2024 San Sebastian Film Festival: Francisco Lezama & Sarah Miro Fischer Double Up at the Industry Awards

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Blue Marks by German filmmaker Sarah Miro Fischer and The Two Landscapes by Argentinian filmmaker (and recent Berlinale Golden Bear winner) Francisco Lezama have each won two awards in the industry competition sidebar at San Sebastian. Uruguayan-Argnetina based actor turned filmmaker Daniel Hendler picked up coin for A Loose End – his sophomore feature looks at Santiago, a low-ranking policeman, who arrives in Fray Bentos, a small town just across the Uruguay border from Argentina, escaping from the Argentine police force. Penniless but with enough cunning and using his threadbare uniform, he overcomes obstacles, receives the help of local characters, aims to erase all traces of his past and even dreams of finding the possible love of his life.

Fischer’s debut stars Marie Bloching, Anton Weil, Proschat Madani, Laura Balzer, Jane Chriwa, David Vormweg, and Aram Tafreshian. After going through a break up, Rose moves in with her older brother Sam to his tiny flat in Berlin. The siblings share a close bond. One day, Rose learns of rape allegations against Sam. At first, she is unable to see her brother as a possible perpetrator. When she finally understands that the accusations are true, she is caught in a loyalty conflict, torn between her role as a sister and her identity as a woman. In the end, she must find a way to deal with Sam’s guilt and its consequences. Look for this to premiere next year – possibly the Berlinale.

Blue Marks

Lezama’s feature debut which is still raising coin tells the story of Mercedes (65) is an upper-middle-class woman who officiates in the church as Minister of the Holy Communion in a town where conversions to Evangelism are changing deeply rooted customs and rituals. When her landlord dies, Mercedes is forced to stay with Cecilia (43), the dead man’s girlfriend, in her home deep in the mountains of Córdoba. The arrival of Brenda (30), the late man’s unrecognized daughter, will upset the lives of both women. Between Catholicism in crisis, Mercedes’ renewed faith and family secrets, The Two Landscapes explores the social and religious tensions of a contemporary Argentine town.

Here are the winners:

13th EUROPE-LATIN AMERICA CO-PRODUCTION FORUM AWARDS
Best Project Award: “The Two Landscapes,” (Francisco Lezama, Argentina, Brazil)
Dale! Development Award – “The Two Landscapes,” (Francisco Lezama, Argentina, Brazil)
Artekino International Prize – “Mar de Leva,” (Mariana Saffon, Colombia, France)

WIP LATAM
WIP Latam Industry Award – “A Loose End,” (Daniel Hendler, Uruguay, Argentina)
Egeda Platino Industria Award – “Cuerpo celeste,” (Nayra Ilic, Chile, Italy)

WIP EUROPA
WIP Europa Industry Award – “Blue Marks (WT),” (Sarah Miro Fischer, Germany)
WIP Europa Award – “Blue Marks (WT),” (Sarah Miro Fischer, Germany)

IKUSMIRA BERRIAK AWARD
Sideral Award – “Dear Bastiano,” (Maria Elorza, Spain)

Eric Lavallée
Eric Lavalléehttps://www.ericlavallee.com
Eric Lavallée is the founder, CEO, editor-in-chief, film journalist, and critic at IONCINEMA.com, established in 2000. A regular at Sundance, Cannes, and Venice, Eric holds a BFA in film studies from the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2013, he served on the narrative competition jury 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 was a New Flesh Juror for Best First Feature at the Fantasia International Film Festival. His top films for 2023 include The Zone of Interest (Glazer), Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell (Pham Thien An), Totem (Lila Avilés), La Chimera (Alice Rohrwacher), All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt (Raven Jackson). He is a Golden Globes Voter.

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