{"id":4395,"date":"2026-07-17T17:39:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T17:39:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4395"},"modified":"2026-07-17T17:39:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T17:39:10","slug":"sitges-film-festivals-monica-garcia-at-the-costa-rica-media-market-were-waiting-for-the-next-issa-lopez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4395","title":{"rendered":"Sitges Film Festival\u2019s Monica Garcia at the Costa Rica Media Market: \u2018We\u2019re Waiting for the Next Issa Lopez\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>\n\tAt the Costa Rica Media Market (CRMM) to announce the launch of the Latin American offshoot of genre initiative WomanInFan, Sitges Film Festival director general Monica Garcia sat with Morbido CEO Pablo Guisa and Mexican director Luis Javier Henaine (\u201cDisappear Completely\u201d) to discuss the state of genre filmmaking in Latin America and the surge of women directors in the field, despite the obstacles. <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4393\">Christopher Nolan\u2019s Oscar \u2018Odyssey\u2019: Can Matt Damon, Monsters and Mythology Deliver Another Best Picture Statue?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\tSpeaking to <em>Variety<\/em> before the panel, Garcia revealed that the number of female genre directors participating at Sitges since WomanInFan launched six years ago, has jumped from 6% to some 30%., encouraging news for the new WomanInFan LatAm program.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tBut the field of genre filmmaking remains tough for women. Showing the audience a trailer for a documentary she directed, which offered a snapshot of some women who had ventured into the field, the consensus was not altogether rosy.<\/p>\n<p>\n<strong>\u201c<\/strong>The common denominator in all of their statements is the difficulties, the desire \u2013 sometimes fulfilled, sometimes not \u2013 to be directors because they weren\u2019t allowed to, or the obstacles they faced. Even Katharina Kubrick, Stanley Kubrick\u2019s daughter, talks about the marginalization she suffered for being Kubrick\u2019s daughter and a woman.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cAnd for me, this is the most significant part: seeing that it\u2019s not a generational thing, it\u2019s something that has transcended decades, generations and unfortunately, is still present today, even though things have improved tremendously,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tSo, the challenge is twofold for women. They not only face chauvinistic bias against female directors but against women delving into the field of genre filmmaking.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tSpeaking about the ties between Spain and Latin America, Guisa said: \u201cThere\u2019s definitely a connection\u2014we share not just a language, but a Judeo-Christian imagination: the Virgins, the saints, the Holy Trinity, demons, hell. It\u2019s all perfect fuel for genre cinema. You can see that legacy in Latin American fantasy, from Guillermo del Toro to the short filmmakers who keep the tradition alive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cIsn\u2019t fantasy the freest space we have to express ourselves? And isn\u2019t Latin America, by its very nature, a fantastic place? That gives us a powerful space to explore and communicate all kinds of ideas,\u201d Guisa pointed out.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4391\">Iko Uwais and Albert Hughes Unite for Multi-Generational Crime Series \u2018Jakarta\u2019 at \u2018Blade Runner 2049\u2019 Outfit Alcon Entertainment (EXCLUSIVE)<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cI\u2019ve long said that Latin America \u2013 led by Argentina \u2013 has set the standard for genre cinema. When the Blood Window program at Ventana Sur launched, it gave international genre co-productions a major financial boost across the region, sparking exponential growth,\u201d Garcia observed.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tShe pointed out the example of \u201cWhen Evil Lurks\u201d (\u201cCuando acecha la maldad\u201d), by Argentine filmmaker Demi\u00e1n Rugna, which made history at the 2023 Sitges Film Festival when it became the very first Latin American movie to snag the festival\u2019s prestigious best feature film award.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tFor Henaine, whose third feature \u201cDisappear Completely\u201d Guisa declares the best horror film to come out of Mexico in the past 20 years, his past two comedy films have somewhat informed his venture into genre filmmaking.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cComedy and horror have a lot in common \u2013 they\u2019re also the hardest genres to pull off. One has to make people laugh; the other has to make them afraid. Both depend on creating a real emotional response.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cAs a director, though, I don\u2019t start by asking, \u2018How do I make this scary?\u2019 or \u2018How do I make this funny?\u2019 I start with the human emotion. If the situation feels real, the fear or the humor follows naturally. Experience helps, of course, but more than genre, what really matters is being an avid viewer of both horror and comedy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tSpeaking about the growing ranks of women in the genre space, Garcia said: \u201cWe\u2019re waiting for the next Issa L\u00f3pez [\u201cTigers are Not Afraid,\u201d \u201cTrue Detective\u201d]. We\u2019re waiting for Laura Casab\u00e9 [\u201cThe Virgin of the Quarry Lake\u201d] to return with another film. Continuity is difficult for any filmmaker \u2013 and even more so for women. But we\u2019ve followed these talents from their very first films, and they know this festival will always be waiting for them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4389\">\u2018Boys of Tommen\u2019 Finds Its Patrick Feely in Jamie Schneider, With James Craven Joining as Pierce O\u2019Neill (EXCLUSIVE)<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\tThe Costa Rica Media Market ran over July 14-15.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sitges Festival\u2019s Monica Garcia sat with Morbido CEO Pablo Guisa and director Luis Javier Henaine to discuss genre filmmaking in the region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4394,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3308,3548,3549],"class_list":["post-4395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film","tag-costa-rica-media-market","tag-sitges-film-festival","tag-womaninfan"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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