Six Uruguayan films are set to steal the show in Locarno, Switzerland, next August.
First Look, the works-in-progress initiative of the Locarno Pro Industry Program of the Locarno Film Festival, will screen these films in its 15th edition this year, which will take place during the 79th edition of the festival, which runs from August 5 to 15.
First Look, a post-production platform for international art projects, presents the projects in partnership with ACAU – Agencia del Cine y el Audiovisual del Uruguay.
An international jury, composed of Anna David (Program Advisor, Berlinale), Susana Santos Rodriguez (Co-Director, Indi Lisboa) and Trine Tramberg (Artistic Director, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival), will award several prizes, and the winners will be revealed during the Locarno Pro Awards ceremony on 9 August.
This year’s Locarno Pro conference is being held with the support of the Federal Office for Culture/Information Office of Switzerland from 5 to 11 August.
Here’s a closer look at this year’s selection.
Maltrato animal
Director: José del Acqua Postiglione, Producers: José del Acqua Postiglione and German Ormaecchia (Animista Cine)
81′, fiction
Synopsis: Bankrupted by the 2002 financial crisis, a Montevideo vet is pushed to the brink of collapse. In order to survive, he enters into an underground network of illegal breeding operations and drug trafficking. In this downward spiral, an unexpected encounter forces him to confront his limits.
The other side of the network
Director: Maximiliano Martinez, Producers: Clara Charlo and Maria Zanucci (Los Besos Contenidos), Associate Producer Shoji Films (Spain)
80′, documentary
Synopsis: After moving from Montevideo to Barcelona, Maximiliano Martinez hears his father say “I love you” for the first time in 30 years. Through his photography over time, he reveals the effects of domestic violence and confronts silence, fear, and inherited wounds. Through the game of tennis, father and son search for a new way to communicate.
Our little Justice League
Director: Guillermo Casanova Arostegui, Producer: Natasha López Knet (Lavorágine Films), Associate Producer Lagarto Cine (Argentina)
85′, fiction
Synopsis: Montevideo, 1983. When her best friend’s family suddenly runs away under suspicious circumstances, taking her away with them, 10-year-old Lucia gathers her gang to launch a plan inspired by their favorite superheroes. Together, they create clever comics that cover the walls of the neighborhood in hopes of bringing them back and unexpectedly beginning to change the harsh reality around them.
Percale
Director: Paula Bercal, Producer: Valentina Barraco Peña (Monarca Films), Co-Producers Sueño Cine (Uruguay) and Insumisa Films (Spain).
75′, documentary
summary: Percale It is a long-deferred letter to my grandmother, an immigrant and war survivor. Through the family archive and photography of my father, her only son, who fell ill after her death, a dialogue emerges between three generations shaped by the weight of family expectations. An intimate story that seeks to resign one’s inheritance and question what remains after we are gone.
Spring story
Directors: Gabriela Guillermo and Irina Raffo, Producers: Gabriela Guillermo and Irina Raffo (L’Avventura Cine), German Ormaecchia (Animista Cine)
62′, fiction
Synopsis: In the Botanical Garden of Montevideo, a fleeting encounter ignites a passionate love between Agustín and Bruno. As Bruno departs for Venice, desire continues across oceans, entangling a Spinozist professor and competing passions. Between philosophy and the body, jealousy and freedom, Spring unfolds as a restless search for love, nature, and the fragile ethics of connection.
Sorbi
Director: Lorenzo Tocco, Producers: Pancho Magno Arnabal and Isabel García (Montelluna), Co-Producer Coqueria (Brazil).
95′, fiction
Synopsis: The industrial city of Surobi, which was on the verge of extinction, turns overnight into the scene of a series of miraculous apparitions. Locals are seizing the opportunity to market the city as a destination for Sufi tourism. But divine power is a dangerous weapon, especially in a town in desperate need of a savior.
