Edición Piloto “CineConexión FCEPR”, 1er Foro de Co-Producción en línea Europa-Caribe
CineConexión es una nueva iniciativa del espacio industria (Foro Industria) del Festival de Cine Europeo de Puerto Rico (FCEPR), evento anual organizado por la Alliance Française de Puerto Rico. Este nuevo foro tiene como objetivo estimular las relaciones cinematográficas entre el sector cinematográfico de Europa, Puerto Rico y el Caribe.
A continuación se presentan los primeros 8 proyectos de películas puertorriqueñas en desarrollo que han sido seleccionados para participar en esta primera edición piloto de CineConexión, que se celebrará entre las 10:00AM y 12:00PM (AST) del 10 de noviembre de 2023.
El FCEPR invita a productores, distribuidores y profesionales del cine interesados a descubrir estos proyectos únicos, que brindan una ventana a las historias y dinamismo del cine puertorriqueños y del Caribe.
Todos los profesionales del cine interesados en asistir a los pitching virtuales y en conectar con estos proyectos, podrán escribir al equipo coordinador de CineConexión: preff.assistant@gmail.com
PROYECTOS SELECCIONADOS
El FCEPR se enorgullece de presentar tanto a productores y profesionales del cine europeo, como a los seguidores del FCEPR, los siguientes ocho proyectos cinematográficos puertorriqueños en fase de desarrollo.
Cada una de estas propuestas, seleccionadas en la primera convocatoria abierta de CineConexión en septiembre de 2023, refleja la diversidad y la originalidad de las voces caribeñas y puertorriqueñas. Los proyectos de estos largometrajes, de géneros diferentes, se encuentran actualmente en distintas fases de desarrollo y sus autores tendrán la oportunidad de presentarlos, mediante pitchinigs virtuales, ante un panel de productores europeos invitados.
NOTA: La información que aquí se publica de los proyectos seleccionados se presenta sólo en lengua inglesa. En esta actividad, el inglés será el idioma usado para la comunicación con los profesionales internacionales, como en los pitchings y encuentros online programados.
YO QUIERO SER YO
de Amilcar Rivera
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Paco (16) introverted living with his parents in the rural area of the island. Never felt comfortable with himself. He and his mother Esther are victims of psychological and physical abuse from his father Vicente.
Paco works in the town’s female clothing store, owned by his father’s cousin, Blanca. With this new job, Paco begins of discovery, his true talent: designing female clothing.
Despite fearing Vicente’s reaction might be if he finds out, Esther and Blanca decide to support Paco, they realize that he truly has talent and they seen him happy.
Vicente finds out . Esther has to send Paco with an old family friend to the Capital. But not everything goes as planned, a incident leads Paco to live in the least appropriate place for a young adolescent.
Is in this place where Paco faces the city, but also himself and his transsexuality.
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Género: Drama
Duración: 1 hour 10 min aprox.
Nacionalidad(es): Puerto Rico
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Amílcar Rivera began his acting career in 1984, in 1988 he received an invitation to work in the capital city. He continues to explore in the field of television and in the field of advertising production. In 1992 he was part of the cast of the series “Libros y Sueños”, in 1995 “Cuando Calienta el Sol”. In 1996 he moved to Spain to study at Juan Carlos Corraza's Acting Studio. There he is part of the theater group "La espada de madera" and "Entrecalles", here he begins to experiment with scriptwriting developing various experiments: “Compartiendo Piso”, “La mordida de Paul”. In 1997 he returned to the island, he continued his work in the field of advertising and cinema, alternating in turn with several special appearances as an actor in different series for T.V. American and local cinema. In 2019 he wrote his first feature film:
"I want to be Me".
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Javier Enrique Perez
LA PLAYITA
de Vivían Bruckman Blondet
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Adelia runs a local beach bar called La Playita off the west coast of Puerto Rico. She struggles with the everyday pressure of running the local bar while attending her family-owned business of training Paso Fino horses for the island's most influential and upper-class society. Her drunk-ass husband, a third-generation horse trainer seems to confront her every single day with a new claim.
Her oldest son, Juancho, watches over the bar business, but he has his own share of personal and financial issues to attend, one being the decision to sell the bar to outside investors who are offering an insane amount of money too hard to refuse.
While Juancho is trying to convince his mother to sell everything to move to the States and forget the past, Adelia seems completely lost in her thoughts. There’s a burden she’s carrying, like she’s keeping a deep troubling secret, hardly anyone knows about. In the end, Adelia comes to terms with herself in an attempt to survive the situation.
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Género: Psychological Thriller | Social Drama
Duración: 90min
Nacionalidad(es): Puerto Rico
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Her work in film and dance has been featured internationally in places like Madrid, France, Italy, Buenos Aires, Los Angeles, Chicago, New Jersey, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.With a B.A. in Communication & Film Studies from the University of Puerto Rico and studies at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, she moves to Buenos Aires to specialize in Cinematography, enrolling at SICA where she discovers a new passion for scriptwriting and begins writing her first short films.Since 2009, she's been actively working in the American/PR film industry. In 2011 she made her directorial debut with 15 years and a day, which won the Special Jury Prize at Cinefiesta International Short Film Festival and was acquired by Shorts International during the SFM at the Cannes Film Festival. Her documentary, Desmaquilladas, portrays the intimate lives of transgender sex workers in the historic and gentrified barrio of Santurce. Her second fiction short film, Paridad, was selected in the 5th edition of the European Film Festival in Puerto Rico, being acquired once again by the same distributor SI and obtaining the second prize for Best International Short Film at the Festival de Santo Domingo, Mujeres en Corto (FEMUJER 2017). It also screened at the Woman of World Film Festival in New Jersey that same year. In 2019 she was part of Berlinale Talents at FIGG in Mexico. In 2021 she joins forces with the prestigious comedy troupe, Teatro Breve, to direct the group's second film entitled PARTO, which is currently in post-production stage.
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Naima Rodríguez
MURDER IN THE HOUSE OF DIAMONDS
de Juan Esteban Suárez
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When his mother is brutally murdered, Charles J. Kane, a US Federal Immigration's Officer, discovers that he was adopted during the Nazi occupation of Belgium. Traumatized by the death of his adoptive mother, angry over being kept in the dark about his adoption, and overwhelmed by the sudden realization that his entire identity is in question, he embarks on a tumultuous journey to uncover the secrets of his past, solve the enigma surrounding his adoptive mother's tragic death, and the FBI's inexplicable refusal to investigate the crime.
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Género: Drama, suspense
Duracion: 150 min
Nationality(ies): Puerto Rico
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Juan Esteban Suárez:
Graduated from Boston University with a degree in Economics (1982). He immediately entered the film industry.
While working on La Gran Fiesta (1984), he learned the nuts and bolt of filmmaking from then Script Supervisor, Alfonso Cuarón. In 1988, he was script supervisor in Jacobo Morales’ Academy Award-nominated film Lo que le pasó a Santiago. He later became an assistant director (AD) and a member of the Director’s Guild of America (DGA).
As an AD, has worked in films like Our Brand is Crisis (Sandra Bullock), 22 Jump Street (Jonah Hill), Runner Runner (Justin Timberlake), The Rum Diary (Johnny Depp), The Argentine (Benicio del Toro) and others.
In 1997 he produced Ricky Martin’s Go The Distance music video for Disney’s film Hercules (Spanish Version).
In commercials, has worked with directors of photography such as Janusz Kaminsky, Xavier Aguirresarobe, and Rodrigo Prieto.
In 2024, he will direct, Un Día de Mayo.
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Juan Esteban Suárez
UN LUGAR DE AGUA
de Orlando Javier Torres
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It’s 1996 and Santiago, a 21-year-old factory worker in Puerto Rico, is deeply in love with Catia, his younger, smarter girlfriend. Learning about Catia's plan to study abroad, Santiago, desperate to prove himself, decides to buy a fishing boat, inspired by his long-lost father. He seeks financial help from his mother, Julia, but she refuses.
Desperation drives Santiago to join his friend Jorge in a robbery gone awry, leaving a man dead. Santiago reflects on a childhood memory involving his father and a mysterious figure, realizing his destiny might mirror his father's.
Twelve years later, Santiago's disappearance remains a haunting mystery. Catia raises their 11-year-old son, Noel, with support from Julia, who's in declining health. A mysterious amnesiac, Jaime, emerges from the sea, connecting with Catia and Julia, stirring old wounds and strange occurrences. Though Jaime doesn't resemble Santiago physically, he often feels like him. Could it be?
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Género: Drama/Thriller
Duración: 100 minutes (estimated)
Nationaly(ies): Puerto Rico
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Orlando Javier Torres is a Puerto Rican director, editor, and screenwriter with over a decade of experience in the film industry. He holds a Master's degree in Film from Columbia University and has earned recognition for his short films across the globe, including in countries like Israel, Croatia, England, and Spain. Notably, his film "The Least Worst Man" was acquired and distributed by HBO in 2018, marking a significant achievement in his career.
In 2020, Torres's project "Music for Plants" was selected for the Alliance Française International Short Film Festival in Puerto Rico, though production was halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. His latest short film, "The Department of All Things Lost & Found," premiered at the New York Short Film Festival and is currently making its rounds in various film festivals.
He is currently developing his debut feature film, "Un lugar de agua," co-writing a romantic comedy titled "But also, birds" with Yinuo Wang, and completing a collection of short stories set for publication in 2024.
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Mariela Ramos
QUERERTE DUELE
de Antonio Asencio
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Lina and Eduardo practice extreme sadomasochism in their private life. Guilt creeps in and trouble ensues when Eduardo, the dominant of the two, questions their mental sanity and even the relationship itself. But there are more opponents in this ring: Lina is dealing with her father, who recently came out of jail, and boxing training to let off steam is not an option anymore. She picks up bowling, but gets constantly harassed by one of the employees there, to top it all. Eduardo, meanwhile, tries dealing with it through different methods, from therapy, to total abstinence, to religion. Upon confronting a real pervert, Lina and Eduardo are able to save their relationship, learning that the value of their kink comes from a place of consent, and what their hearts truly desire.
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Género: Drama
Duración: 150min
Nationality(ies): Puerto Rico, Dominican
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Antonio Asencio graduated from the University of Puerto Rico, where he majored in filmmaking. He specialized in screenwriting at the New York Film Academy. He co-wrote the short films Galán and Monserrate, which were selected for film festivals from various countries around the globe. He wrote and directed the slasher satire short film, Casa misteriosa, as well as the queer short film Por mi madre, which has won awards in festivals. Currently, he works as a screenwriter for The Writer’s Gang. He recently wrote and directed his latest short film, Capetillo, a period piece, based on a historical, Puerto Rican figure. Quererte duele will be his first feature film.
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Hania Sánchez
LA PENA
de Coraly Santaliz Pérez
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For the first time since 1927, a federal court sentenced the death penalty in Puerto Rico. The execution by lethal injection will be carried out in the island's federal penitentiary. Augusto Serrano, a middle-aged man, who has worked his entire life as a prison guard, has been assigned to coordinate and carry out the execution. Augusto is a man who carries his own battles, suffers from depression, has a son with special needs, and has a marriage in crisis.
Now, he will have to learn how to execute a person. He also has to handle the fact that from one day to the next he has become a public figure since the press recognizes him as the first executioner of Puerto Rico
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Género: Drama
Duracion: 90 minutes
Nationality(ies): Lynnette Salas
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Coraly Santaliz began her career in 1998 working as an assistant director and producer on local commercials and films. For the last 20 years she has worked as a "Script Supervisor" in more than sixty Puerto Rican and foreign productions. In 2006 she directed the television movie "Victoria" which won the Paoli award for best TV Picture. In 2004 she won the script contest sponsored by the Puerto Rico Film Foundation which leads to the production of the short film "El Anillo". In 2021 she won the COLAB competition from the PR Film Commission with her screenplay “La Espera Desespera". In 2016 her screenplay “La Pena” was one of the four scripts selected by the PR Film Found to be produced. In 2017 her screenplay “Guajataca" was one of 12 scripts from Latin America that were chosen to participate in the CINEFILIA Script Laboratory in Medellín, Colombia
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Coraly Santaliz Pérez
FIERA FEROZ
de Michael Justiniano
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"Fiera Feroz" tells the story of Jessy Casanova, a 27-year-old punk from a grimy neighborhood in Santurce. Her life is turned upside down when her boyfriend Sigfredo disappears from their apartment, taking with him what Jessy loves most: her dog Monserrate. With her heart shattered and her sanity slipping without her furry best friend, she realizes that Sigfredo's sister – her vengeful ex-best friend Helena – has the dog. Jessy embarks on a journey of violent revenge to find her and rescue Monserrate, discovering in the process that opening her heart instead of closing it will be the most significant challenge on her path.
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Género: Neo-noir thriller
Duracion: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Nationality(ies): Puerto Rican
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Michael Justiniano is a multifaceted filmmaker, editor, and screenwriter whose work has graced numerous short film festivals both locally and internationally, in addition to crafting captivating music videos. His talents extend to color grading, storyboarding, photography, photo editing, and graphic design.
His accolades include awards for Best Short Film and Best Screenplay at the Lusca International Film Festival, as well as Best Cinematography at Cinefiesta for the short film "Gajes del Oficio." He also clinched the Best Short Film award at the Rincón International Film Festival for "Monserrate." Currently, he is in the process of developing the script for his debut feature film. Notably, he has turned his creative focus towards enhancing the visual identity of various musical artists through music videos, including works like "12AM" by Epilogio, "Fuete" by Kristal Fonrodona, and "Nardos" by Dogos.
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Bradley Morgan
SALUD DE UN PUEBLO
de Patricia Benabe
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Puerto Rico's San Jorge Children's Hospital laid off forty percent (40%) of its staff, and two years later filed for bankruptcy in court to restructure its finances. Hospital del Maestro and HIMA have followed suit, with either layoffs, seeking buyers in the market, and/or restructuring its debt in bankruptcy court.
"Salud de un pueblo" is an observational documentary that follows patients seeking medical care as well as doctors who continue their practice in medicine as the foundation for the economic model holding the healthcare system in Puerto Rico erodes.
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Género: Documentary
Duracion: 70-90 min
Nationality(ies): Puerto Rico, USA
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Patricia Benabe produced "The Facility", a Field of Vision short documentary shortlisted for an Oscar nomination in the Best Short Subject Documentary category. She directed short documentary WHEELS, with co-director David Alvarado (Bill Nye The Science Guy), broadcast and streamed via WGBH, US public television.
Benabe produced documentary films Councilwoman (Telly Award winner, broadcast on America ReFramed), Memories of a Penitent Heart (broadcast on POV), They Took Them Alive, Love The Sinner, and The Facility. She is directing and producing "Salud de un pueblo", a feature documentary film on health care in her native Puerto Rico.
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Patricia Benabe
MÁS INFORMACIÓN SOBRE ESTA INICIATIVA:
Creado en el marco del Foro Industria del FCEPR, CineConexión es un nuevo espacio virtual de encuentro, intercambio y colaboración profesional entre realizadores puertorriqueños, caribeños, y productores y profesionales del cine de Europa. CineConexión apuesta por impulsar el desarrollo de proyectos cinematográficos entre estas regiones, además de fortalecer las redes de coproducción y distribución internacionales entre ambos lados del Atlántico.
Estructura:
Para llevar a cabo esta iniciativa, por vez primera el FCEPR abre en el mes de septiembre 2023 una convocatoria para la inscripción de proyectos cinematográficos caribeños en fase de desarrollo a través de su página web. En octubre de 2023, el Festival seleccionará 8 proyectos y los anunciará a través de su página web. Los responsables de los proyectos seleccionados tendrán la posibilidad de presentar sus proyectos de películas en desarrollo, además de conectar con los agentes y expertos cinematográficos internacionales interesados en conocer más sobre sus propuestas durante los días del 14to FCEPR.
De manera específica, en esta primera edición, CineConexión ofrecerá un espacio online para realizar "pitchings" virtuales (en inglés) ante profesionales de la industria cinematográfica europea y posibilitará el intercambio “one-to-one” con los profesionales interesados en conocer más a fondo sobre los proyectos seleccionados.
Este Foro se llevará a cabo de manera virtual el 10 de noviembre de 2023 en el marco de la 14ta edición del Festival de Cine Europeo de Puerto Rico.