MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — “As a meeting place, Ventana Sur was fantastic, the sales agent presence was good, focused on companies which really do buy, and the organization was impecable, run by highly dedicated and nice people,” said Antonio Saura, at Madrid-based sales agency Latido Films.
Most other attendees would buy into that.
Transferred for the first time since its launch in 2009 from its traditional Buenos Aires base to the heart of Uruguay’s Montevideo, this week’s Ventana Sur proved an upbeat affair, highlighting a clutch of titles likely to make A-List festival selection, plus some of the Latin America’s movers and shakers in the region and beyond, and the latest trends in an ever evolving regional industry.
Following, some first takeaways from Ventana Sur, Latin America’s weightiest film-TV market, co-hosted by the Cannes Festival’s Marché du Film, Uruguay’s ACAU agency and Argentina’s INCAA.
Popular on Variety
Ventana Sur Hits: “Vainilla”
“Vainilla” had many fans and some very big fans. “It’s the best work in progress I’ve ever seen,” glowed distributor Antoine Zeind at Quebec’’s A-Z Films. Backed by Stacey Penskie’s Redrum, a co-executive producer on “Narcos: Mexico” and producer on Rodrigo Prieto’s “Pedro Paramo.,” the stylish portrait of a family of seven women battling convention and eviction in late ‘80s Mexico, swept most of the board at Primer Corte on Friday, bagging five prizes, including the key Cine+ Award from Canal+, key for distribution in France.
Ventana Sur Hits: “The Condor Daughter”
David Puttnam said recently at the Seville Festival that the films he was interested in connected with audiences, but also had ideas and social relevance. “The Condor’s Daughter,” the latest from Bolivian multi-hyphenate Alvaro Olmos, a driving force in Andean cinema, looks to have all three in its intimate tale of a Quechua mother and daughter set against the sweep of history of mass emigration from the high Andes to big cities. Raising questions of multi-layered identity in convulsive times, the Copia Final standout looks to have several sales agents circling it.
Fede Alvarez and Having Fun
The major lesson from Fede Alvarez’s Ventana Sur masterclass wasn’t just what he said but how his said it. Looking back at his childhood, when he ripped it up making super hero movies for a dime, he spent much of the time laughing. Likewise when he showed photos of his first visit to Hollywood, to the Chinese Theater. Luckily his audience spent much of the time laughing along with him. Attempting to explain “how the hell” – a favorite phrase – an Uruguayan got to write and direct “Evil Dead,” “Don’t Breathe” and “Alien: Romulus,” he delivered one answer in the sense that he had so much fun filmmaking. Without passion, and a sense of fun in the broadest sense of the word, few creators can bring out of the best of themselves.
Uruguay
Uruguay has lately been gaining visibility through its own cinema and the possibilities of shooting here. Ventana Sur raised the ante, bringing the international market to experience first hand our landscapes and architecture, human capital and intangibles in other sectors,” says producer Agustina Chiarino (“The Heiresses,” “Monos,” “Don’t You Let Me Go.” Uruguay already welcomes multiple big shoots – one reason why The Mediapro Studio bought Cimarrón in 2022 – but there are far worse ways to demonstrate Uruguayan big shoot capacity than organising Latin America’s biggest high-level film market hand in hand with the Marché du Film, the world biggest film market. The fact the event has gone off without any major hitch is a significant achievement for Uruguay.
Co-Production: Latin America’s Main Way Forward
More than anything else, for sales agents Ventana Sur is an acquisitions market, observes Laurent Daniélou at Paris-based Loco Films. For producers attending the market, Ventana Sur has become a massive co-production forum as Latin America and Spain look to power-up bigger or more talent-driven titles which can cut through the crowd. Brazil, for which co-production has become a Holy Grail, can now dangle once more a minority co-production fund to fire up first partnerships with international partners. Productions are ever more sophisticated. Presented at Ventana Sur, animated feature “Small Town,” boasted two directors – stop motion maestros Walter Tournier and Cesar Cabral – and five producers from Brazil, Uruguay and Spain.
Breakout Female Director Debuts
Women directors are still a long way from parity in Latin America. The safety trickle of arresting debuts from female creators continues, however. Based in part on her own experience, “Vainilla,” for instance, marks the first feature from Mexican actor-turned-writer-director Maya Hermosillo. At Ventana Sur’s new Latam Series Market, the Netflix Award for Latin American Women Directors, a $5,000 cash prize, went to one of the section’s highlights, “Call Gloria!” (“Llamá Gloria!”), from Argentina’s Malenus Filmus, for a series expansion of her 19-minute short turning on an ebullient suicide helpline responder and a suicidal actress. Two Proyecta awards went to “Grass,” by Argentine writer-turned-director Ivana Galdeano, another to “I Thought I Was Swimming,” the feature debut of Uruguay’s Catalina Torres, a subtler portrait of LGBTQ passion in older age.
More Buzz Titles
Backed by Enfant & Poulet, a rising value on Mexico’s auteur genre scene, behind Tribeca winner “Huesera” and the anticipated “No Me Sigas,” from “Anything’s Possible” writer Ximena García Lecuona, Damiana Acuña Terminel’s “Lux Noctis” – another standout patently first feature from a female director – swept Blood Window Lab prizes. One of four titles among Animation! prize winners, securing a pitch at La Liga Annecy MIFA showcase, is “Baptism” the feature film debut of Chile’s Covarrubias who scored an Academy Award-nomination for best animated short in 2022 for “Beast.” Among titles screening at Ventana Sur was “La guitarra flamenca de Jerai Cortés,” the visually stunning but also moving feature debut of Antón Álvarez, better known as singer-songwriter C. Tangana.
Who’s On the Up?
In a convulsive Latin America, Ventana Sur delivered a clear picture of which countries are on the rise: Uruguay, most definitely so, and hoping to maintain sectorial support after leftist Yamandú Orsi’s victory at a Nov. 24 general election runoff; Chile, which has secured more governmental support; Colombia, ever more bullish as both a shoot local and film industry; Costa Rica, the rising film power in Central America; and Brazil, where new and renewed financing lines are beginning to bear fruit.
Ventana Sur 2025?
Ventana Sur looks set to take place in Buenos Aires in 2025. Just how is another matter.
“Ventana Sur’s brand is owned by the INCAA. One strategic objective of Argentina is a broadened concept of Ventana Sur, nor only with Río de la Plata,” Carlos Pirovano, head of Argentina’s film-TV agency INCAA, told Variety at Ventana Sur.
INCAA and Uruguayan agency ACAU have inked a three-year contract for 2026’s Ventana Sur to return to Montevideo. “After that we could move to a Ventana Sur Mercosur with Brazil and Paraguay or even a Latin America Ventana Sur,” Pirovano added.
Argentina’s INCAA and Cannes Marché du Film have also signed a letter of intention for the Cannes Marché du Film to partner on the Buenos Aires’ 2025 Ventana Sur, Pirovano said.
“The Marché du Film is a very important brand and the relationship with Guillaume [Esmiol, Marché du Film executive director] very good. But we also want to broaden our relations,” welcoming more institutions or companies to partner on Ventana Sur, he added.
The big question is whether INCAA and Cannes’ Marché will be able to reach a definitive deal. And, if they don’t, if either or both will look to go it alone, maybe inviting new partners.
The Deals
A score or more of deals announced by Variety in the run-up to and duration of Ventana Sur:
*“Emilia Pérez” star Adriana Paz is headlining ‘The Huntress,’ from Sundance winner Suzanne Andrews Correa, Mexico’s Záfiro Cinema and U.S. outfit The Population.
*”Blancanieves” star Macarena Garcia will lead an all-star Spanish cast of Ventana Sur Proyecta title “Perseidas,” also including “Patria” lead Elena Irureta, “Flowers” Itziar Aizpuru and ‘The Last Night at Tremore Beach’ headliner Ana Polvorosa.
*The cities of São Paulo, Montevideo announced at Ventana Sur a pioneering framework deal across multiple fronts, taking in truing and distribution, and channeled via Spcine and Montevideo Audiovisual.
*Disney+ Latin America has hooked Chilean boxing pic “Dancing in the Ring,” committing to a theatrical release.
*Chile’s Oscar-nominated “Bestia” director Hugo Covarrubias is prepping debut feature “Baptism,” teaming with co-writer Alejandra Moffat (“Chile ’76”) and Cociña and León producer Lucas Engel (“Los Huesos,” “My Tender Matador,” “Dry Martina”).
*Highly active at Veatana Sur, Latido has boarded Walter Tournier and Cesar Cabral’s “Small Town,” a sign of building co-production between Latin America and Spain.
*It has also sold top titles “They Will Be Dust,” “A Whale,” “Night Silence,” “Raqqa: Spy vs. Spy” and “Justicia Artificial” in key territories.
*In the first of a series of announcements, Paul Hudson’s active Outsider Pictures has snagged North American rights to three International Oscar entries: Costa Rica’s “Memories of a Burning Body,” Spain’s “Saturn Return” and Switzerland’s “Queens.”
*Newly launched Argentine Frondosa Foundation is teaming with Brazil’s Projeto Paradiso on a female screenwriter mentorship program.
*Chile’s Alfredo Castro, Paulina Garcia and Luis Gnecco are joining voice cast of animated feature “Winnipeg, Seeds of Hope,” as EP Sebastian Freund’s Rizco Content Sales nabs international streaming rights.
*Aria Covamonas’ buzzy animated feature debut ‘The Great History of Western Philosophy’ has been acquired by Miyu Distribution.
*France’s Chakalaka Films has joined Colombian period drama “In All My Journeys I Am Returning,” selected for Ventana Sur’s Primer Corte.
*Laurent Daniélou’s Loco Films has nabbed world rights to “Seeds of the Desert,” Colombia’s answer to “Mad Max.”
*Latido acquired Eva Libertad’s “Sorda,” adapted from the director’s 2023 Goya-nominated short.
*Spain’s Batiak Films, Elora Post House have boarded immigration horror feature ‘Tenants,’ in Ventana Sur’s Proyecta.
*Dori Media’s hit drama “In Treatment” is returning to Brazil’s Globoplay for a sixth season.
*France’s Srab Films is set to produce Colombian family drama “Name and Surname,” part of Ventana Sur’s Proyecta lineup.
*Outsider Pictures has scooped U.S. Rights to Scandi Dramas “Stormskerry Maja,” “The Missile,” plotting a spring theatrical run.
*Pacifica Grey has snapped up “Beloved Tropic” starring Berlinale Silver Bear winner Paulina Garcia.
*Leading LGBTQ+ distributor TLA Releasing has pounced on U.K. and North American rights to Mexican gay romance drama “Dying Briefly” by Juan Briseño.
*Argentine horror flick “The Witch Game,” dubbed in English using AI, has been acquired by Miracle Media for North America, U.K.