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SIMÓN DE LA MONTAÑA and the Rise of a Great Filmmaker

Omar Sosa

As part of the Critics' Week, a parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival at the 22nd Morelia International Film Festival (FICM), Simón de la montaña (2024, dir. Federico Luis Tachella) was screened.

The Argentine debut feature was awarded the Grand Prix at the last Semaine de la Critique. The screening was presented by Ava Cahen, General Delegate of the Critics' Week, who year after year reaffirms her commitment to emerging filmmakers around the globe, and by Carlos Rincones, the film's producer.

Simón is 21 years old and introduces himself as a mover's helper. He claims he doesn't know how to cook or clean the bathroom but he does know how to make the bed. But recently, Simon seems to have become a different person.

“This film is like the birth certificate of a great filmmaker and at the same time it is an act of resistance that is opening up narratives and representations that are currently very important in Argentina,” said Cahen about Simón de la montaña (2024).

She also spoke of her excitement for the Mexican audience to discover the work of Federico Luis. Producer Carlos Rincones thanked the festival for the opportunity to present the film and told the audience in attendance: “We are excited to present this film in Morelia, since a percentage of it is also Mexican.”

At the end of the screening, with the credits still on the screen and the audience applauding, director Federico Luis entered the room and spoke with an audience that had been moved by the images they had just seen.

The director answered questions from the audience, most of which opened with heartfelt congratulations, with a unique sense of humor. Attendees also agreed on how real and grounded the film felt with their comments. “[I] enjoyed it a lot because I saw my childhood friendship reflected,” said one attendee.

“How you deal with the subject matter, it's something I've never seen before,” a moviegoer chimed in. “Your film alone was worth coming to the festival,” someone else was overheard saying.

The director confessed the fear he experienced at the beginning of the project and how he felt incapable of directing a film considering his previous short films and limited experience working with actors. Something that facilitated his work here was finding someone who knew a great deal about his acting abilities, namely singer and actor Lorenzo Ferro, who stars in Simón de la montaña.