A New Day with Premieres, Spotlights, and Special Activities
This Tuesday, November 11, starting at 10 a.m., the Argentine Short Film Competition kicked off with Do Rocks Dream of Flying? Its co-directors, Mathieu Ciulla and Simón Zorraquín, expressed that they were “very excited to be at the Festival, as this was the first time the short film would be shown in Argentina.”
Later, at the Alberti 2115 theaters, screenings included Your Body in My Room, by Axel Cheb Terrab, The Chosen Ones, by Fercks Castellani, and Eavesdropping, by Gonzalo Alzaibar, all with double showings in the morning and afternoon. Meanwhile, as part of the International Competition, The Sea, by Shai Carmeli-Pollak drew great public interest at the Astor Piazzolla Hall.
The fifth day of the 40th edition also featured the directorial debut of Diego Peretti with Death of a Comedian. Before a full house, the artist and his co-director Javier Beltramino thanked the audience for attending the screening of this film, which runs in the Latin American Competition and also had two showings at Cine Paseo Aldrey.
Peretti stated: “In cinema, you usually make a film and, amid the rush of life, forget so many things; in this case, we’re still in love with both the music and the film itself.”
In the afternoon, Agustín Palleres presented his film Don’t Ask in the Argentine Competition, while Michelle Malley Campos, representing Puerto Rico, presented Foreigner as part of the Latin American Competition.
Meanwhile, at 2 p.m. in the Rambla Hall of Casino Central, Miguel Monforte gave a presentation on the restoration and preservation of the short film Brisas del Atlántico, from Cinematografía Valle. This was followed by the presentation of the Mar del Plata Film Commission, led by Bernardo Martín, President of the Municipal Tourism and Culture Board (EMTURyC), and Walter Gregoracci, General Director of the Knowledge Economy Area in the Municipality of General Pueyrredon’s Secretariat of Productive Development and Innovation. According to Martín, the Mar del Plata Film Commission’s goal is to “pave the way for film production in Mar del Plata.” Gregoracci then invited Jorge Stamadianos and Gabriel Lerman, the Festival’s Artistic Co-Directors, to receive the book Locaciones Cinematográficas de Mar del Plata (Cinematic Locations of Mar del Plata).
Stamadianos expressed: “It moves me to be part of the Festival and to know that it has been chosen for the launch of the Mar del Plata Film Commission. We’re happy with all the work we began two years ago.” In the same spirit, Lerman added: “For the past two years, I’ve felt like an ambassador of Mar del Plata. I think this is an excellent initiative. I hope many more iconic scenes will be filmed here.”
As night fell, the Festival paid tribute to Czech director Milos Forman and his film Amadeus, one of the most commercially and critically acclaimed films of 1984. The film received eight Academy Awards, including Best Director for Forman, Best Picture for Saul Zaentz, and Best Actor for F. Murray Abraham for his unforgettable portrayal of Salieri. The screening was introduced by Paul Zaentz, Saul’s nephew and also a producer, who shared his experiences on Milos’s film sets in a public talk. This won’t be the only Forman film featured, as One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest will also be screened—the same print that returned to Cannes Classics this past May to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its release.
