Several filmmakers from Latin America received recognition at the recent Locarno Film Festival in Locarno, Switzerland. The festival gives out awards through its Open Doors initiative, which aims to support underrepresented voices in cinema. This year, the program celebrated directors telling important stories from Paraguay, El Salvador, Cuba, and Peru.
Paraguayan director Paz Encina won three awards for her upcoming movie “El único tiempo.” The film explores exile and disappearance during Paraguay’s dictatorship. Encina earned a share of the over $57,000 in Open Doors grants. She also won the $6,600 ARTEKino International Award and a spot at an event in Norway.
Encina was not the only winner. Salvadoran filmmaker Ernesto Bautista secured funding for his first feature “Salvación.” The movie examines a key figure in El Salvador’s civil war. It was praised for its storytelling approach. Bautista also received the BR Lab Award for a workshop in Brazil.
Cuban director Rosa María Rodriguez and Peruvian director Fernando Luis Mendoza Salazar each won $5,800 grants. Rodriguez’s “La levedad de ella” sensitively portrays a woman’s illness. Mendoza’s blend of culture and video games in “Huaco retrato” caught jurors’ attention.
Beyond money, the festival offered opportunities like a writing residency. Ecuadorian director Rob Mendoza received support for his science fiction movie “Ovnis en el Trópico.”
This concluded Locarno’s three-year focus on Latin America and the Caribbean. Open Doors now looks to support African filmmakers for four years. The program aims to connect diverse artists globally. As Locarno’s focus shifts, its impact in Latin America will continue.
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