Prior to embarking on the writing journey for La Otra Orilla, a project supported by the CNC folks, Peruvian filmmaker Francesca Canepa premiered her short film “El silencio del río” at the Berlinale. This short film intertwined mythology and dreamscape with isolated reality, drawing parallels to the works of Apichatpong Weerasethakul and thematic explorations akin to Beatriz Seigner’s Los silencios. It was shortly after that Canepa connected with Argentina-based co-writer Miguel Ángel Papalini. Sharing similar sensibilities regarding subject matter and aesthetics, Papalini’s involvement in projects like feature film Packing Heavy, which also features a child’s point of view, solidified their collaboration. Despite being from different Latin American countries, they bring forth a narrative that is both weighty and light, encompassing pain while holding onto hope. The hidden secrets of the dense Amazon forest will be unveiled.
During my interview with the duo, we delved into the connections between Francesca’s short film “El silencio del río” and this possible feature, how their decision to collaborate came about, the possible cinematic influences shaping the project, and briefly updated us with where Peruvian cinema might be at.
Sundance project synopsis: Through the canals of a floating neighborhood in the Peruvian Amazon, Belén, a 12-year-old mother, struggles to belong to the world that has been taken from her. Drifting down the river, carrying her son in her arms, the rain will awaken in her an irresistible desire for freedom.
Throughout this week, we’ll be featuring profiles of several fellows from the recent 2024 Sundance Screenwriters Labs, all of whom we had the pleasure of speaking with during the Sundance Film Festival. Some of these projects are slated to become future films and may even debut in Park City, while a smaller fraction might not find their way to the big screen. However, being part of this select group serves as a significant source of encouragement and progression within the film industry. What’s particularly inspiring is witnessing how each of these distinctive voices is crafting original works spanning various genres, often exploring themes of politics and social engagement through cinema.
Eric Lavallée is the founder, CEO, editor-in-chief, film journalist and critic at IONCINEMA.com (founded in 2000). Eric is a regular at Sundance, Cannes and TIFF. He has a BFA in Film Studies at the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2013 he served as a Narrative Competition Jury Member at the SXSW Film Festival. He was an associate producer on Mark Jackson's This Teacher (2018 LA Film Festival, 2018 BFI London). In 2022 he served as a New Flesh Comp for Best First Feature at the 2022 Fantasia Intl. Film Festival. Current top films for 2022 include Tár (Todd Field), All That Breathes (Shaunak Sen), Aftersun (Charlotte Wells).
