Getting to know each other better

It has been two years now, since a new trend was marked to help the Festival find its definite identity. There is no doubt our identity is deeply rooted in Latin America, and as a logical consequence, we also belong to that vast idiomatic and cultural merge called Ibero-America.

As countries rehearse all kinds of political and economic alliances to prevent the overwhelming advance of globalisation, Mar del Plata is to become the natural cultural place for all filmmaking in the region to meet. In this shared place we may –very well– start the difficult task of getting to know each other better, doing away with wrong-judgements and mutual distrust, tightening bonds and developing strategies that would allow us to defend our particular feelings and tell audiovisual stories. The invitation has been made and the doors are open. To be in harmony with our wishes and hopes we have already started the slow process of consolidation in this 19th edition.

We are inaugurating a new award: the Golden and the Silver Astor. By means of this award we wish to tribute the most renowned and avant-garde artist from Mar del Plata who wandered around the world as a true Argentine culture messenger: Astor Piazzola. In addition, in some way to make up for late acknowledgements, two important representatives of our filmmaking will receive the first Astors to be awarded in this festival: Fernando Solanas and Fernando Birri.

The presence of Argentine movies in the Festival will be vast and varied. Films coming from different parts of the country will have the opportunity to be screened in Mar del Plata, ensuring a federal place of continuity. Dazzling guests representing universal cinema, and above all, movies, many, many movies coming from every single corner in the planet. It is true. The world is coming to screen our movies, and we, Argentine movie-fans, are getting ready to enjoy the best cinema in the world.

Miguel Pereira
President
19º Mar del Plata International Film Festival