Buenos Aires' international indie festival (April 6-16) is only in its second year but has already renewed local interest in arthouse films. Last year, more than 100 films at the festival were picked up for distribution in Argentina, led by local distributor, Pascual Condito, who acquired up to 30 titles.
Working on a shoestring budget of $500,000, the festival showcases first or second-time film-makers, running competition sections for both features and shorts. Last year's event served as the launchpad for Pablo Trapero's Mundo Grua, which went on to win a slew of international awards including ones from the Venice and Rotterdam festivals. Harmony Korrine's Julien Donkey-Boy is the only US entry in competition, while the UK is represented by Damien O'Donnell's East is East.
Other competing feature films range from as far afield as Japan (Moonlight Whispers by Shiota Akihiko) and the Czech Republic (The Return of The Idiot by Sasa Gedeon). Argentina's three official entries will be celebrating their world premieres at the fest: No Quiero Volver A Casa by Albertina Carri; Esperando Al Mesias by Daniel Burman; and 76-89-03 by Flavio Nardini and Cristian Bernard.
Tsai Ming Liang's The Hole will open the festival, while Mark Singer's Sundance Film Festival title Dark Days closes proceedings. Along with a seminar hosted jointly with the Sundance Film Institute, sidebars include retrospectives on the films of Tsai Ming Liang, John Cassevettes, Julio Medem, Ventura Pons and Edgardo Cozarinsky.
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