A Look Back at the First Day of the 40th Edition

The opening day of the Festival came to an end with the start of the competitions, a Master Class by the renowned filmmaker Bill Condon, a special talk by Roberto Stabile, a tribute to Argentine director Fabián Bielinsky, and an exceptional open-air screening of Message in a Bottle at the Victoria Ocampo Cultural Center.

Throughout Friday in the seaside city, locals and visitors alike enjoyed the art of cinema at its finest, starting at 9 a.m. with the International Feature Film Competition and the screening of La Gioia, an Italian film directed by Nicolangelo Gelormini. After the presentation in the Astor Piazzolla Hall, audiences had the opportunity to ask questions to lead actor Saul Nanni, who said with great emotion: “It was truly a challenge to create this character, who is both chameleonic and narcissistic.”

Meanwhile, the Cine Paseo Aldrey hosted the opening of two other competitions: the Argentine Competition and the Latin American Competition. The former began with Recen por mí: la historia de Francisco, directed by Facundo Bartucci, while the Latin American competition opened with Cordillera de Fuego, directed by Jayro Bustamante, representing Guatemala. Both films were warmly received by the audience.

Around midday, the debut feature Flood, directed by Martin Gonda, was screened. The second film in the International Competition received multiple rounds of applause—not only at the end, but also during the Q&A session, where cinephiles engaged with the Czechoslovak cast.

At 4 p.m., Roberto Stabile, Head of the International Department at Cinecittà, representing the Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual of the Italian Ministry of Culture, gave a talk on strategies for the internationalization of the Italian film industry at the Rambla Hall of the Casino Central.

Another highlight of the day was the presentation of Nueve Auras, a documentary honoring Fabián Bielinsky, acclaimed for films such as Nine Queens and The Aura. The screening was attended by director Mariano Frigerio and renowned Argentine actress Leticia Brédice, who appears in the documentary and played a key role in Nine Queens. The actress was moved to tears as she recalled the late director.

Later in the day, following the second screening of Kiss of the Spider Woman, director Bill Condon and actor Tonatiuh Elizarraraz took part in a Q&A session with the audience. Condon highlighted Jennifer Lopez when he said “She is extremely professional and deeply committed to her work and to the character she portrayed.”

On the same topic, when asked about the film’s theme of imprisonment, both agreed that “many times we, too, have felt imprisoned by our culture, our identities, and our Latin roots.”

At 7 p.m., Bill Condon delivered his Master Class, sharing his insights on directing and the tools that enable powerful storytelling.

That same day also marked the launch of Mar del Plata Classics, a new section celebrating great Argentine and international titles, with a special emphasis on films turning 50 in 2025.

Finally, to close the first day and usher in the second, the Noches de Películas: Open-Air Cinema series began at the historic Victoria Ocampo Cultural Center at 8 p.m. Under a starry night sky, attendees who brought their own chairs enjoyed Message in a Bottle, directed by Gabriel Nesci, in the presence of the filmmaker himself and actor Benjamín Amadeo, who said: “It’s an enormous joy—this is my first time here presenting a film. I met people not only from Mar del Plata, but from all across the province.” He added that Nesci’s film “is extremely original and filled with comedic elements.”