Spanish with English subtitles
With Manuel Antin, Graciela Borges, Dora Baret, Ricardo Aronovich
An exploration of the profound and transformative relationship between two iconic figures of Latin American cinema and literature: filmmaker Manuel Antín and writer Julio Cortázar. Set in the vibrant 1960s, Enlightened Letters delves into their epistolary exchange, which bridged continents and sparked creative collaboration. Through their letters, Antín adapted three of Cortázar’s stories into films, forging a unique artistic partnership that transcended boundaries of medium and geography.
The film not only celebrates their shared artistic vision but also reflects on the enduring impact of their collaboration on Latin American culture. By intertwining personal correspondence with cinematic history, Enlightened Letters offers an intimate glimpse into the creative process and the friendship that shaped it.
Press
“A journey through a fruitful friendship between cinema and literature.” – Adolfo C. Martínez, La Nación
Notes on Film
“A few years ago, I had the opportunity to access the letters that writer Julio Cortázar sent to the film director Manuel Antín in the 1960s. These letters, received by Antín, are testimony to his connection with the writer Julio Cortázar, from whom he adapted four stories for the making of three of his first films.
A whole era full of creativity and ideological ebullition opened up through this correspondence and the films directed by Antín, one of which, Circe, was scripted by Cortázar by return mail.
In this way, after having read the letters and listened to the phono-letter sent by Cortázar while they were working on the script for Circe, materials that gave an account of the difficult link between literature and cinema, of the friendship that grew between them defying the difficulties of the mail, economic issues, the discord between both genres, I began to develop the project Cortázar & Antín, Cartas iluminadas.”
– Cinthia Rajschmir, Director
