The movie follows teenage Walter (Alan Daicz), an out-of-towner who just got his graphic novel published, and has been invited to present it at the local book fair. It’s just his luck he gets to board the rigged taxi, driven by a man also named Walter (Jorge Marrale). The setback is mutual, but old Walter can’t let young Walter off the hook just like that, and on they drive in circles through urban Buenos Aires while the audience ponders where, when and why will the bomb go off.

Bomba starts as a “what if” thriller that taps into a popular, commonplace fear; then unwinds into buddy-bonding as each Walter reveals to his namesake the dark and torrid past that has led him to this very moment. The genre-shift may not be totally uncalled for – twin naming, after all, is just another way of setting up a “We’re not so different, you and I” scenario. And the movie is written and directed by Sergio Bizzio, whose screenplays have a knack for subtle character studies – XXY (2007) and Rage (Rabia, 2009) among them.

The ending combines the surprise appearance of one famous literary celebrity in the form of a deus ex machina and some nihilistic black humor. At this point the movie has jumped the proverbial shark so many times, we realize it’s not so much a plot detriment as it is part of what keeps the momentum going. It ends up being an interesting ride nonetheless.

Released in Argentina on May 9th, 2013 after competing in the 2013 BAFICI.

For more info:

Twitter @BombaPelicula

production company website: (yes, it was produced by Lucia Puenzo, daughter of the director of “Official Story”: http://puenzo.com/

by Benjamín Harguindey, contributing blogger

Aída Bortnik (74) passed away on April 27^th, 2013. Playwright, journalist and arguably one of Argentina’s most famous screenwriters, she penned the scripts for Oscar-nominated La tregua (The Truce, 1974) and La historia official (The Official Story, 1985) which was the first Argentine movie to win the Oscar for best foreign picture. She authored 14 movie screenplays overall, working throughout her life with renown filmmakers Sergion Renán¸ Juan José Stagnaro, Alejandro Doria and Luis Puenzo.

In the ‘80s she also dabbled in television, writing for shows Ruggero (1983) and co-creating Los gringos (1984). In the ‘90s she became a frequent collaborator of Marcelo Piñeyro, with whom she wrote cult films Tango feroz: la leyenda de Tanguito (Fierce Tango: The Legend of Tanguito, 1993), winning at San Sebastian Film Festival; Caballos salvajes (Wild Horses, 1995), winning both Jury and People’s Award at Sundance Film Festival; and Cenizas del paraíso (Ashes From Paradise, 1997), which earned the Goya Award and her fourth Silver Condor nomination.

She had more recently worked in the mini-series Vientos de agua (2006) with Juan José Campanella, with whom she was running screenwriting seminars.

by Benjamin Harguindey, contributing blogger

Pascual Condito, president of Primer Plano Film Group S.A. and distributor for 32 years, announced in an open letter this April 22^nd that he would be renouncing local film distribution come July 31^st. “I feel tired from this daily struggle which does no good to my health,” wrote Condito, having spent the last two years “trying to survive on premieres, since movies are never as big as the one the major film studios(from Hollywood) distribute”

As of 2002, Primer Plano Film Group S.A. has been the number one local and international film distributor, with a sizeable catalogue of some 500 movies on sale that goes all the way back to 1990. Condito himself was in charge or releasing 230 Argentine movies in the past few years. As stated in the letter, the company will henceforth deal exclusively “on local TV, internet and cable” distribution. “Regarding the 3 or 4 movies I have pending this year, I’ll try arrange something with other distributors to meet the terms of my responsibilities”.

Condito also expressed interest in focusing more on his career as associate producer, as whom he has been credited in a dozen movies already, including Cheese Face (Cara de queso, 2006), Whose Garter is This? (¿De quién es el portaligas?, 2007) and The Jar (El Frasco, 2008). “I’m planning on making one movie per year, in association with important producers and the INCAA”. The letter commended highly Liliana Mazure’s term as president of INCAA, “for opening the doors to outside movie distribution”, and signed off on an apologetic note.

“I want you to know that I tried to offer you the best of my company, gambling each jewel of a movie for it to be within the best rankings, but in some instances I have been overcome”.

by Benjamín Harguindey, contributing blogger

Oftentimes the BAFICI will pay tribute to filmmakers by showcasing their entire oeuvre. In the 15^th BAFICI, the honor goes to Adolfo Aristarain, whose career as director spans over 30 years, 11 feature-length movies and one TV show. He is the maker of such iconic films as Tiempo de revancha (Time for Revenge, 1981) and Últimos días de la victima (Last Days of the Victim, 1982), and the winner of five Silver Condors for direction, but has been taking it slow since his last major release, 2004’s Roma. He has worked with some of the best actors, including Federico Luppi. This one-on-one sit-down was a rare treat with one of the most famous directors Argentina has produced.

Do ever you go back and watch your movies?

No, never. Not even the premieres. I just can’t. I don’t enjoy myself. I know them too well, you know you watch a movie about a hundred times while you’re editing it. You memorize all of it. In time you start wondering, why did I do this and that? I suffer for it.

What do you think of the current state of the Argentine film industry?

I watch all kinds of films. And I think the industry’s good. The key thing is that the INCAA has raised the amount of movie subsidies. Right now you can get more money from the INCAA than from Spain. It’s always convenient to co-produce with Spain. Even if they won’t cough up any money, you get to release the movie over there. Here, you can get one million moviegoers and still not recoup the dough. So subsidies are fundamental. The more backing the industry gets, the better.

Watch a scene from what is considered to be one of the best Argentine films ever made, Tiempo de Revancha:

You’ve worked in Argentina, USA, Europe… how do the industries differ?

It mostly affects how big a budget you have and how large a crew you direct. Other than that, they’re all more or less similar. There’s what I call “a race of movie people”. You can be working in Spain, in an Italian production, speaking in English with a crew of mixed nationalities – yet people understand each other. There’re no communication problems. Cameramen are all alike. Lightning crews are all alike. It makes no difference.

There is a certain shift, I think, towards bitterness in your later films as opposed to your earlier idealism.

Maybe that’s because of Pepe Sacristán’s character in Roma. He’s guilty, he’s a failure… hence his cynicism. But I don’t get this trend in mistaking me for my characters! I’m always correcting people Federico Luppi isn’t my alter ego. It is his character. (…) I don’t make films about disenchantment. There’s always that one kid character that pulls through. If anything, I’m feeling more optimistic with each day.

You’ve made two movies, La playa del amor (The Beach of Love) and La discoteca del amor (The Disco of Love) that are very dissimilar from the rest of your work.

A very young (and shirtless) Ricardo Darín stars in this sexy beach film, now considered to be a cult classic.

They were part of a movie series owned by the record company Microfon S.A. The second movie had flopped somewhat, and the Kaminski brothers [the producers], whom I knew since my childhood, got in touch with me. Moviemaking is a business and you have to learn it – the more movies you make, the better. The only two conditions I had were getting the musical numbers in and making it for General Audiences. And I got to cast the movies the way I wanted, save for the vocal talent, like Cacho Castaña. I had a great time with those movies, I learned a lot, trying out different things, planning out the mise en scene, etc.

Why is it you’ve never released The Stranger (1987)?

That was a co-production with Columbia Motion Pictures. The script was penned by five different people, none of which were too happy with it. But Columbia was insistent on the release date, and hastened the shooting. Long story short, they didn’t go with my cut of the movie. The Columbia CEO was replaced during production and the new guy started asking me to change this and that. I refused. I remember they wanted to further complicate the plot with political stuff, regarding Iran and weapon smuggling, which had nothing to do with the plot whatsoever. I told them it was their movie, but I wasn’t doing it. And that’s the story. Afterwards I refused to release it here. How could I show that movie to the critics? What am I supposed to tell them?

How has your career as assistant director influenced your role as director?

I learned from Gordon Fleming and especially Mario Camus, who’s a very dear friend of mine.If I must name a mentor, that’s him. The best thing about being assistant director is that you’re constantly arranging your own mise en scene in your head. It’s a wonderful mental exercise. You’re not burdened with directing, yet you’re composing the shot.

Are you working on a project?

I’m writing a script. Well, starting to. I just hope it’s not like the other times, where a month in I realize it’s a no go (…)I always start working on stories I think are OK, but when I develop them further I realize they’ve been done some  twenty times already, so I just stop altogether. I think this won’t be the case with my latest story, though. If it does come out alright, then I’ll get working on rounding up the financing and getting it done later this year, maybe early 2014.

The English film Berberian Sound Studio, by Peter Strickland, was voted Best Film of the International Official Selection of the BAFICI, and Santiago Loza’s La paz won best film in the Argentine Official Selection, as was announced today, Saturday, at noon at the Centro Cultural Recoleta, together with the rest of the awards of the 15th edition of the Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival (BAFICI).

There was a surprise with an actual statue as an award. “This year we decided we wanted the BAFICI to have a physical award,” said Festival Director Marcelo Panozzo, uncovering a pearly statuette. “The BAFICI Owl. It’s a shame it’s not nighttime. It glows in the dark. If you filmmakers have kids, you can put it in their room to shine a light”.

Other winners in the International Competition include, María Villar, Agustina Muñoz, Elisa Carricajo as Romina Paula, collectively awarded Best Actress for Viola, by Matías Piñeiro; Franceso Carril, Best Actor for Los ilusos; Matt Porterfield, Best Director for his film I Used to Be Darker; Playback, by Antoíne Cattin and Pavel Kostomarov, which earned a special mention; and Leones, by Jazmín López, which received the Special Jury Prize. In the Argentine Competition, Raúl Perrone was chosen Best Director for P3ND3J05, and Alejo Moguillansky’s El loro y el cisne received a special mention. In the Short Films Official Selection, the first prize went to 9 Vacunas, by Iair Said, and the second prize went to Yo y Maru 2012, by Juan Renau.

“It’s been a spectacular BAFICI,” said Ministry of Culture Hernán Lombardi. “The changes proposed to the festival, while bold, turned out very well. I always say BAFICI speaks for itself through the movie selection, and the repercussion this year has been great”

Typical BAFICI crowd talking about film.

by Marfa Nekrasova, contributing blogger

Porteños consider it their duty to see at least one movie at BAFICI, and the blue program booklets of the festival can be seen in many bags and pockets on the “subte” and “colectivos”. The festival is becoming a symbol. Still it remains full of heart, with the long discussions after the movies between directors and their audience. As usual Argentina presents lots of documentaries that compete with fictions on equal terms.

The circle of “Official Selection/Out of Competition” shows us fresh movies that are have unusual perspectives. I will review three documentaries made by young Argentinian directors. These documentaries are interested in heroes, artists and focus on people you think you know, but show you another side. Typical biopics these are not.

“El Gran Simulador” (The Great Pretender), which will open in theatres on May 2^nd , focuses on the legendary card illusionist Rene Lavand, who, after losing his hand, continued to entertain audiences. The movie takes us to the house of the maestro, trying to reveal his secrets, but instead opening up a different image of the card king, that has a lot to do with his lost hand. In the Q&A the director Nestor Frenkel said that he had no script at all, that it appeared later after watching all the material filmed. The movie turns out to be quite a spontaneous story, which seems to be the only way to show such a character, one that improvises all the time, living without any scripts, joking from time to time and being philosophical in that interval.

“El Olimpo Vacío” (The Empty Olympus) also tells the story of a famous old man: the critic, writer and philosopher Juan Jose Sebreli. But instead of his personal story the movie develops through the stories of four Argentinian heroes, that were described in his essay “Comediantes y Mártires” (Comedians and martyrs) – Carlos Gardel, Eva Peron, Che Guevara and Diego Maradona. Sebreli breaks the stereotypes about these personalities with incredible objectivity and the directors Pablo Racioppi and Carolina Azzi juxtapose his words with the words of his admirers and critics, adding excellently chosen chronicles and photos.

With the portraits of the four characters they create a picture of several time periods of Argentina, of its people and of their way of thinking. The idea of making the movie appeared after Pablo Racioppi met his hero in a café and decided to go and say hello. First, he and his colleague were interested in Sebreli just as an author, but as time passed, he charmed them with his personality. This can be felt from the opening scenes.

“Máquina de Sueños” (Dream Machine), investigates the creative process of three contemporary Mexican artists – Carlos Amorales, Pedro Reyes and Minerva Cuevas. Even though the nature of their art is different, their works intersect each other. The directors Andres di Tella and Dario Schvarzstein confessed that they made it for the order of TV, but their aim was to go out of the borders of the usual TV documentary. And they succeeded. It became a proper piece of art, which questions what art is, if art can be useful, and if it can be inspired by an anti-human deed. Both directors recommended everyone to experience being co-directors and, as Dario said, to have the opportunity to doubt together.

The force of art unites these documentaries from Argentina. The force of art is on full display in the BAFICI, until the 21st of April.

Director Trapero passionately defends his films.

By Benjamín Harguindey, contributting blogger

In light of the 15^th BAFICI, festival director Marcelo Panozzo hosted a roundtable (“without the table”, was the joke) on Thursday 11^th with some of the country’s most successful filmmakers: directors Pablo Trapero, Juan Taratuto and Hernán Goldfrid, and producer Axel Kuschevatsky talked business and answered questions in an event called “My First Million” (as in viewers).

The roundtable covered subjects such as the (unfair) competition between indie and mainstream productions for the attention of exhibitors and the shame of discussing box office as if it were detrimental to art (“I never actually made it past one million viewers,” admitted Trapero sheepishly).

“In Argentina, most movies have some sort of [INCAA] subsidy,” said Kuschevatsky, “To talk about independent film is a bit of a contradiction. There’s the misconception Argentine films are dependent (…) but look here, Telefé holds a mere 10% of any movie it produces. They’re not gonna go ordering what will the movie be like and who you’ve gotta cast. The whole process is dialogued”

“I think all of us Argentine filmmakers make movies out of love,” agreed Goldfrid, “We want to express what’s going on with us and our worldview. That alone makes film independent”

The conversation carried on, with the general consensus being there’s no shame in catering to the widest audience possible; that Ricardo Darín is, by frequent collaborator Trapero’s words, “a fucking good actor”, though even he doesn’t constitute an airtight formula for success as much as a good script does.

“It’s important to specify the goal of cinema, perhaps not as art but as an industrial process,” said Taratuto. “Is it for people to watch it? I think so. So there’s a limit to encrypting your movie and making it subtle”

“People talk about “formula filmmaking”, yet none of us know what formula is that,” said Trapero.“I think it’s all in good health when a movie is watched a lot. It allows the director to meet eye-to-eye with a wide range of spectators… and in a way, this diversity is implied at the box office. This means the movie works on a number of levels, and it’s not necessarily some sort of devious ploy for getting as many people in the theater as possible”

During a brief Q&A epilogue, a film student complained – with all due respect – that they were too old and too passé to remain the faces of the soi-dissant New Argentine Cinema; the movement had failed by not paving the way for newer generations of filmmakers.

Traperowas quick to helm the retort. “I started filming at 25,” said Trapero, “and the future back then was ever so bleak, ever so much more difficult to make movies ten, fifteen years ago. There was no talking the way you and I are talking now. We talk about this New Argentine Cinema like it was a spontaneous thing, when it was in fact the product of interacting with history. If anything, you should be asking this question to, what’s the word? Your contemporaries”.

by Marfa Nekrasova, contributing blogger

Puerta de Hierro: El exilio de Perón (The Door of Iron: Peron’s Exile) follows 17 years of the legendary president Juan Perón, already without Eva, without Argentina, without power. He is just a man, an Argentinian exile in Spain, living with his wife Isabel, doing sports and going to doctors. But the best treatment is given to him by Sofia, a young shop girl that listens to his stories without knowing his surname. The film highlights the recuperation of Evita´s body (which was “kidnapped” or stolen for two decades) and the internal fights in his own movement between left-wing and right-wing forces, both who want to shape “Perónism”, whether Perón agrees or does not. The central conflict is whether he will be able to return to Argentina or be forced to remain in Spain. It is a moving film for anyone interested in Argentine history or who enjoys a good biopic.

Perón is played by the great Argentinian actor Victor Laplace, who is not only a “peronist” who lived in exile during the military dictatorship, but who has also played the political leader many times before (including in the 1996 movie “Eva Perón” and starring in the play “Borges y Perón” (2010) which he directed). He shared the direction of this film with Dieguillo Fernandez who sat down with Filming in Argentina to talk about his latest film.

What is the share between the fiction and the true story in the movie?

Dieguillo Fernandez: We don’t have a lot of historical documents of the life of Perón, mostly some memoirs and stories of the people who knew him. We were interested in showing his everyday life, the intimate life that no one spoke of before. At a certain point, when the material we had was not enough, we asked ourselves: “And now? What?”.  From there we put out the subjectivity with the compromise and responsibility to the history but with the intuition and imagination as well. Sofia is a made-up character of pure fiction. Everyone treated him like a marble statue, and not like a human being, except that young girl who didn’t recognize him.

Peron was really practicing yoga?

Yes. Yoga at that time was something very modern. In many aspects, especially in his politics, Peron preceded his time.

 Why have you chosen this period of Peron’s life in particular?

That is the period of his life that has been talked about less. We caught him not at the peak of his career, he is exiled and ill, but still he has the strength to keep the movement alive, motivate and add new generations to it.

How did you achieve the effect of the magic sepia style image?

We worked a lot with the director of photography on the color, tones, lights, inspired by the photos of Gonzalo Juanes, the Austrian photographer who was capturing the everyday life in the 60s and 70s. The final image was gotten in post production.

Where did you film?

In Buenos Aires we filmed for 8 weeks, 4 weeks of them in the real house of Perón (which is now a museum) in San Vicente that played the role of his house in Spain. The scene of the bombing was really shot in the defense ministry, the parts of the airport in Rio de Janeiro – in the military park, and all the street views in Spain were shot during 3 days in Galicia.

How was the movie financed?

Mostly by the different cultural departments of the provinces of Argentina (Chaco, Buenos Aires, San Juan, Entre Rios, Formosa, Chubut, Mendoza, etc), By Canal America and some other sponsors, and by INCAA.

What are you working on now?

Soon I will start shooting a documentary movie about the disease as the path, and I’m writing the script for a fiction movie that will take place mostly in the world of the Catch (Argentine wrestling with masks).

For more information:

http://www.lapuertadehierro.com

Currently in theaters.

by Francois Coulombe, contributing blogger

Why are we reviewing a Hollywood remake on a blog about Argentina cinema? “Evil Dead” was filmed in Michigan, like the original, with a $14 million dollar budget (about 6 times more than the average Argentine movie budget). Its director provides the connection: Fede Alvarez is a native of Uruguay * and has never directed a movie before. His only film is a short, “Ataque de Pánico!” (Panic Attack) which received more than 7 million visits and Hollywood notoriety. So much so that they offered him the job of taking on the remake of a classic at the young age of 34.

For a first feature film, you could believe that he’s been at it for years. This just sets a new bar in modern horror. But he had help from all the right places: Sam Raimi (Director of The Evil Dead) and Bruce Campbell (b-movie legend) on board was a perfect move to satisfy the fans. This is not a humoristic Muppet show like Army of Darkness. This is pure horror!

The plot is simple and loyal to the original: In hope to kick her heroin addiction, Mia (Jane Levy) and four of her friends head to her parents’ cabin where they discover the Necronomicon (Book of the Dead). Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci) unwittingly summons a dormant demon who takes possession of Mia (Like if junk sickness wasn’t hard enough…). Due to flooding, they are stuck in the house fighting for their souls.

Unless I wear my ‘Star Treck Comicon Uber Nerd Hat’ and start picking miscellaneous details, this movie is very loyal to the original.

*Raping trees.

*Cameras chasing people.

*Loads of blood.

*Chainsaw (obviously)

*Someone sawing his hand off.

*Even the house looks exactly the same!

But don’t get confused. This is not a direct remake. It is more like what “Evil Dead 2” was to “Evil Dead 1” (minus Bruce Campbell). A different setup for the same story remodeled to current time. The characters are more credible, the production value is higher and thankfully Alvarez opted for traditional VFX instead of CGI.

Unfortunately, stupid protagonists have been kept in. I don’t know about you folks but if there’s a demon in my basement… I’m not going down there. I also found the script to be uselessly vulgar. But just when you think that the movie is about to become predictable, Alvarez flips everything around with an unexpected climax and a really stylish ending.

The opening weekend made $26 million in the US alone and scored 7.5/10 on imdb.com. In Hollywood terms, this means that we should expect more films from the young Uruguayan Director.

*Yes, Uruguay is not part of Argentina–but its pretty close.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1288558/?ref_=sr_1

https://www.facebook.com/evildead

http://www.evildead-movie.com/

Long lines and sold out screenings are common at the BAFICI. Get there early!

by Benjamin Harguindey, contributing blogger

Come April 10^th the BAFICI (“Buenos Aires Festival International de Cine Independiente”) will begin its 15^th edition under the direction of critic Mario Panozzo, taking over writer Sergio Wolf’s four-year tenure as artistic director. The specifics were made public at a press conference last March 26^th: the festival will be projecting over 400 films, beginning with Chile’s Oscar-nominated No on opening night and ending April 21^st with the French Au bout de conte.

Festival films will take over regular programming at the traditional spots of Teatro San Martín, Centro Cultural San Martín, Fundación PROA, Malba Cine, Cine Cosmos and at the Planetarium. As usual, free showings will be conducted “out in the open” at Anfiteatro Parque Centenario. Of worthy mention, the Arte Multiplex Belgrano will be reopening after being shut down for nearly a year, while the bulk of the competition will be screened at Village Recoleta Mall.

As usual, competition will run on three sections – International (with 20 films), Argentine (with 15 films) and “Vanguard and Genre” (with 24 films) – a section called Panorama, featuring over 100 films from BAFICI’s round of usual suspects, and among whom you may recognize the ever prolific Hong Sang-soo, Abbas Kiarostami, Takeshi Kitano, Olivier Assayas and Naomi Kawase, all of whom will be releasing their latest productions.

Kiarostami and Kitano’s films have already sold out at the box office – at a whopping 2-day record – as have some of Hong’s films, who is fortunately not only screening his latest work, but his whole oeuvre. The man himself was officially scheduled to show up for a public tete-a-tete on April 18^th, but a recent back injury has put that thought on hold for the moment.

Other traditional sections within the festival include WIP (Work in Progress), where up-and-coming directors show just how far they’ve made it into their filmmaking, as well as a sizeable selection of short films.

Pablo Trapero, of the local scene, is directing a trifecta of short films called Mar (Sea), Tierra (Earth) and Cielo(Sky) to head each projection; his iconic film debut Mundo Grúa (Crane World, 1999) will also be re-released in tandem with a selection of his short feature filmography.

Another local big name, Adolfo Aristarain – director of embittered and daring films made in the dusk of the Dictatorship, such as Tiempo de revancha (Time for a Rematch, 1981), as well as some of Argentina’s most famed cult classics with leading man Federico Luppi – will also be screening the whole of his filmography. Well, all but one of his twelve films. The Stranger (1987), a quaint co-production with the USA starring Bonnie Bedelia (John McClane’s estranged wife), never got an official release in the country, and the BAFICI will not be the exception, as Panozzo confirmed to a somewhat disappointed audience. Apparently Aristarain keeps a single final cut of the movie on VHS, and is unobtainable for all intents and purposes.

This year’s BAFICI is certainly looking lively. It just may break last year’s record of 350,000 moviegoers and 230,000 ticket sale.

Speaking of ticket sales – these started April 2^nd at $20 each ($15 for students and elders). They can be purchased for an extra $3 each through www.buenosaires.gob.ar/festivales, or personally at either Village Recoleta Mall (Vicente López y Junín) or Casa de la Cultura (Av. de Mayo 575), from 10 to 20 hs, for an extra $4 each (these fees are knocked off with the purchase of ten or more tickets). For more info, visit http://festivales.buenosaires.gob.ar/bafici/home13/web/es/index.html.