The 9th Dale! Award (EFAD-CAACI co-development grant) was awarded on 25 September 2024, in San Sebastian, to the project “Los Dos Paisajes / The Two Landscapes” directed by Francisco Lezama and produced by Pioneria Cine (Argentina) and Quarta Feira (Brazil). An Argentinian-Brazilian project, still in the search of a European coproducer.

The originality of the topic, with a strong artistic approach from the filmmakers, realistic approach scale of the budget, led the jury to choose this project. The project tells the story of Mercedes (65), 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 unrecognised daughter disrupts 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.

The director Francisco Lezama received the Golden Bear for his short, Un movimiento extraño - An Odd Turn, from this year’s Berlin Film festival.

The jury was composed of representatives from:

• EFAD: Dita Rietuma, Director of the National Film Centre of Latvia.
• CAACI: Arianne Benedetti, Vice-Minister at the Ministry of Culture, Panama.
• The San Sebastian International Film Festival: Susana Santos Rodrigues, Co-Director at IndieLisboa, Portugal)

"The 14 film projects presented at the Forum are powerful stories rooted in Latin American culture that can become a special experience for European audiences. The film The Two Landscapes by the director of Francisco Lezama offers a unique intonation and story that can become a universal experience for international audiences", said Dita Rietuma.

Here below the three jury members in San Sebastian

From the left to the right: Susana Santos Rodrigues, Co-Director at IndieLisboa, Portugal), Dita Rietuma, Director of the National Film Centre of Latvia & Arianne Benedetti, Vice-Minister at the Ministry of Culture, Panama.

Background

This joint co-development grant is one of the concrete actions developed within the framework of the structured partnership launched by EFAD and CAACI (Conferencia de Autoridades Audiovisuales y Cinematográficas de Iberoamérica) in 2016. It is distributed in the framework of the Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum of the San Sebastian International Film Festival. You can find all the previous awards here.