentina).

The Locarno Film Festival's Carte Blanche will be dedicated to Mexico. Started in 2011 with Colombia, this now annual initiative aims to offer a showcase for a number of films in post-production, from a different country each year, in Asia, Africa, Latin America or South-East Europe. Carte Blanche will show seven Mexican films in postproduction, each introduced by its producer, to the various international sales agents and festival programmers who will participate in Industry Days. At the end of the program, a jury composed of three professionals will offer the best film a cash prize, to be used to complete the film.

Guatemalan Film Wins Two Prizes at FID Marseille

The Guatemalan-Mexican film Hasta el sol tiene manchas / Even the Sun Has Spots (pictured) by Julio Hernández Cordón won two special prizes at the 23rd edition of FID (Festival International de Cinéma) Marseille which took place July 4-9, at the Mediterranean city. The film was awarded the Marseille Espérance Prize, as well as a Special Mention of the Jury in the Official International Competition in the French film festival where it had its world premiere.

The third feature film by Hernández Cordón (after Gasolina and Marimbas from Hell) is a story of two men amongst the small group that plays out this fable. One has a mental disability, who works to persuade people to vote for a presidential candidate that promises to organize the first World Cup in Guatemala. The second is a masked troublemaker who scales buildings, threatening passerby with the hit of a ball. The two form an unlikely friendship, evoking the past and present of a country that does itself constant harm.

Staying true to the previous worlds of his past films, Hernández Cordón continues to outline themes of importance to him; neglected adolescents, stylistic documentary that organizes fiction, and using characters as allegories for a country’s destiny. Shot in 2D sets with vivid splashes of yellow, the use of masks and the schematization of characters to convey a direct political message, Hasta el sol tiene manchas presents the possibilities of a minimal script and making a film amongst friends.

Hernández Cordón just finished his fourth feature film back to back, his newest film untitled Polvo will have its world premiere at the upcoming Locarno Film Festival this August in Switzerland.

Argentine Film Wins Newcomer Award at Munich Film Fest

The Argentinean film, Abrir puertas y ventanas / Back to Stay (pictured) by Milagros Mumenthaler has been awarded the CineVision prize for Best Newcomer Film at this year’s Munich Film Festival.

Premiering in competition at the Locarno Film Festival last year and winning the Golden Leopard for Best film, Mumenthaler's debut feature portrays three young sisters adjusting to the absence of their recently deceased grandmother. The story captures the complications of sibling dynamics as the three girls cope with the pangs of mourning, the transition of female adolescence to adulthood, all while attempting to, unsuccessfully, reach out to one another.

Courtesy of the German production/distribution company Senator Film, the CineVision award is comprised of 12,000 Euros (about $15,000 USD) and is given to the best first or second film by a director screening at the Munich film Festival. The award will be presented to Caroline Daube of the Match Factory, who is handling sales for the film worldwide, at a ceremony in Munich by Tania Reichert-Facilides, the production executive for Senator.

Mexican Filmmaker Alfredo Joskowicz Dies

Mexican director and film official Alejandro Joskowicz (pictured) died today in Mexico City from leukemia at age 74. Of Polish background, Joskowicz studied film at the Centro de Estudios Cinematográficos (CUEC) of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). Crates was his debut feature film in 1970, which was followed by El cambio (1971), Meridiano 100 (1974), Constelaciones (1979), El caballito volador (1981), and Playa azul (1992).

Joskowicz also had a fruitful career as a film professor, not only teaching in both of Mexico's leading film schools, CUEC and Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica (CCC), but also becoming director of both academic institutions. He was director of CCC between 1977 and 1982, and director of CUEC between 1989 and 1993.

He was also director of the Azteca Studios between 1983 and 1985, director of the Churubusco Studios between 1997 and 2000, and director of the Mexican Film Institute (IMCINE) between 2000 and 2006.

Earlier this year Joscowicz was awarded the Silver Mayahuel at the 27th edition of the Guadalajara Film Festival, and just a month ago he received the Golden Ariel at the 54th edition of the annual Mexican national film prize.

Prizes for Latin American Cinema in Edinburgh and Moscow

This past weekend two Latin American films received prizes in two different European Film Festivals: the Mexican film Fecha de caducidad / Expiration Date (pictured) in Moscow and the Argentine film Papirosen at Edinburgh.

Kenya Marquez's Fecha de caducidad / Expiration Date was awarded the Special Jury Prize in the 34th edition of the Moscow Film Festival that took place in the Russian capital between June 21-30. Márquez's debut feature is a funny and suspenseful black comedy of shifting viewpoints starring Damián Alcazar.

Gaston Solnicki's Papirosen received a Special Mention in the the 66th edition of the Edinburgh International Film Festival that took place June 20  - July 1. On the film, the jury said: “Papirosen is a real paradigm for why cinema remains relevant. There is beauty, pain and urgency in this film. For humanity to survive, the world must not forget. This film tells us that the greatest struggle of man is the struggle for the truth.”