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The Message film image; woman standing in a field of tall grass looking at an adorable capybara

The Message

El Mensaje

Panorama

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Canadian Premiere

A young girl’s gift for communicating with animals both alive and dead makes her a considerable asset to her guardians, who traverse the Argentinian countryside providing assistance to pet-owners in need. But despite their best efforts to keep her happy and comfortable, the child gets restless as the trio’s journey rolls on.

Winner of the Silver Bear Jury Prize at this year’s Berlinale, Iván Fund’s moving road drama is as pointed as it is improvisational, quietly observing the travelers’ mundane rhythms and moments of camaraderie while disguising any suggestion of unseen forces at play. In its gentle explorations of the characters’ unusual lifestyle, the supernatural remains on the periphery, a presence as ordinary as losing milk teeth. Nevertheless, the otherworldly is reflected in the still, silent interactions with the animals, and foregrounded by the elegant black and white photography and a haunting trumpet theme.

 

Silver Bear Jury Prize, Berlinale 2025

Oct 3 & 4: Q&A

Director
Cast

Mara Bestelli, Marcelo Subiotto, Anika Bootz, Betania Cappato

Credits
Country of Origin

Argentina/Spain/Uruguay

Year

2025

Language

In Spanish with English subtitles

Film Contact
18+

At International Village

19+

At Fifth Avenue

91 min
Award Winners Drama Family Relations
Rita Cine, Insomnia Films

Book Tickets

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Credits & Director

Executive Producer

Laura Mara Tablón

Producer

Iván Fund, Laura Mara Tablón, Gustavo Schiaffino

Screenwriter

Iván Fund, Martín Felipe Castagnet

Cinematography

Gustavo Schiaffino

Editor

Iván Fund

Production Design

Adrián Suárez

Original Music

Mauro Mourelos

Iván Fund headshot

Iván Fund

Born 1984 in San Cristóbal, Argentina, Fund is a director of his own works as well as a screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, and editor. His films have screened and been awarded at film festivals that include Cannes (Un Certain Regard), Venice, Berlinale, San Sebastian, Rotterdam, Viennale, BFI London, Busan, Havana, Neighboring Scenes at Lincoln Center, Lima, and Mar del Plata, among others. His latest film, The Message, participated in San Sebastian’s WIP Latam 2024 and premiered in the Official Competition of Berlinale 2025.

Filmography: The Lips (2010); Today I Felt No Fear (2011); The Amazement (2014); Toublanc (2017); Soft Rains Will Come (2018); Dusk Stone (2021)

Photo by Betania Cappato

 

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