Locarno’s Carte Blanche

Film Business, Film Festivals, Pitching
Locarno’s Carte Blanche

Locarno’s Carte Blanche initiative was created in 2011 to showcase a number of films in post-production by emerging talents from a different country in Asia, Africa, Latin America or South-East Europe. This year the Carte Blanche is dedicated to Mexico.

For the first time this year, Carte Blanche will award the best film with a cash prize of 10.000 CHF, courtesy of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) of the Swiss Foreign Ministry.

The Carte Blanche Jury is comprised of Erick Gonzalez (Chile), General Delegate for Australab and Head of Programming of the Toulouse Latinamerican Film Festival, Alejandra Paulin (Mexico), Head of Industry & Market, Guadalajara Film Festival and Edouard Waintrop (France), General Delegate of the Directors’ Fortnight and Director of the Cinémas du Grütli.

The projects include:

Ciclo, Andrea Martinez Crowther
In 1956 two brothers left their hometown in central Mexico by bicycle in the hope of crossing the continent on two wheels. 82 days and 5,600 kilometers later, they arrived in Toronto. They were the first Mexicans to accomplish this feat, which changed the entire course of their lives and their family tree.Today, in the company of these two men, who are now in their 70’s, we follow the same path in an exploration of the heart, the cycles of life and of the unavoidable passage of time.

Tierra de Nod (Land of Nod), Jimena Montemayor Loyo

Cain is banished from the Land of Nod after killing his brother; thus, it became the land of the traitor and of the wanderer. This premise is the starting point of the love story of those who betray; it is a love triangle between Mateo, Nadia and Tomas. It’s the story of a friendship, the portrait of a paralyzed generation, the tale of how they live, love and find each other in their solitude.

Las Horas Muertas (The Empty Hours), Aarón Fernández
Sebastián, 18, starts administrating alone his uncle’s little Motel on the desolated tropical coast of Veracruz. The Motel is occasionally visited by adulterous couples. There, Sebastián meets Miranda, 35, who goes to the Motel with Mario, her rich lover. Mario often arrives late to their meetings, so Miranda has to wait for him in the empty Motel. During the spare time, she will get to know Sebastián and they will start a brief seduction game between them, which will start to get really ambiguous.

Las Lágrimas (The Tears), Pablo Delgado Sánchez
Fernando and Gabriel are two brothers living in a broken home.
The anger and sadness that fill the house forces them to escape for a weekend into the woods. Gabriel will witness his eldest brother’s self-destruction.

Mai Morire, Enrique Rivero


Chayo comes back to her hometown, Xochimilco, a place of incomparable beauty, in order to take care of her old mother. The path of death and her sensitive perceptions will make her do the biggest
sacrifice that a mother can make.

Penumbra, Eduardo Villanueva Jiménez
An experienced old and poor hunter shows us his captive world within a rural Mexico lost
in time: A place where suspense and mystery-loaded atmospheres will be very present,
creating in his mind a fascinating and illusory world together with the spirits of the forest.

Táu (Táu), Daniel Castro Zimbrón

Gustavo travels to the desert in search of native species for his research. During his lonely journey, a series of strange events haunt him until one night he’s assaulted. All by himself the will to survive makes him start the crossing of the desert. When no more water is left, Gustavo finally gives up. It seems all is lost, when Ana, his long dead wife, appears. What seemed to be at first a hallucination gradually becomes an imminent reality. Gustavo will be challenged to confront his past and present life.

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