5-18_cannes_latinamerica d 5/17/08 10:49 AM Page 4day 5 | sunday, may 18, 2008 latin america | world“Paraiso Travel”Colombian films have had unprecedentedadmissions,” says Proimagenes directorClaudia Triana de Vargas.Bogota-based CMO Producciones, one ofthe nation’s most important productioncompanies, produces two films a year andreceives up to eight scripts a week.Currently, CMO is producing the Colombia-CostaRica co-production “Del Amor yOtros Demonios,” an adaptation of a GabrielGarcía Márquez novel. <strong>The</strong> shingle also isdeveloping numerous screenplays withfirst-time directors, among them CarlosMario Urrea’s “Una Nina Llamada Jairo.”“Everything is much better now that itwas several years ago,” says CMO executiveproducer Ana Pineres. “Now, we have a lotof talented young filmmakers and a fantasticfilm law.”As Colombia establishes itself as one ofLatin America’s fastest-growing productionhubs, the current administration is making astrong push to lure more foreign shoots,especially after it saw the $15 million impactthat Mike Newell’s “Love in the Time ofCholera” had on the local economy in theCaribbean coastal city of Cartagena.One of the strongest proponents of drawingmore runaway production is Vice PresidentFrancisco Santos. He acknowledgesthat some producers have gone into Colombiawith apprehension due to security concernsand a U.S. State Department travelwarning, yet he insists that the nation’snotorious crime situation has vastlyimproved over the past five years.Colombia is presenting its upstart filmcommission at this year’s edition of <strong>Cannes</strong>.MEXICONot since the Golden Age of Cinema inthe ’30s and ’40s has Mexico enjoyed such aremarkable production boom. Last year thenation produced 70 features, and if the“Los Bastardos”industry stays on course, it could churn outnearly 80 films this year.A tax incentive known as Article 226 hashad a major impact on production. Outputis increasing, fresh talent is emerging andthe slate of productions is growing evermore diverse.“I think this is one of the best eras forMexican cinema, and it’s all because of thediversity that you’re seeing now in productionschemes and subject matter,” sayswriter-director Fernando Eimbcke, who isreceiving this year’s FIPRESCI Revelation ofTHR.com | los angeles 323.525.2000 | new york 646.654.5000 | london +44.207.420.6139 | beijing +86.10.6512.5511 (ext. 121)33
5-18_cannes_latinamerica d 5/17/08 10:49 AM Page 5day 5 | sunday, may 18, 2008 latin america | worldthe Year award at <strong>Cannes</strong> for his coming-of-age drama “Lake Tahoe.”Up-and-coming Mexican filmmakers have been picking up a slewof awards on the festival circuit lately. Among the promising directorsthat have been grabbing headlines are Eimbcke, Ernesto Contreras,Rodrigo Pla and <strong>Cannes</strong> favorite Carlos Reygadas, whose Mennonitelove story “Silent Light” won the <strong>Cannes</strong> Jury Prize last year.This time around, Reygadas’ protege Amat Escalante is presentinghis sophomore feature “Los Bastardos” in the Un Certain Regardsection. Produced by Reygadas’ shingle Mantarraya, “Los Bastardos”tells a tale about two Mexican immigrants in the U.S. hired tocarry out a contract killing.Mexico also has one of the world’s leading exhibition markets, withtheater chains raking in more than $500 million last year, an all-timehigh. Unfortunately, local producers usually fail to recoup theirinvestments, as they only get about 15% of the boxoffice take.As Mexico undergoes a cinematic renaissance, many small indiedistributors have been cropping up lately. Shingles like Reygadas’Mantarraya and Canana, the production company of Mexican actorsGael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna and producer Pablo Cruz, launcheddistribution arms last year.<strong>The</strong> Canana release “El Violin,” a small black-and-white picturethat screened at <strong>Cannes</strong> in 2006, stood out as Mexico’s biggest boxofficesurprise last year. Cruz says the Fernando Vargas-directedfilm had one of the highest per-theater averages in the history ofMexican cinema.Mexico’s 2008 release schedule looks very promising. Eimbcke’s“Lake Tahoe,” Pla’s “Desierto Adentro,” Gerardo Naranjo’s “Voy aExplotar” and Carlos Cuarón’s “Rudo y Cursi,” which reunites “Y tuMama Tambien” co-stars Garcia Bernal and Luna, have generatedconsiderable buzz.“I think we are going to see a lot of surprises on the screens thisyear,” says Victor Ugalde, head of Mexican film fund Fidecine.“Acne”URUGUAYUruguayan cinema offers proof that big things can indeed come insmall packages. After all, we’re talking about a nation with a populationof 3.4 million — roughly the equivalent of Montreal.As one might expect, financing a full-length picture in Uruguaypresents some serious difficulties, forcing most producers to turn toforeign co-production partners.As Control Z Films executive producer Fernando Epstein says, “Itwould be impossible to produce a feature without partners.”Control Z co-produced 2001’s “25 Watts” and the deadpan comedy“Whisky,” the latter winning the Un Certain Regard FIPRESCIPrize at <strong>Cannes</strong> in 2004. In the Directors’ Fortnight section, theMontevideo-based shingle is debuting “Acné,” a coming-of-agestory about a boy dealing with hormonal swings and the hardshipsof adolescence. Mexico’s Goliat Films, Argentina’s Rizoma Films andSpain’s Avalon Productions co-produced.Martin Papich, head of the National Audiovisual Institute, saysUruguayan cinema has made extraordinary progress in recent years.“About 15 years ago, there were no Uruguayan films in theatershere,” he points out. “This year, we expect to produce seven featuresand have five releases.”And there’s more good news on the horizon. Congress is set topass a film law that will create a $1.2 million production fund, asmall amount but a step in the right direction nonetheless. Additionally,the law aims to establish tax breaks of up to 25% for domesticproducers.Still, Uruguay’s exhibition market is so small that local producersmust line up projects that can travel well, films like last year’saward-winning drama “<strong>The</strong> Pope’s Toilet.”“It’s key for us to produce films that target the international marketplace,”Papich says.“13 Segundos”VENEZUELASince the 2006 launch of state-run film facility La Villa del Cine,Venezuela’s filmmaking community has become notably dividedbetween those working within the studio system and those on theoutside looking in.Many industry figures have sharply criticized La Villa del Cine,claiming it serves as a propaganda machine to promote PresidentHugo Chavez’s so-called “cultural revolution.”Jonathan Jakubowicz, who directed Venezuela’s all-time boxofficeleader “Secuestro Express” (2005), believes it has becomemore difficult in recent years to secure private financing.“It’s always been hard and it’s certainly harder now,” he says.“Some filmmakers have been left with no choice but to work at LaVilla del Cine because they feel it’s the only way to make movies inthat environment.”La Villa del Cine director Lorena Almarza insists the facility getsa bad rap. “Those who suggest that La Villa del Cine is doing (propagandistic)films are expressing political opinions that do not permitthem to see that these films are allowing us to develop anindustry,” she says.Venezuela produced more than a dozen features last year, mostreceiving financing <strong>from</strong> La Villa del Cine. Among the studio’sreleases this year are “Bambi C4,” a political thriller about an anti-Castro terrorist, and “Libertador Morales,” which centers on a SimonBolivar-quoting motorcycle-taxi driver seeking social justice.Many local filmmakers have lashed out at the government for itsdecision to provide $28 million in financing to actor-turneddirectorDanny Glover. A longtime Chavez supporter, Gloverreceived the money to make a biopic about Toussaint Louverture,the leader of an 18th century slave revolt in Haiti.Producers’ association Caveprol estimates the money for theGlover picture could have partially financed about 56 Venezuelanfeatures.Despite the financing woes, a talented group of new filmmakershas emerged <strong>from</strong> Venezuela in recent years. Some of the nation’sbiggest contemporary hits include Jakubowicz’s “SecuestroExpress,” Eduardo Arias-Nath’s “Ellipsis” (2006), AlbertoArvelo’s “Cyrano Fernandez” (2007) and Freddy Fadel’s 2007 boxofficechamp “13 Segundos.” ∂THR.com | los angeles 323.525.2000 | new york 646.654.5000 | london +44.207.420.6139 | beijing +86.10.6512.5511 (ext. 121)34
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