First Look, the work-in-progress section of Locarno Pro, is set to run from 9-11 August. Cineuropa takes a closer look at four of the six features in post-production due to be showcased during this year’s edition, which is dedicated to Spanish cinema. The industry initiative was organised by the Swiss festival in partnership with the ICAA (the Spanish Institute of Film and Audiovisual Arts) and ICEX Spain Trade & Investment.

(L'articolo continua qui sotto - Inf. pubblicitaria)

Still Life with Ghosts [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film] – Enrique Buleo (Spain/Serbia)
Distressed by the troubles and difficulties inherent in life and death, ghosts and humans in the small town of La Mancha will do the impossible to put an end to their problems, and will not hesitate to put extreme and desperate plans into action to achieve it. This is the premise of writer-director Enrique Buleo’s debut feature (see the news), produced by Quatre Films Audiovisuales (Spain) and Cuidado con el perro (Spain) in co-production with Sideral (Spain) and This and That (Serbia).

“We’re very interested in getting international sales and distribution. In addition, First Look is a valuable platform to gain more international visibility. Still Life with Ghosts is a free and original film, brave and grotesque, far from fashions and formulas. It addresses transcendental issues with a very personal brand of humour and boasts an unconventional aesthetic,” says producer Alejandra Mora.

The main cast includes Consuelo Trujillo, Fernando Sansegundo, Gloria Martínez, Enric Benavent, Eduardo Antuña, Pilar Matas, Bianca Kovacs, Jordi Aguilar, Nuria Mencía and Pepe Carabias.

Dream of Another Summer by Irene Bartolomé

Dream of Another Summer – Irene Bartolomé (Spain/Lebanon)
The picture, produced by Colibrí Studio (Spain), The Attic Productions (Lebanon) and IB Films (Spain), tells the story of the encounter between a woman and a city, Beirut, in order to explore how the spaces we inhabit relate to us, and reflect on the mortality and survival of a metropolis. Currently in post-production, the project has received backing from the ICAA – Minister of Culture, the Goethe- Institut in Lebanon and the Spanish Embassy in Lebanon.

“Our goal for Locarno is to share a cut of this film with industry professionals for the first time internationally. Our primary need is finalising our post-production budget,” explains producer Pere Marzo. “Besides this, our priorities are also focused on the area of distribution; we’re looking to find a sales and distribution agent to devise a promotion and dissemination strategy at an international level. In this sense, we’re also interested in getting in touch with festival programmers and marketing experts who can help us position the film. Finally, we’re also keen to speak to VoD or TV reps.”

I’d Rather Be Condemned by Margarita Ledo Andión

I’d Rather Be Condemned – Margarita Ledo Andión (Spain)
The story of this feature originates from an adultery trial against a woman shellfish gatherer in the Ferrol estuary in 1972. Against all odds, the ecclesiastical court of Compostela, which assumes civil jurisdiction, acquits 33-year-old Sagrario Ribera Fra. Putting the pieces of this story back together leads to the discovery of a popular character capable of confronting the rules that confine her to a subordinate role.

Ahead of the Locarno Pro days, executive producer Olaia Ledo told Cineuropa: “We’re excited about attending Locarno Pro. […] If we were to win, we’d use the money to finalise [the purchase] of the archive footage we need. We’ll also be looking for a sales agent.”

The main cast members are Sagrario Ribela, Nardo Beceiro, Melania Cruz, Iria Pinheiro, Mónica Camaño, Mónica de Nut and Antón Lopo. Ledo Andión penned the script with Eva Veiga. Alberte Branco is attached as the DoP. Nós Produtora Cinematográfica Galega is producing the film, whilst Atalante is in charge of its distribution.

Downriver, A Tiger by Víctor Diago

Downriver, A Tiger - Víctor Diago (Spain)
Júlia arrived in Glasgow some time ago, fleeing from Barcelona, as she wanted to start from scratch. Years have passed, and she seems stuck in a rut; in the mornings, she tries to pursue her career as a photographer, while at night she cleans dishes in a restaurant. One afternoon, while taking portraits of pedestrians crossing a bridge, the sight in one of her eyes starts to fail. As illness begins to spread, Júlia will begin a search into the past, into the depths of Glasgow and its history. The river will carry her towards a memory: of the day she met a mysterious group of men who pulled objects from the depths of the water – among them was a strange Indian boy, Shubham, who also came to the city from far away in search of a new life.

This is the synopsis of writer-director Víctor Diago’s first feature, produced by Bernat Manzano, Miguel Ángel Blanca and Diago himself for Barcelona-based Boogaloo Films.

“Downriver, A Tiger was born of the visits to Glasgow made over the last three years. It’s a film that was written through our conversations and through the compiling of stories and people whom we have stumbled upon in the city,” reveals Diago in his director’s notes. “A clear example is the Glasgow Magnet Fishing family, a group of neighbours who get together to look for objects in the depths of the river, which brings magic and poetics to two of the themes running through the film: memory and migration. This city, like so many others, was built by lower-class workers and especially by immigrants. Their space and memories are filled with their hopes and dreams, with their love stories and also with the loneliness that follows those who go far away from their loved ones in search of a better life.”

The cast is led by Júlia Diago, Shubham Kirbe and Joyce Cattenach. Key creatives are DoP Dani Benejam, editor Maria Castan De Manuel and sound designer Olive Roberts.