Day 7 at the 41st Mar del Plata Festival: Audiovisual Innovation, Scandinavian Cinema, and “Vintage” is in
The seventh day of the 41st Mar del Plata International Film Festival shone with an eclectic program that crossed technological vanguard, historical memory with a rock pulse, the power of Scandinavian co-production, and new vertical format narratives.
With the official launch of VS Tech in Room 6 of Paseo Aldrey, the festival fired up its hub of technology, artificial intelligence, and immersive content. During the opening, Ralph Haiek, Executive Director of Ventana Sur, highlighted the sector’s growth: “I hope you enjoy yourselves, grow, and get to make a living from what you’re passionate about“, and confirmed institutional support by announcing that, through partnerships with INCAA, five spots will be awarded to outstanding teams to travel to the Ventana Sur market, taking place in Montevideo from December 1 to 5.
For his part, INCAA President Carlos Pirovano underscored the rigor of the selection process and the value of professionalism: “It’s very important that you take this seriously. This is a significant opportunity. Knowledge and talent are not things that exist in a vacuum — they are collaborative“.
The Power of Co-Production as Community
The Nordic region, this edition’s guest of honor, took center stage in a well-attended open conversation at Espacio Chauvin with filmmakers from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden: Carl Osbæck Adelkilde, Julia Thelin, Bragi Thor Hinriksson, Mimosa Willamo, Sveinung Brandsøy, Jon Einarsson Gustafsson, and Birgitte Stærmose.
Asked how such collaborative film industries are financed and structured, the filmmakers explained the models from their respective countries.
From Iceland, the vital role of film institutes and funds that finance development and production was highlighted — sharing crews and actors within a framework where “the core is to support the director and their artistic vision“. By contrast, the Danish representative described a singular system based on the principle of fair competition and decisions kept entirely separate from government interference. Along the same lines, the Norwegian panelist noted that while specific public funds do exist for screenwriters and directors, selection falls entirely to film industry experts rather than political officials.
Vertical Format and Creative Complicity
The blue carpet at Paseo Aldrey had one of its most crowded moments with the presence of Charo López and Camila Peralta, the lead actresses of the vertical format series directed by Orco.
Before the screening, all three spoke about the live-built nature of the episodes. “The dynamic of the game they were proposing to us. The shoot was a small group, we all knew each other, it felt like when you do something for the first time — they gave us room to improvise and try things“, said Camila.
Orco detailed the vertigo of the production: “It’s 29 episodes made with a crew of just over 20 people in 5 days of shooting and long days on set“. Charo López added her take on this new aesthetic experience: “A new feeling that everything was less — you don’t need to explain so much. And the last episode, which is a long take, came out of just being there, having fun, open to changing course and playing“.