Mexico’s Martfilms Boards ‘Looking for Sam,’ Mariana Rondón’s Follow-Up to ‘Bad Hair’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Mexico's Martfilms has come on board "Looking for Sam," the new film from Venezuelan director Mariana Rondón, a follow-up to her 2013 San Sebastián Golden Shell winner "Bad Hair" ("Pelo Malo"). The docu-fiction project, being pitched at San Sebastián's Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum, tracks the real-life journeys of that film's two lead actors, Sam Lange and Samantha Castillo, both of whom subsequently left Venezuela, blending documentary and fiction to explore memory, identity and displacement.
Rondón is co-writing the screenplay with producing partner Marite Ugás of Sudaca Films, which this year marks its 30th anniversary and has an "Écritures" residency in Paris from December to develop the project alongside Lange, who now lives there. Martfilms, known for socially engaged titles including Cannes documentary prize winner "Beyond My Grandfather Allende," previously backed San Sebastián Forum successes "Pornomelancholia" and "Daughter of Rage." The 74th San Sebastián Film Festival runs from 18–26 September.
In short
- Martfilms joins Rondón's "Looking for Sam," a follow-up to "Bad Hair"
- Docu-fiction traces two "Bad Hair" actors who left Venezuela
- Pitched at San Sebastián's Co-Production Forum this September
Explained simply
Venezuela has experienced prolonged political and economic upheaval, leading many people to leave the country. Their experiences of migration can involve changes in home, identity and family ties.
Mariana Rondón is a Venezuelan filmmaker whose 2013 film Bad Hair won the Golden Shell, the top prize at the San Sebastián film festival. Sam Lange and Samantha Castillo, the film’s lead actors, later left Venezuela; Rondón and producing partner Marite Ugás work through Sudaca Films.
Films seeking international partners can be presented at co-production forums, where producers meet potential backers from other countries. Martfilms is a Mexican production company that has supported films shown at international festivals.
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