The Miami International Film Festival (MIFF) announced the line-up of ten Ibero-American premieres that will compete for $45,000 in jury prizes at its 29th annual event, March 2 – 11, 2012.
The lineup includes four International/North American premieres and two U.S. premieres, including new films from acclaimed veteran directors Carlos Sorin, David Trueba and Andrés Wood.
“As of today, only one of the films in the competition has U.S. distribution secured – Strand Releasing will be releasing Bonsai later in 2012,” noted MIFF’s executive director Jaie Laplante. “It is our hope that U.S. buyers attending the Festival will discover many more riches– and see through our MIFF audiences how U.S. audiences respond to these amazing films.”
2012 MIFF Knight Ibero-American Competition films:
The Porcelain Horse (Mejor no hablar de ciertas cosas) (Ecuador, directed by Javier Andrade): In Javier Andrade’s startling debut, two brothers steal a porcelain horse from their parent’s home in order to buy drugs, leading to a fight that will haunt the family for the rest of their lives. North American Premiere
I’d Receive the Worst News From Your Beautiful Lips (Eu Receberia As Piores Notícias De Seus Lindos Lábios) (Brazil, directed by Beto Brant and Renato Ciasca): Set against a steamy Amazonian backdrop, a sensual melodrama of a beautiful woman caught in an unstable situation between two men. North American Premiere
Blood of My Blood (Sangue do Meu Sangue) (Portugal, directed by João Canijo): Two adult sisters struggle fiercely to hold their family together in the harsh world of a Lisbon slum, but the ticking time bomb of the situation is in grave danger of exploding. East Coast Premiere
Pescador (Ecuador/Colombia, directed by Sebastián Cordero): After a drug shipment miraculously washes up on a beach, Blanquito (Andrés Crespo) has the opportunity to finally leave his small fishing village and go to the big city, in this major tonal new direction for acclaimed director Cordero. North American Premiere
Bonsái (Chile/Argentina/Portugal/France, directed by Cristián Jiménez): Based on the seminal novel by Chilean author Alejandro Zambra. Julio, a struggling writer, pens a book about his first experience with love, in order to keep up a lie he’s told his lover. Bonsai marks director’s Cristián Jiménez second appearance in MIFF’s Iberoamerican competition. Florida Premiere
Zoo (Zoológico) (Chile, directed by Rodrigo Marín): Set in an affluent Santiago suburb, a social commentary on today’s youth follows three teens (Alicia Rodríguez, Luis Balmaceda and Santiago de Aguirre) consumed in Americanized customs: malls, the Internet, pornography, skateboarding and angst. North American Premiere
The Cat Vanishes (El gato desaparece) (Argentina, directed by Carlos Sorin): When Beatriz (Beatriz Spelzini) picks up her husband Luis (Luis Luque) from the sanatorium, she doesn’t quite believe the psychiatrist’s pronouncement that he is cured. But after the family cat vanishes, she questions her sanity as well as her husband’s in Sorin’s unsettling psychological mystery. U.S. Premiere
Madrid, 1987 (Spain, directed by David Trueba): The balance of power and desire shift during the meeting of an older journalist (José Sacristán) and a young student (María Valverde) in a beautifully-written, dusk-to-dawn meditation on youth, age and the music of the spheres. East Coast Premiere
Violeta Went to Heaven (Violeta se fue a los cielos) (Chile, directed by Andrés Wood): portrait of famed Chilean singer, folklorist and multifaceted artist Violeta Parra (Francisca Gavilán) filled with her musical work, her memories, her loves and her hopes. East Coast Premiere
The Sleeping Voice (La voz dormida) (Spain, directed by Benito Zambrano): In Benito Zambrano’s portrayal of the dark days following the Spanish Civil War, two sisters (Maria Leon and Inma Cuesta) find themselves caught up in the frightening politics of the divided country. U.S. Premiere
All 10 directors in MIFF’s Knight Ibero-American Competition are expected to attend the Festival and present their works to Miami audiences in person.