From the hand of "Tres a la deriva del act creativa" and the presence of illustrious guests, the maximum appointment of the national cinema had its beginning in the seaside resort.

After the inactivity caused by the pandemic, the Mar del Plata International Film Festival resumed its face-to-face version in almost its entirety and kicked off with the aforementioned production, posthumous work of the remembered Fernando “Pino” Solanas that also has the participation of Felipe “Yuyo” Noé and Tato Pavlovsky.

On the other hand, Pepe Soriano received the Ástor Piazzolla award for career, that reaches the 74 years of career and that was applauded by the public present. Soriano, also, presents at the festival "Nocturna", Gonzalo Calzada's film that has passed through Buenos Aires theaters.

The opening ceremony began at 20 and was attended by several officials such as the Minister of Culture, Tristan Bauer, who stated that the cultural industries were "among the hardest hit" by the pandemic, at the same time that he stressed that from the portfolio he directs, 20.000 million pesos towards the activity, of which 8.000 million were for the audiovisual sector.

"Now the energy is put into producing and working", Bauer said, while adding that the industry provides both symbolic value and "from an economic point of view".

Another of those present was the president of the Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts (INCAA), Luis Puenzo, who defined the meeting as something "historical", in addition to emphasizing that 16 provinces will have face-to-face activities of the festival and that, thus, there is a "cinema associated with the communities".

In the same sense, the municipal mayor expanded, Guillermo Montenegro, who spoke after the presentation of the program by the president of the festival, Juan Fernando Lima, and its director, Barrionuevo Cecilia.

In this new mixed edition, Mar del Plata brings long-awaited films by Paolo Sorrentino, Alex de la Iglesia, Hong Sangsoo, Jane Campion, Celine Sciamma, plus retrospectives of Clint Eastwood and Japanese actress Machiko Kyo.

The International Competition presents 12 productions in total, from France, U.S, South Korea, Italy and Georgia, among which stand out "Petite maman", by Céline Sciamma (whose "Portrait of a Woman on Fire" recently premiered in Argentina); “Hit the road”, by renowned Iranian filmmaker Panah Panahi; "Who prevents it", that the Spanish Jonás Trueba presented at the last edition of the San Sebastián Festival; to which is added the film by Malena Solarz, "Album for youth", the only national production in the bid for the Ástor Piazzolla awards.

With 12 films, the Argentine Competition presents "A school in Cerro Hueso" (Betania Cappato), which had its world premiere at the last Berlinale; "Red Point" by Nicanor Loreti (that with "Diablo" won in Mar del Plata the award for the best Argentine film in 2011); and "The moon represents my heart", by the Argentine director of Taiwanese origin Juan Martín Hsu ("La Salada").

Among the long-awaited novelties of international auteur cinema that have not yet reached the local billboard, the latest production of the Italian Paolo Sorrentino-winner of the Oscar in 2014 for "The great beauty" -, who in "It was the hand of God", tells the story of love and liberation of a young man after his life turns upside down thanks to a situation with Diego Maradona.

You will also be able to see the latest films by Denis Côté, who extreme his talent for absurd humor in the unusual "Hygiène sociale"; by South Korean master Hong Sangsoo, dealing with a romantic story in "In Front of Your Face"; and from Thai Apichatpong Weerasethakul (that will animate one of the Talks with Teachers), and will present in Mar del Plata "Memoria", a story full of enigmas and mysteries starring Tilda Swinton.