Tatiana Huezo, Juan Sebastián Mesa, Mónica Lima, Val Jashari Among 10 Filmmakers Vying for WIP LatAm and Europa Awards at San Sebastián

A total of 10 projects are taking part in the San Sebastian Film Festival’s Latin America and Europe WIP competition showcases, which will help the winning projects jump their last hurdles towards release.

Selected from hundreds of submissions, six projects are vying for for the coveted WIP Latam Industry Award and four titles from across Europe are competing for the WIP Europa Industry Award.

The WIP Latam Industry Award covers the post-production of a film, a DCP subtitled in English and its distribution in Spain. Among the six contenders are the latest from Mexico’s Tatiana Huezo (“Prayers for the Stolen”), venturing into fiction again, and Juan Sebastián Mesa’s multi-country co-production, “Lovers Go Home!”

Also in contention is the EGEDA Platino Industria Award of $34,466 (€30,000), which is handed to the lead producer of the winning film.

“We received projects spanning a wide range of genres and approaches and this year we wanted the final selection to reflect that diversity. Alongside more traditional genres such as drama, comedy and road movies, we also received a number of more hybrid non-fiction projects,” said Javier Martin, selection committee member and Latin American delegate, who added that, as in previous editions, only 30% of the projects they received were directed by women filmmakers.

“We were particularly interested in highlighting work from Mexico and Brazil, two countries currently experiencing a remarkable creative moment and that have made significant strides in terms of film production in recent years. Colombia is also worth highlighting, as its cinema is opening up to a new generation of particularly exciting filmmakers,” he told Variety.

With regards to Argentine cinema, he said: “We continue to receive a significant number of outstanding projects. However, given the country’s current circumstances, many filmmakers have had to scale back their ambitions. Projects are increasingly being developed through more “collaborative” co-production models, while still requiring international partners to reach completion.”

Since its creation in 2020, WIP Latam has enabled the completion of multiple selected films. Among the stand outs are: “If We Don’t Burn, How Do We Light Up the Night” by Kim Torres, selected for New Directors last year, Fernando Eimbcke’s “Flies,” which world premiered at the Berlinale, and Ecuador’s “Octopus Skin” by Ana Cristina Barragan.

The WIP Latam Industry Award is granted by A Contracorriente Films, Best Digital, Deluxe Content Services Spain, Dolby, Laserfilm Cine y Vídeo, Nephilim Producciones and No Problem Sonido.

WIP Latin America takes place Sept 21-23 at the festival, which runs Sept. 18-26.

WIP LatAm Contenders:

“Everywhere Left to Go” (“Todos los lugares donde ir,” Tiagx Vélez, Crisalida Cine, Colombia)

When his boyfriend disappears during a techno rave, Miguel spirals into grief and an increasingly fractured reality, seeking connection among lovers, strangers and his mother’s partner. Ana Tiagx Vélez’s second feature follows her debut “The Origin of Species.” Her shorts include “We Will Be,” winner of the Dunkel Roda Award, “Omen,” selected for Ficunam and Cartagena Film Fest, and “The Third World After the Sun,” presented at Rotterdam.

“Galerna” (Tatiana Huezo, Pimienta Films, Elastica Films, Mexico, Spain)

Huezo’s latest film follows Lúa and Noé, casting directors searching remote Mexico for natural actors for a sci-fi production, where their journey challenges their prejudices and vulnerabilities. The project brings together prominent producers with credits including “Roma,” “Prayers for the Stolen” and “Sujo” (Pimiento) and “Alcarràs,” “Summer 1993,” “Creatura” and “Romería “(Elástica). Starring Ilse Salas (“The Good Girls”) and Ariel-nominated Lázaro Gabino Rodríguez (“Fauna”) with cinematography by Huezo’s long-time collaborator Ernesto Pardo.

“Lovers Go Home!” (Juan Sebastián Mesa, Rhayuela Films, Potenza Prods., Camera Oscura, Dublin Films, El Sol Ermitaño, Colombia, Spain, Canada, France)

Multi-country co-production shot in Canada and Colombia follows Alejandra, a single mother who works as a webcam performer in a Medellin studio, and her unlikely bond with disabled war veteran Andrew. The two begin a series of virtual conversations ranging from sexual requests to trivial challenges. Drama participated in the Euro-Latin Co-Production forum in 2022, Carolina Foundation Screenwriting Workshop, the Chalet Mauriac residency and Cinéma en Développement at the Toulouse Film Festival.

“The Criminal Matter” (Matías Italo Scarvaci, Naso Cine, By LACE Films, Argentina, Chile)

Debut fiction feature. Two brothers pursuing the American dream become entangled in a dangerous operation involving corruption, violence and the Russian mafia, while betrayal threatens their bond. Scarvaci’s first docu feature, “Docile Bodies” (2015), co-directed with Diego Gachassin, received a special mention at Mar del Plata, plus the DAC Best Director and Argentores awards. “Other Seed” (2022) competed in Guadalajara, while his latest “The Days with Her” (2025) screened in Moscow’s documentary competition.

“The Last Song of The Birds” (“O ultimo canto dos pássaros,” Beatriz Seigner, Cine-Sud, Oportuna Films, Brazil, France, Uruguay)

Drama follows Hugo, 14, who must find his estranged Uruguayan father to secure a passport and join his São Paulo orchestra on a European tour. Film is represented by Pyramide Intl, with cinematography by Inti Briones. Director Seigner previously made “Los silencios,” which premiered at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight and won the Cooperación Española Award in San Sebastián, establishing her as an international festival presence. Participated in the 2022 Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum.

“Travel & Pleasure” (“Viajes y placeres,” Mariano Luque, Largavista Cine, Cabustra Arts, Animista Cine, Argentina, Uruguay)

A fading TV presenter travels with a friend to Argentina’s Embalse lake to film a new episode of “Travel & Pleasure,” but discovers mysterious alien eggs and begins investigating their origins. Mariano Luque previously directed “Salsipuedes,” which premiered at San Sebastián and Cannes Cinéfondation, “Otra madre” at Rotterdam and “Los árboles” at Cinéma du Réel. “Travel & Pleasure” was selected for the 2022 Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum with the working title “Inspection on Earth.”

The WIP Europa Industry Award likewise consists of post-production services, English and Spanish DCP subtitling and distribution in Spain.

WIP Europa Contenders:

“The Battle of Hedgehogs,” M. Tayfur Aydın
(MTA Film Yapim, Turkey)
Following the death of her father, Zerin opposes her brothers’ plan to divide and sell the family property, seeing it as the inheritance she has earned through years of sacrifice. Her resistance ignites a conflict that exposes hidden secrets, shifting loyalties and traditions that have shaped the family for generations. The film is described as “an intimate and emotionally charged family drama about justice, belonging, and the courage to challenge inherited rules.”

“In a Manner of Speaking,” Val Jashari
(Wavemaker Films, Live Productions, Kosovo, Montenegro)
Zeka, an Albanian-American fugitive running a bar in Prishtina, suddenly sees her hidden life upended by a police raid. Cornered, Zeka leaps onto a balcony and meets Vlora, a woman from a remote village trying to disappear for reasons of her own. Both confined in a tight space and strangers to one another, they begin to face all that they have suppressed, setting off on an unexpected journey toward redemption.

“The First Week of August,” Filip Mojzes
(Wolfgang & Dolly, Black Photon,Croatia, Poland)
While on summer vacation with his wife Ivana and 10-year-old son David, Zoran, a journalist who has experienced psychological trauma, unexpectedly and violently attacks the boy as he slowly begins to lose control over his behavior. As the vacation progresses, deeper issues in Zoran and Ivana’s relationship begin to surface, and these problems eventually extend to their interactions with a neighboring family.

“Familiar Feelings,” Mónica Lima
(Seara Filmes, Maria Zimbro, Portugal)
Lia, once a promising actress, unexpectedly returns to her drought-stricken homeland in rural Portugal. While expecting an empty house, she finds her family gathered to receive her. Startled, she hides and slips away, postponing the confrontation. Amid a landscape marked by drought and decay, Lia drifts between distance and belonging until a fragile reunion forces them all to confront unfulfilled dreams, inherited fractures, and the desperate longing for connection.