Colombia pitches in to help pics

Latin America's oldest fest, Colombia's 46th Cartagena Int'l Film Festival, opens Friday with Pacho Bottia's "Juana tenia el pelo de oro" and wraps March 10 with Alessandro Basile's "El cielo."

Both are among homegrown films vying for the grand prize in the Colombian Film Competition, introduced seven years ago in response to a healthy surge in local production.

Iberoamerican pics competing for the Premio India Catalina in various categories include Argentine entries "Las mantenidas sin suenos" by Vera Fogwill and Martin Desalvo, "El buen destino" by Leonor Benedetto and Fabian Bielinsky's "El aura."

Chile, another country enjoying a boost in production output, competes with Alex Bowen's "Mi mejor enemigo," Miguel Littin's "La ultima luna" and Matias Bize's "En la cama." Bruno Barreto's romantic comedy "Romeo and Juliet Get Married" reps Brazil.

"A Golpes" by Spain's Juan Vicente Cordoba joins the fray. Colombian pics include Bottia's opening night pic and local box office hit, "Rosario Tijeras." They also compete in the Colombian official section.

Leading web RCN TV has become a fest sponsor for the first time. Web will not limit its coverage to just the closing night ceremony -- as it has the past ten years -- but will cover other key events as well as provide extensive promotion.

Fest debuts a popular new staple in many film events, the Int'l Producers Encounter (running March 4-6). Ten Colombian filmmakers will pitch their projects to a panel of execs including Leonardo Zimbron of Warner Bros. Pictures Mexico, "Rosario Tijeras" producer Matthias Ehrenberg, Octavio Nadal of Disney-co-owned Argentine shingle Patagonik and U.S.-based screenwriter/producer Tom Musca.

List of all the Iberoamerican films in competiton:

ARGENTINA
Las mantenidas sin sueños, Vera Fogwill - Martín Desalvo
El buen destino, Leonor Benedetto
Roma , Adolfo Aristarain
El aura, Fabian Bielinsky
Elsa y Fred, Marcos Carnevale

BRAZIL
El casamiento de Romeo y Julieta, Bruno Barreto

CHILE
Mi mejor enemigo, Alex Bowen
La última luna, Miguel Littin
En la cama, Matias Bize
Mujeres infieles, Rodrigo Ortuzar

COLOMBIA
El cielo, Alessandro Basile
Juana tenía los pelos de oro, Pacho Bottia
La historia del baúl Rosado, Libia Stella Gomez

ECUADOR
Crónicas, Sebastián Cordero.

SPAIN
Habana Blues, Benito Zambrano
La vida de nadie, Eduardo Cortés
A golpe, Juan Vicente Córdoba
El desenlace, Juan Pinzás

MEXICO
Las vueltas del citrillo, Felipe Cazals
Temporada de patos, Fernando Eimbcke

PERU
Un día sin sexo, Frank Pérez Garland

VENEZUELA
El caracazo, Román Chalbaud
Secuestro Express, Jonathan Jakubowicz

ITALY
Después de medianoche, David Ferrario