A Day of World Premieres at the Festival

The final stretch of the 40th edition of the Mar del Plata International Film Festival, “The Rebirth of Splendor,” began under a spring Thursday in the seaside city.

Early in the morning, the doors of the Astor Piazzolla Theater opened for audiences to enjoy Leo & Lou, Carlos Solano’s film representing Spain in the International Competition. Both its director and its producer, Miriam Rodríguez Muñoz, were present at the screening. The feature follows Leo, a ten-year-old boy who runs away from a temporary foster home determined to find his own path.

Meanwhile, at the Cine Paseo Aldrey, the Argentine Competition began with the world premiere of Vlasta, the Memory is Not Everlasting, by Candela Vey—biographer of Vlasta Lah—and director Tino Pereira. Vey stated: “This film took 10 years of research and six years of filming. We are thrilled that Vlasta Lah is being recognized at this Festival.”

At the same venue, the International Short Film Competition also drew a large audience with Sex at 70 by Vanesa Romero (Spain), Every Light In Between by Pol Solà and Guille Comin (Spain), The Cycle of Life by Horacio Reyes Paez (Austria), and āyíby Jiayi Li (China).

Another world premiere was Vache Folle, the film by Hugo Diego García and Lorenzo Bentivoglio, competing in the International Competition. García emphasized: “It is a pleasure and an honor to be here. We made this film with no money and only with a group of friends.”

In the afternoon, screenings featured the Argentine Short Film Competition, with Testarossaby Nacho Sesma, Gymbroby Estefanía Maisterra and Tomás Canepa, Mientras tanto by Carla Scatarelli and Flor Berthold, and El borde de las cosasby Justo Dell Acqua.

Additionally, at the Rambla Room of the Casino Central, cinephiles enjoyed the talk Panorama of Cultural Management with directors of national festivals.

Finally, the evening closed with the screening of Lluis Miñaro’s, Emergency Exit as part of the Altered States section. The film brought renowned actor Francesc Orella to the Festival; he will also give a special talk on November 14 at the Rambla Room of the Casino Central.

Late night once again delivered a remarkable finale with the Hora Cero section, featuring El mal, a Spanish fiction by director Juanma Bajo Ulloa, who attended the screening to speak with the audience alongside actress Belén Fabra.