A Media Agua

Fulano de Tal(pt)

Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party(en)

In 2024, the long-thought lost 16mm reels of Tom Petty in Cameron Crowe’s first film, “Heartbreakers Beach Party”, were finally found. The classic ‘80s documentary captures Tom Petty and the band in 1982-1983 as they finish, promote, and tour around the “Long After Dark” album (their final with legendary producer Jimmy Iovine). After its initial airing on MTV in 1983, the film was deemed too experimental and abruptly pulled from the air. In the more than 40 years since, it has become folklore to fans, musicians and within the entertainment industry — even credited with inspiring scenes in Spinal Tap.

The Champion of the World(es)

Ten years after winning a world title in bodybuilding in Russia and becoming a star of said discipline in Mexico, Antonio Osta (43) leads a life of austerity in the Uruguayan rural town where he grew up. He resides there with his son Juanjo (17), a sensitive teenager who keeps him company and confronts him openly. Suffering from acute kidney disease which keeps him from competing professionally, Antonio is stuck in limbo, halfway between his glorious past and the impossibility of being who he once was. However, he is unwilling to give up his lifestyle, even if it kills him. In an attempt to reinvent himself, and seeking a better future for his son, Antonio plans a comeback to the Mexico bodybuilding scene, where he may relive his glory days.

You Should Have Been Here Yesterday(en)

You Should Have Been Here Yesterday combines hundreds of hours of lovingly restored 16mm footage with a salt-infused soundscape by Headland. This cinematic poem tells the story of a wild community who took off up the coast and discovered a whole new way to live. Going back to the never-before-seen camera reels to ask the question – what do we keep and what do we leave behind? Featuring Tim Winton, Wayne Lynch, Bob McTavish, Albe Falzon, Evelyn Rich, Maurice Cole and many more. Inspired by Moonage Daydream and Jen Peedom’s Mountain.

Sea of Lions(es)

This documentary captures a deeply personal journey by Argentinian actor and musician, Nicolás Pauls, to the Uruguayan coast. This area hosts two of the world's foremost sea lion colonies. Isla de lobos and Cabo Polonio. A famed sanctuary for hundreds of thousands of sea lions. Pauls presents the two sides of the complex conflict between the local artisanal fisherman, struggling to earn their living and the sea lions who risk their survival in leaving the boundaries of the island.

Corporate Accountability(es)

Images of Argentinian companies and factories in the first light of day, seen from the inside of a car, while the director reads out documents in voiceover that reveals the collusion of the same concerns in the military dictatorship’s terror.

Bajo la arena. Memorias de Punta del Este(es)

Punta del Este was built upon a small, treasurable port town still alive in the memories of former residents and visitors. However, talk of progress has arised in present times. A kind of progress involving physical, historical, spiritual destruction. Bajo la Arena poses a crossroads between the passage of time and its ever-present traces in the landscape and in people's affections.

Chris and Bernie(en)

The story of two young single mothers who join forces to make a new kind of family unit for themselves and their children.

The Andes's Odyssey(es)

A documentary revolving around the 1972 crash of the plane carrying an Uruguayan rugby team; interviews with survivors and the families of victims.

Hair Piece: A Film for Nappy Headed People(en)

An animated satire on the question of self-image for African American women living in a society where beautiful hair is viewed as hair that blows in the wind and lets you be free. Lively tunes and witty narration accompany a quick-paced inventory of relaxers, gels, and curlers. This short film has become essential for discussions of racism, African American cinema, and empowerment.

El Pepe: A Supreme Life(es)

A documentary on the life of Uruguayan politician and former guerrilla fighter José Mujica.

The Seashore(en)

A study of the seashore in mid-coast Maine.

Snowfall(en)

As a winter storm approaches the shallow water crystallizes, ice builds up along the edges of a stream, and the first snowflakes of the storm layer over the newly formed ice. The following morning a soft light approaches through the snow covered forest.

Jasper Beach and The Salt Marsh(en)

A short film featuring a pebble beach and coastal salt marsh in Maine.

Your Parents Will Come Back(es)

In 1983 a group of 154 children aged 3 and 17 years old traveled alone from Europe to Montevideo. They were children of political exiles from Uruguay, who were unable to come back to their own country; they sent their kids to know their relatives and home country. That human sign, charged with a political message, took part in children’s identity development. Nowadays, six of them still remember that day, when a crowd received them singing all together “your parents will come back”.

New Clouds(en)

Clouds forming and moving through the summer sky.

Winter Light(en)

Sunlight in a winter forest.

Starlight(en)

A golden sunrise brings light to the foggy hills and meadows of late summer.

The Forest and The Sea(en)

A short film featuring a coastal forest and the rocky coastline of downeast Maine.

Mandá in lunga(xx)

the film „mandà in lunga“ follows a journey from Val Poschiavo, a valley in the Italian-speaking part of the Swiss canton of Grisons, up to the highest point of the Morteratsch Glacier, the largest glacier in the Bernina Range. Shot entirely on 16mm film and edited in-camera, the film captures the changing landscapes and atmospheric shifts along the way. The journey is musically accompanied by the organ drones and violin sounds of Laura and Luzius Schuler.