08.03.2019
Akbank Short Film Festival’s special screenings section will host Latin American films this year. Here is what you need to know about the 6 short films in the program and their directors.
Writer: Tuba Altuntaş
Translation: Saydan Akşit
Peiman Zekavat / Fifteen (Quince) (2018)
Peiman Zekavat is a director, producer, and photographer. In 2016 he directed a 6-episode documentary series about the destruction in Amazon rainforests. Following a story he encountered during the shoot, he made the short film Timbo. Currently he is touring festivals with his latest fiction film Fifteen (Quince). Zekavat is a filmmaker who usually focuses on social and humanitarian issues. Fifteen reflects on online bullying –a controversial topic of recent years– and tackles the issue through observational documentary techniques. It focuses on a young girl named Maria who becomes the subject of her merciless peers’ online bullying when her video where she plays volleyball at school in Lima goes viral. This 10-minute Peru-UK co-production was screened as part of a special screening in 62. BFI London Film Festival and then at other festivals in London.
Cris Gris / San Miguel (2018)
Born in Monterrey, Mexico, Cris Gris is a multifaceted actress, writer, and director. With her music videos she earned nominations for MTV Latin America’s “Videos of the Year”. In 2018, she attracted attention as an actress in the film Fish Bones. Her latest short film San Miguel was supported by the Spike Lee Film Production Fund and Hollywood Foreign Press Association Grant. Nominated for awards at Atlanta Film Festival and New Orleans Film Festival, the film focuses on Ana, a 9-year-old girl who wants to heal her grieving mother and pushes her faith to its limit in hopes of divine intervention.
Juanita Onzaga / Our Song to War (2018)
Renowned for her short documentaries, Colombian-Belgian Juanita Onzaga is a new generation filmmaker who has created her own film language combining fiction, documentary and experimental elements. Most of her films have a political aspect, focusing on memory, death and imagination, using fairy tale and mystical elements as well. Her latest film Our Song To War premiered at Cannes Film Festival last year. It is a documentary that sets out to pray for the victims of a massacre that took place more than ten years ago in Bojayà land. Aiming to revive the myths of the past in the people’s imagination, the film takes the viewer on a captivating journey through Colombia.
Tomas Posse / Los Bastardos (The Bastards) (2018)
Tomas Posse was born in Buenos Aires in 1985. Los Bastardos, his third short film, premiered at the 75th Venice International Film Festival. Currently he works in advertising while directing films and music videos. The 16-minute Los Bastardos is a drama about Mateo, Alejo and Sofia, three young people who spend a day in a house that is not theirs. Trying to imitate the lives of the owners of the house they read books, play video games, try on the clothes in the house, eat and drink. In short, they “preview” a different life –that is until a stranger joins them unexpectedly, disturbing their peace.
Rachel Daisy Ellis / Mini Miss (2018)
Born in the UK, Rachel Daisy Ellis is a creative producer who works on all phases of production from script and project development to post-production and distribution, particularly focusing on international co-production. The films Ellis has produced have all been screened in competition at important festivals including IDFA, Venice, Locarno, and Toronto, winning over 100 awards and critical acclaim. The first film that she wrote and directed, Mini Miss competed at Chicago International Film Festival’s shorts competition. This 16-minute drama was filmed entirely from the perspective of a 4-year-old girl who competes to be crowned “Mini Miss Baby Brasil”. The film provides a unique insight into early childhood experiences and children’s innate capacity for resistance in a world dominated by adult norms and desires.
Moisés Aisemberg / La Culpa (Guilt) (2018)
Born in Mexico City in 1987, Moisés Aisemberg completed his master’s degree on scriptwriting in Goldsmiths University of London and started writing and directing short films soon after. His short include Free Jolito (2008), Nunca Nunca No Dejé ir... (2010), Dulce Dolor (2014), and Y Sin Embargo, Se Mueve... (2016). Among the awards he has received are Best Documentary at Short Shorts Film Festival, Best Comedy at Portobello Film Festival, and Best Short Film at Campeche Film Festival. Dulce Dolor was part of ‘Staff Picks’ on Vimeo. Aisemberg’s latest short film La Culpa premiered at SXSW in 2018. This 17-minute drama focuses on Diego, a child who is humiliated by his own father, and hopes to display through the eyes of a child, the violence and oppression that children of our times are subjected to.