04/10/2012 - The festival’s Europe-Latin America Co-production Forum has brilliantly surpassed all expectations

The initiative to reinforce the industry's presence at the San Sebastian Film Festival could not have gone any better. While overall the 60th edition of the festival pleased organisers, the public, and professionals, the Europe-Latin America Co-production Forum has also surpassed all expectations.

For some participants, the co-production forum held in the impressive Museo de San Telmo, very close to the Kursaal, was the best event of its kind so far this year.

“It’s the fourth event of this kind that I have attended so far this year and, without a doubt, it's the best,” said Swiss producer Maja Zimmermann who attended with Guatemalan director Jayro Bustamante’s El escuadrón de la muerte- una comedia (lit. “The squadron of death - A comedy”), a film project that provoked animated debate about how risky its idea is. “The organisation, the level of the projects, professionals and experts is impressive.”

Two out of the 17 projects selected for the forum signed deals. El Elefante desaparecido (lit. “The missing elephant”), directed by Javier Fuentes-León (whose Undertow [+see also:
trailer
film profile] was screened in Horizontes Latinos in 2009) and produced by Michel Ruben for the Peruvian El Calvo Films, closed a co-production and sales deal with the Paris-based Urban Distribution. According to Fuentes-León, “It’s a psychological thriller that contains all the characteristics of noir cinema” set in the busy city of Lima.

Cuando los caballos aprendieron a llorar (lit. “When horses learned to cry”), directed by Nicolás Pereda and produced by Edgar San Juan (Norteado) managed to close a co-production deal with the Mexican Film Tank, the Spanish Tornasol Films, and the French Ciné Sud Promotion. The film is to be a story of family redemption.

Meanwhile, producers Luis Ángel Ramírez Pérez (Claria), Michel Ruben (El elefante desaparecido), Mikel Pruaño Etxeberria (Pietá), and José Nolla (Sexo fácil y películas tristes) have been selected to take part in Ventana Sur, the market promoted by the Argentinian INCAA and the Cannes Film Festival's Producers Network.

In total, over the forum’s two days, over 365 one-to-one meetings were held and over 380 industry professionals from 283 companies in 25 countries participated in the event’s different activities.

In parallel with the first feature film forum, Basque producers association IBAIA’s eighth European Documentary Co-Production Forum was also held with the presence of professionals from ARTE, France Televisions, Televisión de Catalunya, EITB, and Finnish Television among others.