THE BLACK FROST

TRAILER

The plantations in Entre Ríos are being devastated by a frost that spreads and burns the plants, turning them black. At the Lell brothers’ farm, where they live with their nephew Lucas, a young woman appears and starts assisting them with the day-to-day chores. Since the moment she arrives, the farm starts to recover mysteriously: the vegetables survive the frost, Lucas’s greyhound makes it in the racetrack and fish appear swimming in an abandoned pond. The Lell brothers are in awe at how their crop has remained intact. However, the presence of the young woman grows them restless. Yet Lucas sees something different in her: she’s is a saint that has come to save them. Word spreads and soon the villagers start coming in, looking for a miracle. They worship her more and more as she goes along with her new role of saint. The young woman has to decide whether she accepts her new position within the community or she continues on her way.

Argentina, 2016, 82 minutes

DIRECTOR’S BIO

Maximiliano Schonfeld was born in 1982, in Crespo, Entre Ríos, Argentina. He moved to Buenos Aires where he graduated from ENERC (National School of Cinema). In 2012 Maximiliano wrote and directed GERMANIA, produced by Pasto with the support or the INCAA, Hubert Bals Fund and the government of Entre Ríos. GERMANIA was awarded with NDR Hamburg, Special Jury Award Bafici, Best Film and Best Director at Punta del Este. BAFICI, Hamburg, Punta del Este and Prague. Also was selected at Chicago, Gotteborg, Toulouse, Nantes, Río, among others. Schonfeld has been invited to participate at the DOX:LAB, program held by the Copenhagen Film Festival, for which he directed the medium-length AUSTER, with Estonian director Kadri Kõusaar. He’s currently presenting at Berlinale- Panorama his second feature film THE BLACK FROST (La Helada Negra), with the support of the INCAA, Doha Institute, awarded Best WIP at Mar del Plata Film Festival. Selected for the Jerusalem Film Lab and Puentes Workshops (Locarno and Montevideo), developed with the ARTE award at BAL and Raymundo Gleyzer’s Prize. Previously, Maximiliano wrote and directed the TV series ANDER EGG and EL LOBO and three short films: ESNORQUEL, ENTRELUCES, INVERNARIO.

CAST

Ailín Salas
Lucas Schell

Ailín Salas was born in Brazil in 1993 and then she moved to Buenos Aires. At an early age, she started taking acting classes with Nora Moseinco. She is one of the most promising actors of her generation. She has worked with the most renowned filmmakers in the local scene, like Pablo Fendrik in “La Sangre Brota”, honored with the Critics Award at the Cannes Film Festival, Lucia Puenzo in “XXY” –alongside Ricardo Darín- and “El Niño Pez”, both premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, Luis Ortega in “Lulú” premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, Marco Berger in “Mariposa”, premiered at Berlinale, among others. She was nominated for the Martín Fierro Awards on her role in the television series “En Terapia”.

CREW

Written and Directed by Maximiliano Schonfeld
Produced by Pasto
Executive producer Bárbara Francisco
Cinematography Soledad Rodriguez
Sound Director Nahuel Palenque
Editor Anita Remón
Production Design Adrián Suárez
Costume Design Beatriz De Bendetto
Coach María Alché
Production Manager Georgina Baisch / Delfina Montecchia