Emilia (Tamara Roca), 17, arrives in a religious town on the border between Argentina and Brazil. She is looking for her long-lost brother, with whom she has obscure, unfinished business.
She stays in the jungle at her weird aunt Inés's (Ana Brun) hostel where, according to rumors, a dangerous beast appeared a week ago. This beast, people claim, is the spirit of an evil man that takes the shape of different animals.
Between the real and the mythological, the human and the animal, guilt and sexuality, Emilia will seek to confront her past.
AGUSTINA SAN MARTÍN was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1991. She studied filmmaking at the University of Buenos Aires, where she later worked as a screenwriting professor. She is also a screenwriter and colorist.
Agustina also worked as the DoP on films like THE FUTURE PERFECT (2016), directed by Nele Wohlatz (Best First Feature at Locarno), and short films like HÉCTOR directed by Chilean filmmaker Victoria Giesen, which premiered in the Official Competition of the 69º Berlinale.
Agustina directed her first short film, THE CRY OF THE OXEN (2015), which premiered at the Festival de Cartagena and was an official selection of the Mar del Plata Film Festival. It won best short at FICIC, Festival de Cine del Desierto in Mexico and won INCAA TV. It was nominated for the Premios Cóndor.
In 2017, SWEDISH COUSIN, Agustina’s second short film, premiered at the 67º Berlinale Film Festival and won First Prize in BAFICI, Best short at the Festival de Cine de Huelva, and Best LGBT short film at the Festival International de Cine de Ciudad de Mexico. It had a broad festival tour and was part of the official selection at VLAFF, Zinebi, Panoramic Stockholm Latino American Film Festival and Queer Lisboa.
In 2019, Agustina premiered her third short film, MONSTER GOD at the Cannes Film Festival in the Short Film Official Competition and won the Jury Prize. Later, the film won the Golden Camera 300 prize at the Manaki Brothers Festival and was shown in other festivals including: AFI Fest, La Habana, Curta Cinema Río and El Gouna and many more.
TO KILL THE BEAST, her first feature film, participated in the Script Station at 66º Berlinale Talents in 2016. With it, she was part of BAFICI BAL, Bolivia Lab and Los Residentes in Paraguay. It also competed in the La Habana Film Festival Script Competition.
In 2020, Agustina was selected to be a fellow in the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative to be the alumni of the director, composer, actor and Broadway talent, Lin-Manuel Miranda.
TO KILL THE BEAST (WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: AGUSTINA SAN MARTÍN)
STARRING: Tamara Rocca, Ana Brun, Julieth Micolta, João Miguel, Sabrina Grinschpun and Kaique Jesus.
Public Screenings
Public Screening 1- Tuesday, September 14, 2021- 2:00PM- Cinema 3- Piers Handling Cinema
Public Screening 2- Tuesday, September 14, 2021- 9:00PM- digital TIFF Lightbox Pro (Available in Canada)
Public Screening 3- Thursday, September 16, 2021- 4:00PM- Cinema 2- Piers Handling Cinema
Public Screening 4- Friday, September 17, 2021- 1:00PM- digital TIFF Lightbox Pro (Available in Canada)