JIIFF LAB

For Ibero-American producers and directors with a fiction project in development. Seven projects were selected, represented by 14 participants working in director-producer duos.

During the lab, participants developed their projects under the guidance of tutors who provided support in scriptwriting and production design; financing and co-production policies; and project design. At the end of the workshop, a pitching session was held before a jury composed of Ivonne Ibazebo (British producer), Daniel Dreifuss (Brazilian producer), and Karina Flomenbaum (Argentine producer).

Tres Esquimales Award – A total of US$4,000 for project development, awarded to Bochador (Argentina), produced by Leandro Custo and directed by Santiago Dulce.

CineLatino Toulouse Award – An invitation to participate in the 36th Rencontres de Toulouse for El Prócer (Argentina), produced by Eva Padró and directed by Agustín Carbonere.

Special Mention – Awarded to Anoche creí que nadaba (Uruguay), directed by Catalina Torres Puentes and produced by Eugenia Olascuaga.

GENERACIÓN J

The training program for Uruguay’s new generation of producers and directors. In 2024, Generación J innovated its program by inviting 10 participants from Uruguay, working in producer-director duos under 32 years old. Their fiction feature film projects were reviewed over three days in José Ignacio by their tutors Emiliano Mazza de Luca and Martha Orozco, along with internationally recognized figures who evaluated and strengthened the projects.

Kaleidoskopik Scholarship – A mentorship for project development, awarded to No quisiera que lloviera, produced by Federico Fernández and directed by Guadalupe Estévez.

U30 LATAM

In partnership with the Locarno Film Festival, and with the support of the Uruguayan Film and Audiovisual Agency (ACAU) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), this call targeted young Latin Americans under 30 involved in programming, distribution, exhibition, and audiences.

For the first time, JIIFF established this partnership with Locarno Festival’s Industry Academy, which selected six participants (three Latin Americans and three Uruguayans) to envision the future of the film industry, exploring strategies to address upcoming challenges and opportunities. The lab concluded with a document of findings authored by the participants

HUB AUDIOVISUAL

The gathering of allied institutions to foster co-production between different countries.

For the first time, BFI visited Uruguay and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ACAU to promote co-production and cultural and audiovisual exchange between the two countries. 

Uruguay XXI, led by its Executive Director Sebastián Risso, presented the new sectoral sub-brands of Uruguay Audiovisual: Uruguay Film Commission, Uruguay Films, and Uruguay Videogames. ACAU, through its President Facundo Ponce de León, introduced new agreements and policies to support local production.

Denitsa Yordanova, BFI representative, presented the Global Screen Fund.

The BFI delegation also included four producers—Laurie Cook, Yvonne Ibazebo, Paula Álvarez Vaccaro, and Robert Cannan—who visited Uruguay seeking potential partners and projects, and also served as tutors and jury members for JIIFF Lab and Generación J.

VIDEO RECAP