Críticas Magazine

Films from Latin America had a big presence in this year’s 56th Annual San Sebastián Film Festival. Fifteen films were selected in the Horizontes Award competition, but the top prize went to the Guatemalan film, Gasolina, a story about two adolescent boys' friendship directed by Julio Hernández Cordón. The film will receive €35,000 (€10,000 for the director and €25,000 for its importer in Spain). Special mentions in the Horizontes category also went to Parque Via and to Intimidades de Shakespeare y Victor Hugo (“Shakespeare and Victor Hugo’s Intimacies”), two Mexican films whose challenging plots also look promising.  The U.S.-Mexico production of Sleepdealer, a sci-fi border film by the Peruvian-American Alex Rivera (that I wrote about here a few months ago when it debuted at Sundance) was also in the competition. And though it didn’t win, you can see an interview with the New York based director on the San Sebastian video gallery or just wait to see the film when it opens in U.S. theaters in February. But the festival's big winner was the Turkish film Pandora's Box directed by Yesim Ustaoglu. A best actress award went to Melissa Leo, an actress from the U.S. for her part in Frozen River. While the best actor award went to Argentina's Oscar Martinez for his role in El Nido Vacio ("The Empty Nest"). Way too many movies to rent these days, but it’s good to see Latin American film booming.

 

The 2008 Horizontes Award Competing Films

 ACNÉ (Acne), Federico Veiroj (Uruguay - Argentina - Mexico - Spain)

CORAZÓN DEL TIEMPO (Heart of Time), Alberto Cortés (Mexico)

DIOSES (Gods), Josué Méndez (Peru - Argentina - France - Germany)

GASOLINA (Gasoline), Julio Hernández Cordón (Guatemala)

INTIMIDADES DE SHAKESPEARE Y VICTOR HUGO (Shakespeare and Victor Hugo’s Intimacies), Yulene Olaizola (Mexico)

LEONERA (Lion’s Den), Pablo Trapero (Argentina - South Korea - Brazil)

PARQUE VÍA , Enrique Rivero (Mexico)

PERRO COME PERRO (Dog Eat Dog), Carlos Moreno (Colombia)

LA RABIA (Rage), Albertina Carri (Argentina)

LA SANGRE BROTA (Blood Appears), Pablo Fendrik (Argentina - France - Germany)

EL OLVIDO  (Oblivion),  Heddy Honigmann (Peru)

SLEEP DEALER , Alex Rivera (USA - Mexico)

TONY MANERO , Pablo Larraín (Chile - Brazil)

LA VIDA LOCA , Christian Poveda (Spain - France - Mexico)