Sixteen projects from eleven countries have been selected for the Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum, which takes place parallel to the San Sebastian Film Festival, and which has registered in its seventh edition 223 submissions, 34% more than last year (165). Furthermore, the film selected at Ibermedia’s Workshop to Develop Film Projects from Central America and the Caribbean will participate out of competition. The proposals selected for the Forum, to run from September 23-26, will come from Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, France, Guatemala, Italy, Mexico, Spain and Switzerland.
Projects from the last editions have participated in international festivals. Marilyn, by Martín Rodríguez Redondo, and La omisión (The Omission) by Sebastián Schjaer, were selected this year for the Panorama section of the Berlinale, and El motoarrebatador (The Snatch Thief), by Agustín Toscano, premiered at the Directors’ Fortnight.
‘In its seven years the Forum has become a fully consolidated industry activity, not only due to the rise in the number of submissions, but also to the profile of the participating filmmakers and producers, thanks to the fact that it unites new talents and established figures who present their projects in San Sebastian, given the opportunity to contrast and compare their works with the international film industry,’ underlines José Luis Rebordinos, the Festival director.
The Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum, which has the backing of Creative Europe MEDIA and of the Basque Government Department of Economic Development and Infrastructures, is a reference platform for promoting new audiovisual projects between both film worlds and a meeting point for accredited industry guests at the Festival at which to foster professional agreements and exchange experiences. The Forum has a first day, on September 23, dedicated to presentation to the industry (pitching session) of the projects selected for the Forum and the five chosen for the Ikusmira Berriak residencies programme, and three days of one-to-one meetings with their producers and directors, coinciding with Films in Progress 34 and the second edition of Glocal in Progress.