Martín Rejtman (born January 3, 1961, in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine writer and film director. He is considered to be a key figure in the New Argentine Cinema, making films such as Silvia Prieto and The Magic Gloves. His documentary Riders won the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in 2020.
Martín Rejtman | |
|---|---|
 Rejtman in 2019 | |
| Born | Martín Rejtman January 3, 1961 |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, screenwriter and film producer |
| Years active | 1986–present |
Biography edit
Martín Rejtman was born 3 January 1961 in Buenos Aires.[1] He studied cinema at the Escuela Panamericana de Arte in Buenos Aires.[citation needed] He then took two years of film studies at New York University, making a short film every week.[2] His first full-length film, Rapado, was criticised by the National Film Institute of Argentina (INCAA), so he looked to foreign funders and settled upon a frugal film-making style which uses small crews and a low budget.[2] Rejtman has a minimalist filmmaking style. He said, "When I made Rapado, I felt that Argentine cinema had too much dialogue, and bad dialogue at that. I hate adornments, I hate artifice, I hate anything that's unnecessary, because there really is nothing beyond the screen."[2] Rapado was based on a short story Rejtman had written in 1992 and was partly funded by the Dutch Hubert Bals Fund.[2] It premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.[3]
Rejtman then made Silvia Prieto (1999), The Magic Gloves (2003, originally Los Guantes mágicos), Elementary Training for Actors (2009, originally Entrenamiento elemental para actores) and Two Shots Fired (2014).[4] He is regarded as a key figure in the New Argentine Cinema, alongside Esteban Sapir.[3] In 2009, he filmed a documentary, Copacabana, about a Bolivian festival in Buenos Aires.[3]
He then planned to make a film in Santiago, Chile, provisionally titled The Practice (La práctica). This was his first film made outside Argentina and follows an Argentine yoga instructor living in Chile.[5] Regarding the change in routine, Rejtman commented that he liked Santiago after editing the sound for Two Shots Fired there and that "every day in Buenos Aires I witness how places I’d love to include in my films are getting lost or destroyed [...] in Santiago it is possible that the same phenomenon happens, but those altered locations are new to me."[5] Before filming started on The Practice, Rejtman released a comedic short film, Shakti. He said it concerned "a Jewish young man, the death of his grandmother, depression, Hare Krishnas, Pesach (Passover), and potato knishes."[5]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rejtman began work on a documentary about the delivery drivers of Buenos Aires. Since most of the drivers are Venezuelan, Rejtman commented that the film was about both migration and the gig economy.[6] It won the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.[6] The film is entitled Riders (originally El Repartidor Está en Camino).[7]
Filmography edit
Director
- Doli vuelve a casa (1986) (short)
- Sistema español (1988) (short)
- Rapado (1992)
- Silvia Prieto (1999)
- The Magic Gloves (2003) (Los guantes mágicos)
- Copacabana (2006) (documentary)
- Elementary Training for Actors (Entrenamiento elemental para actores) (2009) with Federico León
- Two Shots Fired (2014)
- Shakti (2019) (short)
Awards edit
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (June 2019) |
Wins
- Argentine Film Critics Association Awards: Silver Condor; Best First Film, Martín Rejtman; for: Rapado: 1997.
Nominations
- Locarno International Film Festival: Golden Leopard; Martín Rejtman; for: Rapado; 1992.
- Argentine Film Critics Association Awards: Silver Condor; Best Original Screenplay; for: Silvia Prieto; 2000.
- Locarno International Film Festival: Golden Leopard; for: Los Guantes mágicos; 2003.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Martín Rejtman - Filmografía, Biografía, Fotos". Cine Nacional. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ a b c d Suárez, Pablo Archived 2007-02-20 at the Wayback Machine. New Argentine Cinema: Themes, Auteurs and Trends of Innovation, (Ediciones Tatanka, 2002).
- ^ a b c "Martin Rejtman's first documentary". IFFR. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ Lucca, Violeta (13 May 2015). "Interview: Martín Rejtman". Film Comment. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ a b c Lizotte, Chloe (24 July 2018). "News to Me: Martín Rejtman, Jonathan Glazer, Amma Asante". Film Comment. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ a b Rivera, Alfonso (28 September 2020). "Martín Rejtman: Director of Riders". Cineuropa. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ Hopewell, John (16 September 2020). "Germany's Pandora Boards 'Riders' from 'Silvia Prieto' Helmer Martín Rejtman (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
External links edit
- Martín Rejtman at Cinenacional.com (in Spanish) (archive)
- Martín Rejtman at IMDb