Four Latin American feature films in post-production — “La plaga sin fin” (“The Neverending Plague”), “Moscas” (“Flies”), “A la hora de poner la mesa ya no éramos cinco” (“We Were No Longer Five”), and “Chicas tristes” (“Sad Girls”) — have been selected for the 73rd San Sebastian Film Festival‘s Works in Progress Latam showcase.
The titles will screen for industry professionals during the festival, which runs Sept. 19-27, and compete for the WIP Latam Industry Award and the EGEDA Platino Industry Award.
Colombian directors Esteban Hoyos and Juan Miguel Gelacio reunite for “We Were No Longer Five,” their second feature, which follows a group of Colombian women searching for children lost to the country's armed conflict. The filmmakers previously brought their debut feature “Selva” (“Jungle”) to WIP Latam in 2023; that film premiered earlier this year at the Cartagena de Indias Film Festival.
“Sad Girls,” the first feature from Mexico's Fernanda Tovar, was previously presented at Ventana Sur's ‘Proyecta' in 2022. Tovar, whose short “Mi edad, la tuya y la edad del mundo” screened in Cannes' Critics' Week the same year, examines the breakdown of a friendship between two competitive swimmers when they respond differently to a troubling incident.
“The Neverending Plague” comes from Chilean visual artists Joaquín Cociña and Cristóbal León, the directing duo behind “Casa Lobo” (“The Wolf House”), which bowed at the Berlinale in 2018. The new project follows Diana, a princess in a fairytale kingdom, as she travels through time to present-day Santiago de Chile.
Mexico's Fernando Eimbcke returns to San Sebastian with “Flies,” about a woman who forms a bond with her tenant's son after renting out a room in her apartment. Eimbcke previously presented “Lake Tahoe” (2008) in the Zabaltegi-Perlas section, contributed a short to the omnibus project ‘Revolución,' and competed in the festival's Official Selection with “Club Sandwich” (2013). His latest feature, “Olmo,” debuted earlier this year in the Berlinale's Panorama section.
WIP Latam has been a consistent platform for films that go on to international recognition. Last year's selection included “Si no ardemos, cómo iluminar la noche” (“If We Don't Burn, How Do We Light Up the Night”), by Kim Torres, which will premiere in San Sebastian's New Directors section this year; “Un cabo suelto” (“A Loose End”), by Daniel Hendler, set for Venice's Venezia Spotlight; and “El mensaje” (“The Message”), by Iván Fund, which won the Silver Bear Jury Prize at the Berlinale.
More details on the WIP Latam selections below:
“A la hora de poner la mesa ya no éramos cinco” (“We Were No Longer Five”)
Directos: Esteban Hoyos García, Juan Miguel Gelacio Ramírez
Countries of production: Colombia/USA
Martha (45), a mother who lost trace of her son in the fighting, receives the news that no bone match was found in the last exhumation in which she had taken part. Having exhausted the institutional options, she turns to a group of women who look into such matters where she meets Sandra, who tells her a rumour: “in a remote village in the plain, you can ask a dead person for a favour”. With Sandra, the two set out on a journey in search of answers, blurring the line between the living and the dead. Mothers who look for their children, children who look for their mothers: two parts of a same torment come together in the quest for peace.
“Chicas tristes” (“Sad Girls”)
Director: Fernanda Tovar
Countries of production: Mexico/Spain/France
La Maestra and Paula are the best swimmers in their team and best friends, until an incident at a party changes everything. La Maestra, intense and unstoppable, realises that something in her best friend has changed, making her sad. When the truth comes to light, the two are faced with an impossible decision: Paula wants to keep quiet about it, while La Maestra wants revenge. Their friendship, previously unbreakable, will be put to the test as never before.
“La plaga sin fin” (“The Neverending Plague”)
Directors: Joaquín Cociña Varas, Cristóbal León Dooner
Countries of production: Chile/Uruguay/The Netherlands/Germany/France
Diana is the princess of an ancient kingdom. Her mother dies while giving birth and her father, King Arthur, forbids love in the kingdom. Now a grown woman, Diana falls in love with a young nomad, Lalo, who gives her a magic bracelet as a token of his love. One day the King discovers them and banishes Lalo. Desperate, Diana uses the bracelet, which transports her to an unknown world, where she lives happily with her beloved Lalo. However, the plans to formalise their relationship are cut short when her father has an accident. Diana jumps to other universes, embarking on a nightmarish journey in search of love. Learning that her father manipulates her decisions, she must confront her fears and change her destiny.
“Moscas” (“Flies”)
Director: Fernando Eimbcke Damy
Country of production: Mexico
Since Olga (55) suffered a major loss she has embraced loneliness, but the lack of money to have an operation on her big toe obliges her to rent a room in her flat to Tulio, the husband of a patient hospitalised in the Medical Centre across from the enormous apartment block where Olga lives. When Tulio has to go away for a few days, leaving his son Cristian (9) in his place, Olga does everything she can not to get involved; but Cristian's vulnerability will expose her to her greatest fear: emotional connection.