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The Zeitgeist weighs heavily on this year’s Guadalajara Construye, the top Mexican fest’s pics-in-post showcase, one of the its industry centerpieces, now in its 19th edition.
“Here Be Dragons,” by the Sundance selected Iria Gómez Concheiro (“The Cinema Hold Up”) takes place after a military coup, confronts “a culture of fear,” she says. “Genesis” unspools during the Earth’s final days, “The Swimmers” during the hottest summer in the history of Buenos Aires, suffering mass exodus, “Girls Ground” is set in a coastal town poisoned by its heavy industry.
Other films portray characters turning to (“8 Ways to Die”) and preparing to abandon (“That Shadow Fading”) bedrock affective relationships. One keynote (“The Swimmers,” “The Monster”) is a sense of disillusionment. Such themes will be given, however, a regional twist, their makers promise.
“‘Genesis’ forges a uniquely Latin American approach to science fiction, reclaiming futuristic storytelling from colonial perspectives and transforming our collective dreams of what’s possible. It sheds light on what it truly means to be human in a world in the face of collapse,” says producer Juan Sarquis. “Here Be Dragons” ¡s described as a “dystopian thriller told from a Latin American perspective.” Six of the seven Works in Progress are directed by female filmmakers in a Latin America where they are seizing opportunities to make movies as if there is no tomorrow.
Titles in this year’s Guadalajara Works in Progress competition, running June 9-11.
“Genesis,” (“Genésis,” Magaly Ugarte de Pablo, Mexico)
During Earth’s final days, Alma must conceive with an imposed partner to earn passage to humanity’s last refuge. A pragmatic pact unexpectedly transforms into passionate attraction but rejection shatters their bond and their hope. Confronted with impossible decisions, their reality begins to fracture. “Genesis” sheds light on what it truly means to be human in a world in the face of collapse,” says Ugarte de Pablo. The latest from Mexico City-based Filmaciones de la Ciudad, founded by Juan Sarquis, also an executive producer and development manager at El Estudio.
“Girls Ground,” (“Tierras Niñas,” Zara Monardes, Chile)
Luz spends her last summer of childhood in Chile’s Ventanas, a heavy industry coastal town, accompanied by her half sister and pet rabbit. Written by Monardes and producer Catalina Aguilar, a Ventana Sur entry which won three industry prizes last December. The film “highlights the complex journey of personal identity and the challenges women face as they navigate a world that shapes and often limits their development,” says Monardes. Set up at Chile’s Cine UDD educational facility, whose to date 16 graduation features to date include “La Madre del Cordero” and “Sariri.”
“Here Be Dragons,” (“Aquí Hay Dragones,” Iria Gómez Concheiro, Mexico, Chile)
The biggest title playing this year’s Guadalajara Construye, marking the third feature from Gómez Concheiro, behind Sundance title “The Cinema Hold Up” and Guanajuato winner “Before Oblivion.” After a military coup, Candelaria, 18, searches for her missing brother and the truth about the so-called “barbarians” and her own father. Produced by Gómez Concheiro’s label Ciudad Cinema and Machete Producciones (“Leap Year,” “La Jaula de Pro,” “Huesera”). “We are very pleased with the results so far and truly believe we have something special and unique to offer Mexican and Latin American cinema,” says Machete’s Edher Campos.
“The Monster,” (“O Monstro,” Helena Guerra, Brazil)
As she realises an ex-girlfriend has stolen her idea for a film, an obsessive, frustrated film editor spirals out of control, becoming what she always feared: a pathetic monster. “At the heart of the film are the gripping performances by Estrela Straus and Victoria Rossetti,” says Guerra. “Together, they embody the same character at two pivotal moments: a woman in her 20s, bold and brimming with desire, and decades later in her 40s, disillusioned and haunted by memories she cannot escape.” A Havana Fest Coral Prize finalist, and first feature from São Paulo’s Irmãos Guerra Filmes.
“The Swimmers,” (“Los Nadadores,” Sol Iglesias SK, Argentina)
A first feature from Buenos Aires-based guerrilla indie film collective Los Nadadores Cine, made by and starring four of its members including writer-director Iglesias SK and producer Valentina D’Emilio, plus directors Joaquín Fretes, and Tobías Reizes. Four friends suffer the hottest summer in history in Buenos Aires. Amid power outages, and a massive exodus abroad, they break into the mansions of the absent ultra rich. “This is a film by a new generation of Argentine filmmakers who dare to combine diverse narrative elements to create a fantastic and nihilistic story about the future of the world,” says D’Emilio.
“That Shadow Fading,” (“Aquella Sombra Desvanecía,” Samuel Urbina, Peru)
For years, Sol, a funeral keyboardist, has sought refuge in the monotony of her work. Now her son, Junior, is finishing university, will soon leave. In a sweltering, desert-like city, mother and son will try to connect before separation. “Our film carries a restrained narrative and a sensitive gaze; it delves into the intimacy of the domestic, the wound of detachment, and the possibility of becoming whole through loss,” say Urbina and producer Walter Manrique.
“8 Ways to Die,” (“8 Maneras de Morir, Mar Novo, Mexico)
Out of work, out of sorts after she breaks up, Lex, thirty-something, seeks solace in her only emotional mainstay, her grandmother. Their relationship swings from tenderness to dark humor. The latest from Mexico’s Novo, a member of the writers room for Amazon Original series “Mentiras.” Her debut feature, “Sisters,” bows this year.
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