With the 74th San Sebastián International Film Festival’s industry programme having come to a close, projects from Kosovo, Colombia, Mexico, Chile and Argentina have gone home with prizes in its WIP Europa, WIP Latam and Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum sections (see the news). Here, we take a closer look at each of the winners in these sections.

WIP Europa

WIP Europa Industry Award + WIP Europa Award
In a Manner of Speaking – Val Jashari (Kosovo/Montenegro)
Albanian-US fugitive Zeka (Genc Jakupi) has been hiding in Pristina for three years after being accused of murder. A police raid instigated by an extradition treaty leads him to seek refuge in the home of Vlora (Adirana Matoshi), a woman from a remote village seeking to hide away from the world for her own reasons. The experience of being together in an inescapable zone leads them down a path of redemption.

The project will be Los Angeles-based Kosovar writer-director Val Jashari’s debut feature, having won Best Pitch at the Balkan Film Market. With a running time of 97 minutes, the movie is being produced by Valmira Hyseni, of Kosovo’s Wavemaker Films, and Branimir Žugić, of Montenegro’s Live Productions.

Lovers Go Home! by Juan Sebastián Mesa

WIP Latam

WIP Latam Industry Award
Lovers Go Home! – Juan Sebastián Mesa (Colombia/Spain/Canada/France)
Two unexpected characters form an unusual relationship: single mother Alejandra (Angela Cano) discreetly works as a cam girl in Medellín, meeting New Jersey-based disabled veteran Andrew (Dave Dewar) as a client. As their relationship evolves and loneliness increases, Andrew travels to Colombia to meet Alejandra in person. This leads to an initially disappointing encounter that eventually allows them to turn inwards and question themselves.

The 114-minute film will be the third feature by Colombian filmmaker Juan Sebastián Mesa (The Nobodies, The Rust). It is the first feature officially in production by El Sol Ermitaño, a new Colombian outfit from Federico Durán, produced also by himself through Colombia’s Rhayuela Films, Carlo D’Ursi Fortunato at Spain’s Potenza Producciones, David Hurst at France’s Dublin Films and Christine Falco at Canada’s Camera Oscura. The film previously participated in the Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum at the festival in 2022.

Galerna by Tatiana Huezo

EGEDA Platino Industria Award for the Best WIP Latam
Galerna – Tatiana Huezo (Mexico/Spain)
An unemployed actress from the city, Lúa (Ilse Salas), and a man from the countryside, Noé (Lázaro Gabino Rodríguez), are paired together in a search to cast “natural actors” for a science-fiction film. Travelling through remote areas of Mexico, they live in homestays together despite their very different personalities and characters. The trip begins to test “their tolerance, their resistance and their fragility” in an environment very different from what they are used to.

Salvadorean-Mexican writer-director Tatiana Huezo cut her teeth making documentaries, but her debut fiction feature, Prayers for the Stolen (2021), ended up clutching a Special Mention in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard. Galerna is being produced by Nicolás Celis López, of Mexico’s Pimienta Films, and María Zamora, of Spain’s Elastica Films, while Mexico’s Sula Films has also just been announced as a brand-new production company for the film. The movie was previously rewarded by the Fondazione Prada Film Fund in 2025.

The Amateurs by Felipe Solari Yrigoyen

Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum

Europe–Latin America Co-Production Forum Best Project Award
The Amateurs – Felipe Solari Yrigoyen (Chile/Argentina/Mexico)
Creating a twist on the heist film, the feature follows the story of a Maltese Falcon statuette and a Russian guest that go missing from a hotel deep in Patagonia. The titular amateurs are the ones who are determined to solve the case, set during the occurrence of a Comic Con-esque film convention frequented by people dressed as different characters.

Known as an AD for directors of the likes of Rodrigo Moreno and Santiago Mitre, Argentinian filmmaker Felipe Solari Yrigoyen now makes his directorial debut with this project, having also completed the script at this point. The project is in advanced development, with 50% of financing having been secured already. It was presented at the Venice Gap-Financing Market this year, and the team is continuing to travel to secure additional financing for the film. The Amateurs is a production by Giancarlo Nasi for Chile’s Quijote Films (known for The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo and The Blue Trail), Argentina’s Gentil Cine and Mexico’s Panorama Global. The project has secured additional support from the Chilean Audiovisual Fund, Chile’s IFI cash rebate, BA Audiovisual Development and Argentina’s INCAA debut film fund.

DALE! (Development Latin America–Europe) Award
The Illusions – Ingrid Pokropek (Argentina/Spain)
Three residents of Buenos Aires wish upon a shooting star at midnight: sculptor Manuel asks for fame, heartbroken musician Julián asks for love again, and teenage girl Roco asks that her late father returns to life. However, chaos ensues when their wishes are mixed up due to a miscalculation in the celestial realm.

This will be Argentinian writer-director Ingrid Pokropek’s sophomore feature, after The Major Tones, which played in the Berlinale’s Generation Kplus in 2024. The project with fantasy and science-fiction elements is in advanced development and is expected to be shot in autumn 2027. The Illusions is being produced by Juan Segundo Álamos, of Argentina’s 36 Caballos, of which Pokropek is also a co-founder. Spain’s Jaibo Films co-produces, with additional ICAA minority co-production support.

ArteKino International Prize
Mourning Sound – Selma Cervantes (Mexico)
After her mother passes away, Karina returns home to Mexico, a place that no longer feels like home. She slowly reconnects with her brother through the process of them both becoming sonideros, or DJs who play music in public urban places and at neighbourhood events. The film is set in both Mexico City and Montreal.

Mexican director Selma Cervantes will make her feature debut with this film after her 2023 Sundance-screened short Sweatshop Girl. It is being produced by Eréndira Núñez Larios for Mexico’s Teorema, which recently staged Fernando Eimbcke’s Berlinale Competition entry Flies.