The castle

by Martín Benchimol

Long métrage documentaire

2022

PANORAMA selection - Berlinale 2023
Directed by
Martín Benchimol

Author
Martín Benchimol

Format
77
Trailer
English
Produced by
Sister Productions (France)
Gema Films (Argentina)
Heidi Fleisher (France)
Synopsis
After working as a domestic worker all her life, Justina (60) inherits a huge mansion in the middle of the Argentine pampas from her former employer. The only condition is that she never sells it.
While the house collapses and the farm animals are sold, Alexia, her daughter, prepares to return to the city.
The castle allows us to share the last months that mother and daughter spend together in a bittersweet fairy tale that offers promises of salvation, while both the protagonists and the audience wonder how far the absurdity of our class society can go.
Festivals & awards
  • PANORAMA selection — Berlinale (Germany), 2023
  • Best Director award — Hong Kong IFF (Hong-Kong), 2023
  • Premio Horizontes — San Sebastian FF (Spain), 2023
  • Grand Prix — FIFAM (France), 2023
  • Best director award — Festival internacional de cine de Mar del Plata (Argentina), 2023
  • LATAM Work in Progress in San Sebastian Film Festival (Spain), 2022
  • Rough cuts — IDFA Forum (Netherlands (Amsterdam)), 2022
  • Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival (Greece), 2023
  • Festival international de cine de Guadalajara (Colombie), 2023
  • Hot Docs IFF (Canada), 2023
  • Jeonju FF (South Korea), 2023
  • Docaviv (Israel), 2023
  • Lima Film Festival (Mexique), 2023
  • Section people & community — Sheffield Doc FF (United Kingdom), 2023
  • Competition — Brussels IFF (Belgium), 2023
  • New Horizons IFF (Poland), 2023
  • Compétition — Ambulante Film Festival (Mexico), 2023
  • Lima FF (Peru), 2023
  • Reyjavik IFF (Island), 2023
  • Documentary Competition — Zurich Film Festival (Switzerland), 2023
  • Competition — Camden FF (The United States), 2023
  • Section People & community — Message to man FF (Russia), 2023
  • Séance spéciale — Biarritz Amérique Latine (France), 2023
  • Séance spéciale — Helsinki IFF (Finland), 2023
  • Mostra Sao Paulo IFF (Brazil), 2023
  • Queer FF Bremen (Germany), 2023
  • Mumbai FF (India), 2023
  • Nambo FF (South Korea), 2023
  • Section internationale — Golden rooster awards (China), 2023
  • Hors-compétition — Stockholm IFF (Sweden), 2023
  • Best of Fests — IDFA (The Netherlands), 2023
  • Exground FF (Germany), 2023
  • Miradas Medellin (Colombia), 2023
  • Black Movie Festival (Switzerland), 2024
  • Compétition — Antenna documentary FF (Australia), 2024
Partners
CNC – Cinema du Monde
La Région Nouvelle Aquitaine
International sales
Luxbox
Trailer
English
The castle - Sister Productions