Synopsis

Vicenta is a Cuban santera who possesses the gifts of being able to see into the future and communicate with spirits. She lives harmoniously with her only son, and has loyal customers who come to her for spiritual guidance. When Vicenta’s son decides to leave the country in search of opportunity, she suddenly finds herself deep in a crisis of her own belief—the spirits are no longer speaking to her. Vicenta embarks on a journey to hear the spirits once more, confronted by her solitude in a country where it seems that everyone is losing their faith. Carlos Lechuga (Melaza, Santa & Andrés) returns to the Festival with this lyrical and meditative study of faith, tradition, and human connection.

Synopsis

In this tense and timely drama, idealistic literature professor Lucio (Juan Minujíin) leaves behind university life to accept a position teaching high school in the working-class community where he grew up. Returning to the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Lucio is intent on making a difference in the lives of his students, but just as he begins to connect with his class, a drug smuggling operation is uncovered inside the school. Learning that the local drug cartel threatens one of Lucio’s promising young pupils, the educator must decide how far he’ll go to protect the boy’s life. Celebrated for the nuance and humanism with which he imbues his work, award-winning Argentine filmmaker Diego Lerman (A Sort of Family, Refugiado) returns to the Festival with this powerful piece of social realism.

Synopsis

Months after daughter Ger goes missing, Julia remains both devastated and frustrated by a lack of action and answers from apathetic authorities. Taking matters into her own hands, she sets out on a search, receiving help from journalists, lawyers, and activists, the vast underground network of people—mostly women—who risk their lives daily looking for lost loved ones. Based on true events and skillfully making use of documentary footage, this sensitively drawn, harrowing road movie is a journey into the darkness of femicide and forced disappearance. Through the tale of one woman’s despair, grief, and ultimate empowerment, Noise uplifts the many who work through unimaginable pain to stand against an overwhelming threat.

Synopsis

After years of trying to conceive, Valeria and her husband Raúl are overjoyed to learn that they are finally about to become parents. But Valeria’s elation soon turns to dread, as terrifying visions lead her to believe she has been cursed by a sinister entity, “La Huesera.” As her picture-perfect life begins to splinter around her, her desperate search for answers takes her back to her rebellious past and her dabblings with the occult—embracing the dark magic that threatens to consume her might be the only way to rid herself of this spirit and safeguard her family’s future. With her profoundly chilling yet intimate supernatural tale, director Michelle Garza Cevera provocatively deploys folklore and witchcraft to explore the anxieties of early motherhood.

Co-presented by Music Box of Horrors