Pix in Progress at San Seb

Launched in 2002 as a joint initiative with the Toulouse Latin American Cinemas Festival, Films in Progress presents producers, distributors and facilities house execs with rough cuts of films in post-production which still require completion finance.

Past selections, such as Carlos Sorin's admired Pataginian cross-cutting drama "Historias minimas," have gone on to play in official competition at San Sebastian.

Pics to be showcased Sept. 21-22 are Alvaro Buela's "Alma mater" Uruguay, Marcelo Gomes's "Cinema, aspirina e urubus" and Ruy Guerra's "O veneno da madrugada," both from Brazil, "Iluminados por el fuego" from Argentina's Tristan Bauer, Mexican film "El Malboro y el Cucu," by Javier Patron Fox, "Ronda nocturna" from Argentine vet Edgardo Cozarinsky and "La sagrada familia" from Chile's Sebastian Campos.

In a sign of industry enthusiasm for the initiative, selected pics compete for a Films in Progress Award, granted by Spanish tech companies, which covers outstanding post-prod process up to a subtitled 35mm print.

The Casa de America grants E9,000 ($11,000) in post-prod costs for one film in the section, while the World Catholic Association for Communication, Signis, offers $10,000 for select broadcast rights to a film. Spain's overseas cultural promotion org, the Cervantes Institute, can also showcase the films abroad.

On Sept. 23, writers will pitch the near 40 screenplays currently advancing at a Latin American Film Projects workshop directed by helmer-producer Gerardo Herrero.

Film in Progress' 7th round will take place March 17-18 in Toulouse. The San Sebastian Festival runs Sept. 17-25.