Argentina - The cinema at the edge of the sea

The coastal city of Pinamar, 300 kilometers away from Buenos Aires, receives again, the best of the Argentine and European cinema of the last year. The date is ready to receive the most prizewinning movies at two sides of the Atlantic Ocean and to award a prize to the best three argentine movies with Gold, Silver and Bronze Balance.

This cultural space, organized by the National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts and the Municipality of Pinamar are celebrating its fourth edition and in the course of time it has been characterized as the suitable scenery of experience exchanges among directors, actors, productors of Argentine and different European countries such as Spain, Italy, France and Germany.

Pantalla Pinamar is ideal to help the argentine cinema to exhibit itself in its own home before tourists and journalists of different countries.   The idea of the exhibition is, apart from experimenting a cinema week, to improve the relationship between the Argentine and European production companies and to promote the cinematographic cooperations.

This contest was declared of “national interest” by the Deputy Chamber and in just three editions it has reached to increase the number of audience from 9,000 persons in the first year to more than 22,000 spectators who pass in front of the rooms of Bahía and Pinamar in 2006.

For this 2007, there was an important Spanish presence, although the French, Germany, British and Italian cinema also occupies a strong place. The film called “Fados”, directed by Carlos Saura, will open its fourth edition of the festival where 53 movies will be screened.

Among all the Argentine and international previews that will be screened we can mention: "Los fantasmas de Goya" cooproduction between United States and Spain directed by Milos Forman; "La bicicleta", by Sigfried Monléon; "Una familia feliz", by Martín Koolhoven, and "Bordertown", cooproduction between United Kingdom and United States directed by  Gregory Nava.

Among the 13 national films which are competing for the three main awards, that are dedicated by the public and the press, we can mention “Una novia errante”, Argentine-Spanish cooproduction directed y Ana Katz, and "XXY", by Lucía Puenzo, candidate for competing on the Oscar nomination for the best foreign film.

Moreover, the schedule of Pantalla Pinamar includes a meeting of authorities of the Academies of Argentina and Spain Cinema, and the presentation of argentine productions that are in the last stage, in the called “Work in progress” sessions.

The festival will finish on December 15. Anyway, the “post festival” will start the following day (December 16), where the repetitions of the films that were awarded will be screened.

Pantalla Pinamar is the perfect excuse to enjoy the seventh art and to be able to have a rest at the edge of the sea.