In a world turned upside down, life reveals new paths to explore

Transcription

1 In a world turned upside down, life reveals new paths to explore

2 SYNOPSIS Juan Pablo, 16, travels to the remote family hacienda in the Andes, where his uncle, who is involved in a corruption scandal, has taken refuge with his wife and teenage children. It is the carnival holiday of 1999, days before the collapse of Ecuador s banking system. There, Juan Pablo meets Juano, an enigmatic, self-assured black-metal fan from the nearby pueblo, who opens his eyes to a new, liberating universe. As his country and family is heading for the abyss, the two boys budding friendship develops into a fragile romance and Juan Pablo is forced to define himself against his chaotic surroundings.

3 DIRECTOR S NOTE The story of FERIADO originated in a childhood memory. At a party, I witnessed a group of grown men attacking a teen caught stealing parts from the fancy cars parked outside. Being a kid, I felt powerless, unable to intervene, and the images stayed with me. In FERIADO, Juan Pablo, an introverted 16-year-old of upper-middle class background, witnesses a similar episode of violent oppression while on holiday at a hacienda in the Andes. The reaction it triggers in him propels Juan Pablo into a journey of self-discovery. It gives him the courage to silently rebel and pursue a relationship with Juano, a black metal fan from the nearby pueblo. I want the audience to discover Juano s world through Juan Pablo s eyes and accompany him emotionally on his journey. The changing natural and urban landscapes echo his state of mind: The story opens in a cold climate, in the monochromatic Andean landscape surrounding the family hacienda. The ambience of the hacienda presents itself as threatening compared to the ideal, innocent and fragile universe that Juan Pablo creates with Juano. With Juano, Juan Pablo s universe expands and his senses open up. In the mise-en-scene the colors turn warmer, the landscape greener, lusher, full of life. When Juano takes Juan Pablo to a waterfall in a warmer climate zone, the dry, Andean landscape gives way to exuberant sub-tropic vegetation. The light is yellowish, the sun intense. Juan Pablo experiences a symbolic rebirth when he lets himself go, physically and emotionally, and finds the courage to jump into the river. When he reemerges from the water, something in him has changed.

4 DIRECTOR AND SCREENWRITER DIERGO ARAUJO Diego was born in Quito, Ecuador. He has written, directed and scored shorts, documentaries, commercials and documentary series. His shorts screened at festivals in the US, Ecuador, Argentina, France, Spain, Italy, and Norway. He holds an MFA in Film Production from Florida State University and a Masters in Screenwriting from the University of Bergen, Norway. After studying abroad and working as an editor in New York for many years, he returned to Ecuador in 2012 to make his first feature, FERIADO. He is co-founder of the Ecuadorean production company LU- NAFILMS with producer Hanne-Lovise Skartveit and currently has several Ecuadorean feature projects in development.

5 PRODUCTION COMPANIES LUNAFILMS LUNAFILMS was founded by Producer Hanne-Lovise Skartveit and Director Diego Araujo in 2010, after having produced documentaries, fiction shorts, commercials and animations in team since LUNAFILMS is based in Quito, Ecuador. Currently they have two Ecuadorean feature films in production, among them FERIADO. CEPA AUDIOVISUAL CEPA Audiovisual was founded in 2005 and is a Buenos Aires-based production company run by Producers Felicitas Raffo and Andrés Longares. Among their recent coproductions are SÉPTIMO (with Ricardo Darín), LEONES by Jazmin López (Official Selection La Biennale di Venezia 2012, Bright Future section at International Film Festival of Rotterdam 2012) and HISTORIAS QUE SO EXISTEM QUANDO LEMBRADAS (San Sebastián 2012). FERIADO is their first coproduction with Ecuador. ABACA FILMS ABACAFILMS is an Ecuadorean production company founded in Their first feature, RUTA DE LA LUNA, a coproduction between Ecuador and Panamá directed by Juan Sebastián Jácome, had its international premiere at the Montreal World Film Festival in 2012.

6 TEC SPECS Year 2014 Country Ecuador / Argentina Duration 82 mins Screening format dcp, color, 1:2,35 Shooting format red 4k, color, 16:9 Language Spanish Production companies Lunafilms-Cepa Audiovisual- Abacafilms World sales M-appeal Supported by Tribeca Film Institute, Cncine, Ministerio De Cultura Del Ecuador, INCAA, Ibermedia, Quito Turismo, Latino Film Fund, Eave-Puentes Producers Lab, Australab, Rivieralab, Oaxaca Cine Y Creación Screenwriting Lab, Festival de Cine La Orquídea, Selección Primer Corte Ventana Sur. BERLINALE SCREENING DATES PUBLIC SCREENINGS Sun 9.2 At 13:00 At Hkw (World Premiere) Mon At 14:00 At Cinemaxx 3 Sun At 15:30 At Cubix 8 EFM SCREENINGS Thu 6.2. At 17:00 At Cinemaxx 18 Thu At 17:35 At Cinemaxx 4

7 CREDITS Written & Directed by Diego Araujo Producer Hanne-Lovise Skartveit Executive Producers Hanne-Lovise Skartveit and Renos Vakis Co-producer Andrés Longares, Felicitas Raffo, Juan Sebastián Jácome, Irina Caballero Cast Juan Manuel Arregui, Andrés Paredes, Manuela Merchán, Canela Samaniego, Irwin Ortiz, Francis Pérez Uscocovich, Pepe Alvear, Peky Andino and Cristina Morrison Cinematography Magela Crosignani Production Design Roberto Frisone Sound Martín Litmanovich, Juan José Luzuriaga, Estebanoise Brauer Editing Julián Giulianelli and Diego Araujo Original music by Daniele Luppi

8 Contacts LUNAFILMS AUDIOVISUAL Producer Hanne-Lovise Skartveit Tels: +59 (3) (3) (9) World Sales: M-appeal M-appeal world sales UG Prinzessinnenstr Berlin Germany Tel: +49 (0) CP : +49 (0) Fax: +49 (0) sales@m-appeal.com International press contact: Yvonne Andreas M-appeal world sales UG Prinzessinnenstr Berlin Germany Tel: +49 (0) CP : +49 (0) Fax: +49 (0) ya@m-appeal.com