SanSebastian

Eleven movies from different Latin American countries will contend for the Horizontes Award and its 35,000 Euros at the 58th San Sebastian Festival. At this event, the Horizontes Latinos section showcases a selection of the most interesting and innovating Latin American films made over the last twelve months, with a number of titles backed by awards garnered at the big festivals of the year and others set to have a promising future.

Horizontes Latinos consists of features totally or partially produced in Latin America and either directed by moviemakers of Latin origin or set around the framework or subject of Latin communities throughout the rest of the world. These movies must also meet the requirement of enjoying their absolute premiere in Spain.

This year’s edition will see the participation of films from Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Uruguay and Peru, in some cases backed in their production by European countries like Spain, Germany and France.

Horizontes Latinos will open with Abel, opera prima from the actor Diego Luna, produced by the likewise actor, Gael García Bernal. Abel was premiered in the International Premieres section at Sundance and was shown at a Special Screening as part of the Official Selection at Cannes 2010.

Some of the titles, such as Norberto apenas tarde (Norberto’s Deadline, Daniel Hendler), A tiro de piedra (A Stone Throw Away, Sebastián Hiriart), Rompecabezas (Puzzle, Natalia Smirnoff) and Agua fría de mar (Paz Fábrega) come from the quarry of Films in Progress, a joint initiative by the San Sebastian and Toulouse Festivals. Films in Progress focuses on facilitating the completion of rigorously selected Latin American feature films which, while shot, are having difficulties getting through the post-production stage. Here they had their first break and some of them, once fully completed with the aid obtained at San Sebastian, have been selected for prestigious festivals: Agua fría de mar is one of the movies to bag the VPRO Tiger Award in Rotterdam, Norberto apenas tarde (Norberto's Deadline) in the Cinéastes du Présent section of Locarno Festival and Rompecabezas (Puzzle)  was screened at the Berlinale, the Bafici and Guadalajara Festival.

Others have participated in international competitions, including Por tu culpa (It’s your fault, Berlinale - Panorama Specials); La mirada invisible (The Invisible Eye, Cannes – The Directors’ Fortnight); Lo que más quiero (Bafici); Octubre (October, Cannes - Un Certain Regard); Nostalgia de la luz (Cannes – Official Selection, Special Screening) and Post mortem will compete at Venice.

Furthermore, some of their directors are old acquaintances of San Sebastian Festival. Anahí Berneri competed in the Official Selection 2007 with her previous film, Encarnación (Incarnation), and Patricio Guzmán presented Salvador Allende in Zabaltegi-Pearls 2004.