Sitges Film Festival’s Monica Garcia at the Costa Rica Media Market: ‘We’re Waiting for the Next Issa Lopez’

At 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 (“Disappear Completely”) to discuss the state of genre filmmaking in Latin America and the surge of women directors in the field, despite the obstacles.

Speaking to Variety 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.

But 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.

“The common denominator in all of their statements is the difficulties, the desire – sometimes fulfilled, sometimes not – to be directors because they weren’t allowed to, or the obstacles they faced. Even Katharina Kubrick, Stanley Kubrick’s daughter, talks about the marginalization she suffered for being Kubrick’s daughter and a woman.”

“And for me, this is the most significant part: seeing that it’s not a generational thing, it’s something that has transcended decades, generations and unfortunately, is still present today, even though things have improved tremendously,” she said.

So, 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.

Speaking about the ties between Spain and Latin America, Guisa said: “There’s definitely a connection—we share not just a language, but a Judeo-Christian imagination: the Virgins, the saints, the Holy Trinity, demons, hell. It’s 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.”

“Isn’t fantasy the freest space we have to express ourselves? And isn’t Latin America, by its very nature, a fantastic place? That gives us a powerful space to explore and communicate all kinds of ideas,” Guisa pointed out.

“I’ve long said that Latin America – led by Argentina – 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,” Garcia observed.

She pointed out the example of “When Evil Lurks” (“Cuando acecha la maldad”), by Argentine filmmaker Demián Rugna, which made history at the 2023 Sitges Film Festival when it became the very first Latin American movie to snag the festival’s prestigious best feature film award.

For Henaine, whose third feature “Disappear Completely” 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.

“Comedy and horror have a lot in common – they’re 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.”

“As a director, though, I don’t start by asking, ‘How do I make this scary?’ or ‘How do I make this funny?’ 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.”

Speaking about the growing ranks of women in the genre space, Garcia said: “We’re waiting for the next Issa López [“Tigers are Not Afraid,” “True Detective”]. We’re waiting for Laura Casabé [“The Virgin of the Quarry Lake”] to return with another film. Continuity is difficult for any filmmaker – and even more so for women. But we’ve followed these talents from their very first films, and they know this festival will always be waiting for them.”

The Costa Rica Media Market ran over July 14-15.