Unspooling from 7-9 August in partnership with the Uruguayan Film and Audiovisual Agency, the 15th First Look at Locarno Pro will present six projects in post-production from the Latin American country to sales agents, distributors, festival programmers and other accredited professionals.  We detail all six below.

Maltrato Animal – José Dell’Acqua Postiglione (Uruguay)
Set against Uruguay’s 2002 financial crisis, Dell’Acqua’s feature follows a ruined Montevideo veterinarian who becomes entangled in a clandestine network involving illegal animal breeding and pharmaceutical trafficking. As financial desperation pushes him towards collapse, an unexpected encounter forces him to confront how far he is prepared to go in order to survive.

Produced through Puré and Animista, the 85-minute film was shot digitally in 4K and is currently in post-production, moving towards its final cut. Its approximately $350,000 budget is backed by Uruguayan public funding and a cooperative of film technicians holding an equity stake in the project. The team expects the movie to begin its festival run in February 2027.

The Other Side of the Net by Maximiliano Martínez

The Other Side of the Net – Maximiliano Martínez (Uruguay/Spain)
After moving from Montevideo to Barcelona, Martínez hears his father tell him, “I love you” for the first time in three decades. Filming him over time exposes traces of domestic violence and forces the director to confront silence, fear and inherited wounds, while tennis offers father and son a possible language through which to reconnect.

Clara Charlo and María Zanocchi are producing the 80-minute documentary for Los Besos Contenidos, with Barcelona’s Shoji Films co-producing. The proof of concept is being presented for the first time, and the team is seeking laboratories, festivals, sales agents, distributors and financiers.

Our Little Band of Justice by Guillermo Casanova Arósteguy

Our Little Band of Justice – Guillermo Casanova Arósteguy (Uruguay/Argentina)
Set in Montevideo in the 1980s, Casanova Arósteguy’s feature follows ten-year-old Lucía after her best friend’s family flees under suspicious circumstances, taking the girl away. Lucía rallies her friends and turns to comic strips and superheroes to confront the disappearance and the political reality surrounding them.

Natacha López Kneit is producing for Lavorágine Films, with Argentina’s Lagarto Cine co-producing. The team is using First Look to define its international festival strategy, and connect with sales agents, distributors and programmers, with the priority being to secure the strongest possible launch.

Perkal by Paola Perkal

Perkal – Paola Perkal (Uruguay/Spain)
Built from family archives and present-day filming, Perkal begins when the director’s father finally dismantles his late mother’s home, 11 years after her death. Unseen recordings open a dialogue across three generations and allow the filmmaker to reconsider her grandmother as a woman, her father as a son, and inheritance as both burden and continuing presence.

Valentina Baracco Pena is producing for Monarca Films with Uruguay’s Sueño Cine and Spain’s Insumisa Films. The documentary is nearing the end of post-production and is expected to be completed in early September. Its team is seeking a world premiere, festival placements and distribution.

Spring Story by Gabriela Guillermo and Irina Raffo

Spring Story – Gabriela Guillermo, Irina Raffo (Uruguay)
A chance encounter in Montevideo’s Botanical Garden ignites a relationship between Agustín and Bruno, but Bruno’s departure for Venice leaves desire stretched across continents. Inspired by Spinoza and conceived as the concluding film in a tetralogy responding to Éric Rohmer’s Tales of the Four Seasons, the feature explores attachment, jealousy, freedom and emotional transformation.

Guillermo and Raffo are producing through L’Avventura Cine together with Animista Cine’s Germán Ormaechea. Now immersed in post-production, the team is aiming for an international premiere in May 2027 and is seeking a sales agent, particularly for Europe, alongside partners for festival strategy and distribution.

The Surubí by Lorenzo Tocco

The Surubí – Lorenzo Tocco (Uruguay/Brazil)
In a disappearing industrial town, apparently miraculous events prompt residents to reinvent their home as a destination for mystical tourism. Faith, opportunism and collective desperation collide as divine power becomes a dangerous commodity.

Pancho Magnou and Isabel García are producing for Montelona. In addition to the previously announced Brazilian co-producer Kocria, the producers have confirmed to Cineuropa that Multiverso has now joined the project. The 95-minute fiction feature is at the editing stage, with the team looking for festivals and a sales agent capable of introducing Tocco’s debut to international audiences.