– The 25th Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Film Festival hosts a professional showcase featuring filmmakers such as Marina Lameiro, Nele Wohlatz and Paz Fábrega, among others
La belleza by Marina Lameiro, one of the selected projects
MECAS – the International Market of Almost-Finished Films, held as part of the 25th Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Film Festival, celebrates its ninth edition from 29 April to 2 May, welcoming a new selection of international projects. Having established itself as a key meeting point for independent and arthouse cinema, MECAS remains committed to championing films with a unique perspective that defy labels and conventions.
Eight projects from Europe, Latin America and Africa have been selected for this year’s Almost-Finished Films section: La belleza by Spanish director Marina Lameiro (Dardara); the German film Der Löffel (The Spoon) by Nele Wohlatz (The Future Perfect, Sleep With Your Eyes Open); the co-production between Costa Rica, Spain and Uruguay Al Futuro by Paz Fábrega (Cold Water of the Sea); the Spanish-Argentine film Leandro Flores by Mateo Kesselman; the German-Chilean film La cuestión criminal by Matías Ítalo Scarvaci; the Argentine Las Antigüedades, directed by Manque La Banca (Esquí); the Colombian film Point and Shoot by Antonia Hollman; and the Angolan film Karl Marx, Luanda by Kiluanji Kia Henda.
Talent from the Canary Islands will also be represented through projects currently in development, selected for the Terrero Lab section: Casa de oro, a film to be directed by Marta Torrecilla, a portrait of the contemporary faith of an elderly woman in Las Palmas; La Ceremonia / Beolcho by José Víctor Fuentes (An Inhabited Volcano), which explores the meaning of destiny and identity across the Canary Islands and Korea; and Ríos de Cristal, by Jesús F. Cruz, which offers a sensory journey between grief and the supernatural; alongside the Spanish films Rua Barcelona by Ángela Andrada, and La Mala Gent by Amat Vallmajor del Pozo (Mission to Mars), and the Brazilian film Omágua Kambera by actor Adanilo (who appeared in The Blue Trail).
With the aim of strengthening meaningful connections between artistic works, the industry, talent and the Canary Islands, MECAS has revamped its selection process. This year, the team issued direct invitations to production companies and creators, resulting in a remarkable response of over 70 Almost-Finished Film projects submitted by participants and partners who have taken part in previous editions of MECAS.
This new approach seeks to foster closer ties with the selected projects and encourage more organic, meaningful connections. The resulting selection remains true to the spirit of MECAS: a space for the exchange and expansion of cinema in the Canary Islands, one that engages with African filmmaking, strengthens ties with Latin America and embraces forms of film production rooted in analogue media and hybrid cinematic languages.
All selected projects and participants will have the opportunity to meet distributors, sales agents, international producers and festival programmers from events such as Toronto, Cinema du Réel, New York, IFFR, L’Alternativa, Göteborg and Festival dei Popoli, amongst others.
The selected projects:
Almost-Finished Films
To the Future – Paz Fábrega (Costa Rica/Spain/Uruguay)
Production: Temporal Films, Edna Cinema, La Mayor
Point and Shoot – Antonia Hollman (Colombia)
Production: Invasión Cine
Leandro Flores – Mateo Kesselman (Spain/Argentina)
Production: Amateurfilms
Karl Marx, Luanda – Kiluanji Kia Henda (Angola)
Production: Uika Filmes
Las antigüedades – Manque La Banca (Argentina)
Production: Pionera Cine, Un Puma
La belleza – Marina Lameiro (Spain)
Production: Hiruk Filmak
La cuestión criminal – Matías Ítalo Scarvaci (Argentina/Chile)
Production: Naso Cine, By Lace Films
Der Löffel – Nele Wohlatz (Germany)
Production: Blinker Film
Terrero Lab
Omágua Kambera – Adanilo (Brazil)
Production: Teatro Galeroso, TvZero
Rua Barcelona – Ángela Andrada (Spain)
Production: Matriuska Producciones
Ríos de Cristal – Jesús F. Cruz (Spain)
Production: Luminiscencia Programada
La Ceremonia / Beolcho – José Víctor Fuentes (Spain)
Production: Chukumi Studio
Casa de oro – Marta Torrecilla (Spain)
La mala gent (Sol y sombra) – Amat Vallmajor de Pozo (Spain)
Production: Vitrine Filmes
(Translated from Spanish)
