The Mar del Plata International Film Festival started today with the legendary film Breathless, by Jean-Luc Godard, in homage to the 37th. edition of the competition for the French filmmaker, which this year is also dedicated to Leonardo Favio 10 years after his death.

The figure of the well-remembered filmmaker from Mendoza was the protagonist of the opening gala with which Favio, passion and memoryan audiovisual work that went through all his work and immediately, the call of Grace Borges at the stage of the Teatro Auditorium, star of Employeeone of the emblematic films of the Argentine director, who also excelled as a singer.

“What would we do without cinema? – said Graciela Borges -. I had a lot of love from all my friends and especially from my dear Favio”, the actress added excitedly.

After Luciana jury -The niece of Leonardo Favio- accompanied by the musician Lautaro Matute performed in an extraordinary way If my guitar sings like it sings and especially a ripped version of He forgot mefrom his uncle’s unforgettable songbook.

The Lifetime Achievement Award

With the hall still moved by Favio’s songs, it was announced that the Astor Lifetime Achievement Award -with the figure of “Astor canillita”, since the legendary Piazzolla participated in that role in the film with Carlos Gardel The day you love me– a Cecilia Roth.

The actress thanked the award and assured: “Because we love life, we love cinema”.

The president of the festival, Fernando Enrique Juan Lima, together with the artistic director, Pablo Conde, thanked all those who attended the event for their work, which Lima called “a luxury”, while Conde assured that this edition ” has a lot to see and discover.

Both, together with the festival’s general producer, Cecilia Diez, received the Declaration of Interest from the Deliberative Council of General Pueyrredón.

Back to face to face

Then it was the turn of the vice-president in charge of the presidency of the National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts (Incaa), Nicolás Batlle, who recalled that the competition is back fully face to face after the Covid-19 pandemic and revised the Incaa trajectory on its 65th anniversary.

For her part, the president of the Cultural Institute of the Province of Buenos Aires, Florencia Saintout, highlighted the joy that the festival took place once again “in one of the most beautiful cities of the province”; while the executive director of the National Social Security Administration, Fernanda Raverta, celebrated that young people who came to the city to enjoy the show “will also tell their stories in the future”.

For the end, before the screening of the opening film, Breathlessthe Minister of Culture, Tristán Bauer quoted a beautiful phrase from Leonardo Favio: “Who is born an artist is born with urgency”.

Before closing, the official highlighted the federal character of the inauguration of the Mar del Plata Film School, which will have an orientation in animation.

He also thanked “all the artists and cultural operators who fought for the approval of the law on special appropriations for cinema” and promised to continue working for the development of culture.

Guests and also when the festival continues

Thus began the 37th. edition of the Festival of Mar del Plata, which will last until November 13, with 241 titles including short, medium and feature filmswith works by prominent directors such as the German Mia Hansen-Løve, the South Korean Hong Sang Soo, the Portuguese João Pedro Rodrigues, the Chilean Sebastián Lelio, the British Sam Mendes, the Mexican Guillermo del Toro and the Argentine Raúl Perrone.

Among the guests this year, without a doubt, the most outstanding presence in terms of popularity is John McTiernandirector of two emblematic films that have already entered the category of action classics such as Predator (1987) and, above all, Die Hard (1988), with Bruce Willis.

The French director will also be there Patrizia Mazuywhich will accompany a retrospective of his work, Marcos Uzal, current editor-in-chief of the magazine Cahiers du cinemaPortuguese cinematographer Rui Poças and Argentine producer and director Lita Stantic.

the competition

This edition will have seven competitive sections and in the International Competition they are also registered seven world premieres: change change (Lautaro Garcia Candela), The face of Medusa (Melissa Liebenthal), the Uruguayana (Ana Garcia Blaya), those below (Alejandro Quiroga) Reduced (Leon Schwitter), Saudade purple fez in here (Haroldo Borges) e Three brothers (Francisco J. Paparella).

In the Latin American Competition there will be three national films, among which stand out Girlfriends on a country roadfrom santiago lozaY Trenque Lauquén, by Laura Citarella (recently moved to Venice). Additionally, you can see works from Colombia, Bolivia, Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Costa Rica.

In the Argentine Competition the names of Mara Pescio, Nicanor Loreti, Leandro Listorti and Maximiliano Schonfeld stand out, who in 2021 won with Jesus Lopez the Latin American section.

Among the outstanding titles that will be seen in the different sections are a beautiful morning (Mia Hansen-Løve), Housekeeper (Lucrezia Martello), no bears (Jafar Panahi), to go up (Hong Sang Soo), Pinocchio (William of the Bull), Alcarràs (Carla Simone), empire of light (Sam Mendes), SINFON14 (Raul Perrone) Y The prodigy (Sebastiano Lelio)

Also, Pacific (Alberto Serra), I pupil (Alice Rohrwacher) the naked queen (José Celestino Campusano), To eat (Bertrando Bonello), boy from heaven (Tarik Saleh), one year one night (Isaki Lacuesta), like bestas (Rodrigo Sorogoyen), and Slaughterhouse (Santiago Fillol), among others.

Also within the Panorama, in the Gala section titles such as The Tangalanga method (Matteo Bendesky), ardent patience (Rodrigo Sepulveda), Sublime (Mariano Biasín), Parties (Ignazio Rogers) e A little light (Stefano Moyer).

Another noteworthy retrospective is the one dedicated to the actress and director Kinuyo Tanakawhich will be screened the moon rises Y eternal breaststwo of her most representative feature films as a director, and films that have seen her starring in leading authors such as Kenji Mizoguchi, Heinosuke Gosho, Keisuke Kinoshita and Mikio Naruse.

There will also be a spotlight dedicated to the German director Heinz Emigolzwho will present his last three feature films to the public on the relationship between architecture and cinema. And on the centenary of his birth, a short film program by Jonas Mekas, an occasion in which he will present flashes of beautya book of his authorship recently published by the Caja Negra publishing house.

Also outdoor screenings are back at Villa Victoriain which the directors and their cast will present to the public the great national premieres of the year, such as Argentina, 1985 (Santiago Miter), 30 nights with my ex (Adriano Suar), Alternate (Diego Lermann), the red ones (Matias Lucchesi) e The KEOP / S system (Nicolas Goldbart).

Source: Télam / Hugo F. Sánchez

wd