01/18/2023 –
“almamula“, the film by filmmaker JJuan Sebastian Torales shot entirely in Santiago del Estero, it will have its world premiere at the Fberlin summerknown as Berlinale, one of the most important along with Cannes and Venice, which will take place between February 16 and 26 of this year.
After Torales from Santiago decided to move to Paris, after completing his audiovisual training in Córdoba, his first feature film became a co-production between France and Argentina. Before the premiere of this film, which had the participation of 200 people from Santiago, its director spoke with THE LIBERAL through the WhatsApp.
What does it mean that “Almamula” has its world premiere in Berlin?
It is international projection, it is putting your film and your message in a place that every filmmaker wants to reach, in front of as many people and places as possible. It is putting Santiago on the map; It is a historical event at the cultural level in the province. This never happened in the history of Santiago. It is getting excited thinking that I am going to present the film with my young protagonist Nicolás Díaz, and that I am going to be able to offer him the possibility of coming to Europe, to live one of the most powerful experiences of his life. And news like this, after so many years of work, doubts, losing faith, getting up again, not believing, believing again, asking myself what am I doing?… It’s waking up. , receive an email from one of the most important festivals in the world, and see that your effort, your doubts, everything you bet on in recent years, everything you lost is rewarded. It is priceless, it is pure joy, and a relief that is difficult to explain. I don’t have children, but I can say that, in a way, today I gave birth.
How did you get to this instance of the Berlinale?
It is a whole world that I am discovering little by little and that I did not know. Before Berlin there were what are called film markets, only for professionals in the medium and for films under construction, that is, they are not finished, a way of displaying films that could potentially participate in the following year’s festivals. “Almamula” was present at 2, with very good feelings, and an award in December at Ventana Sur, organized by the Marche du Film de Cannes. The following month Berlin announces this great news.
When do you plan to release it in Santiago del Estero?
My wish is to premiere it at the Santiago del Estero International Film Festival in June, but I think that this no longer depends on me, but on the calendar that is decided for the film.
The Santiago mountain and supernatural elements make up “Almamula”. Who were you inspired by?
The inspiration is basically Santiago del Estero and the deep desire from a very young age to make a film. Succumbing to uprooting, when I started writing the film I was living in Paris 10 years ago, with a very strong need to reconnect with Santiago and eager to do something that would unite me to my province for life. Thus -therapy involved- I began to connect with my childhood, the things I liked, the wounds that I continue to repair, my fears and the inevitable inspiration of having grown up in a family in which music, folklore and roots to the earth in one way or another were always instilled in us. It was basically connecting with everything you love and everything that hurts, about yourself and your land. The mountain, the river, the city, the people, adolescence, the siesta, the heat, the legends, are all present elements and part of the inspiration.
Is “Almamula” a film that challenges society?
From the moment you install the daily life of a family for an hour and a half on a screen, you are giving a reflection of society, it is one of the magical powers of cinema, opening unknown windows for some, and more common for others. I believe that in “Almamula” many people are going to see themselves reflected, as in a mirror, others perhaps not so much, the important thing is to discover and get carried away by the story of the film, which is quite atypical and surprising.
”ALMAMULA”, FROM SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO TO THE BERLIN FESTIVAL – El Liberal