Las Acacias

We continue our profiles of New Directors/New Films (March 21-April 1) discoveries with Pablo Giorgelli from Argentina. His film Las Acacias, which played at Cannes last year, is a “truck movie” that takes place on the road from Paraguay to Argentina. The Guardian describes it as “a genre-straddling gem from South America which leaves you breathless.” [Buy tickets here]

Send us a picture from your mobile phone of yourself and your environment.

Pablo Giorgelli

It was it not taken with my cell phone, it was during my last vacation a month ago, but I'm wearing my favourite New York Cosmos T-shirt!

Describe your film to someone who hasn't seen it.
It’s a “truck-movie”, a modern western aboard a truck. A story about fatherhood. Rubén, a lonely, hardened truck driver must transport a woman he doesn't know from Paraguay to Argentina. The woman is not alone. She’s carrying a baby — and there are 1,500 kilometers ahead.

What are you most excited to do while you're in NYC?
For me the most exciting thing will be, without any doubt, the chance to present my film in New York. I have always wanted to come to this city to present my film here.

What would you be doing if you weren't making films?
I would like to say that I would be soccer player, but probably the right answer would be that I would be a barman. I have bar in Buenos Aires since 11 years ago, in the downtown area, with other film directors as partners… Sometimes it is still very hard to make a living from our films! I'm actually thinking of opening a restaurant now.

What is your favorite (and/or least favorite) movie and why?
My list would be too long, but if I must choose just one today, (at this moment, for me it's very important to clarify that these choices may change at any time), I would choose Close Up by Abbas Kiarostami, an original and personal declaration of love to cinema.

What is your favorite food to eat on set?
Mate! Our national drink, it's an infusion, a kind of herb that you drink as a tea. In Argentina everybody drinks MATE. I drink MATE all the time while shooting, and smoking…

Which parts of the filmmaking process do you enjoy the most? The least?
Editing is the process I enjoy the most. It's definitely the most intimate moment of filmmaking – that's when the movie reveals itself (or doesn't). It's the final stretch before you let it go, the final writing process for me. My least favorite part? Maybe looking for the money…

What was the biggest surprise you had while making your film?
I discovered that I really really want to become a father!

Las Acacias screens on March 22 and March 24 – buy tickets now! Follow Las Acacias on Facebook and Twitter, and visit its official website here.