Ibermedia, which celebrates its 10th year this month, has been instrumental in the continued ascent in production and quality of recent Latin American, Spanish, and Portuguese films. This intergovernmental organization began with seven member countries; today films from 17 member countries appear on festival schedules the world over and are also enjoying increasing popularity on screens throughout the region. Ibermedia facilitates and finances coproductions of documentaries and fiction films between two or more of Iberoamérica’s Spanish- and Portuguese-language member countries, and grants money for international distribution and promotion once the films are finished. Professional film organizations from the country sponsoring the proposal select the projects to be helped by the Ibermedia umbrella organization, thus ensuring each project’s autonomy; this is key to Ibermedia’s success. No strings are attached to the joint financing, which protects the filmmakers’ personal vision and allows the project to retain the rooted particularity of a national and/or personal-historical tradition.
Over the past decade, Ibermedia has supported over 300 films, encompassing a broad variety of filmmaking genres and approaches, and provided training for professionals. As the films in this exhibition make clear, whether popular or more rarefied, whether by established, internationally recognized directors or by filmmakers just starting out, Ibermedia encourages cinematic innovation and supports personal cinema with something to say.
All films are in Spanish, with English subtitles, except where noted. Most films have several coproducers apart from the Iberoamerican countries listed. The recent annual presentation of Premiere Brazil! at MoMA included three films with involvement by Ibermedia; thus Brazilian films are not repeated in this exhibition.
Organized by Jytte Jensen, Curator, Department of Film, with the generous collaboration of Ibermedia, Madrid (Elena Vilardell, Zuri Fermin, Victor Sánchez).
This exhibition is made possible with the support of the producers and filmmakers of the selected films; Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional; the U.S. distributors; Tania Cypriano; Armando Guareno; the Consulate Generals in New York of Argentina, Spain, and Venezuela; and Instituto Cervantes, New York. Print media sponsorship is provided by El Diario La Prensa. Broadcast media sponsorship is provided by Telemundo 47. Most films are new 35mm prints struck by Estudios Churubusco del Instituto Mexicano de Cine (IMCINE), with English subtitling provided by Piluca Baquero of Technicolor/Spain.