Open Doors, Locarno Pro’s talent development program for artists from under-represented communities around the world, handed 3 awards August 8 to the Dominican Republic project Tres Balas (Three Bullets), directed by Génesis Valenzuela, produced by Wendy Espinal.
The prizes include a CHF 20,000 Open Doors cash grant alongside a €8,000 development grant given by CNC (France). The project also won a Rotterdam (IFFR) Lab Award which includes accommodation offered by IFFR and a contribution to travels costs provided by the Locarno Film Festival.
Set in 1992, Tres Balas tells the true story of Dominican immigrant Lucrecia Pérez, who was murdered by four neo-Nazis while residing in Madrid. The attack was recognised by the Spanish State as the country’s first case of racism and xenophobia.
The projects synopsis reads: Through a visually enthralling journey intertwining colonial history, displacement and criminal investigation, the director will delve into Lucrecia’s life as a way to explore the diaspora experience and dislocate the grand narrative of history – as she currently shares Lucrecias undocumented status. The present and the past connect, while fictional representation will emerge as a mechanism to help fill the gaps in the Afro-descendant memory of the Caribbean.
The Projects’ Hub jury consisted of Madeline Robert, Manager of visions sud est; Artistic Director of Fribourg International Film Festival Thierry Jobin; Michel Plazanet, Deputy Director of International Affairs at CNC; Head of Projects at ARTE France Cinema Eva Pons; and Lasse Skagen, Head of Programming at the Films from the South Festival.
During the Festival’s Independent Juries Award Ceremony of August 12, the Junior Jury will present a special award valued at CHF 2,000 for the Short Film in the Open Doors Screenings that best illustrates the concept ‘Environment is quality of life.’
The Open Doors Screenings, part of the Festival’s Official Selection and this year presenting feature-length, mid-length and short films and their makers from South America, will continue until Saturday 12 August.
The Open Doors initiative was launched by the Locarno Film Festival in 2003. For more than 20 years, Open Doors’ mission has been “to support artists from underrepresented communities around the world, and from countries in which cinema and art as a form of expression are at risk.”
“Offering a multi-faceted space for nurturing film talents, it has developed an array of programs for training, learning and networking for filmprofessionals, as well as public screenings and events – during the Locarno Film Festival and all year long,” writes the festival.
