The Colombian director Lina Rodríguez is one of 12 filmmakers selected for the Toronto International Film Festivals Writers Studio with the script of her third feature film So Much Tenderness
The TIFF Writers’ Studio will be held monthly from June 15 until January 2019 at TIFF Bell Lightbox, where candidates will develop a script with the expert support of international script consultants. Launched in 2012, this program provides a space for writers to develop their skills, exchange ideas, and discuss their challenges in a collaborative and artistic environment. The sessions focus on script development, pitching, and creating memorable characters. In addition, participants will receive an Industry Pass for the Toronto International Film Festival in September and Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival in January.
This year's selection consists of six women and six men, highlighting the best emerging writers in Canada and emphasizing TIFF's commitment to gender parity: Danilo Baracho, Yung Chang, Martin Edralin, Sarah Goodman, Carinne Leduc, Jennifer Liao, Frieda Luk, Kaveh Nabatian, Celeste Parr, Kazik Radwanski, Jorge Thielen-Armand, and the Canada-based Colombian Lina Rodríguez. Women in this year's induction will be supported by the organization's Share Her Journey campaign.
Lina Rodríguez was born in Bogotá but has spent part of her life in Canada. Her most recent production This Time Tomorrow (Mañana a esta hora), which she wrote and directed, reflects on the capital city that she remembers from childhood that she has seen change over the years. The film premiered at the Locarno Festival in 2016. The film earned Rodríguez nominations for Best Emerging Director, Golden Leopard Filmmakers of the Present—Nescens Prize, Locarno International Film Festival—Filmmakers of the Present: Cine+ Special Jury Prize, and Locarno International Film Festival—Filmmakers of the Present: Special Mention.
Her first feature film Señoritas had its world premiere in the Official Fiction Competition of the Cartagena Film Festival (FICCI) in 2013, its American premiere at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York, and participated in the Feature Film Debut Competition at the Havana Film Festival in Cuba in 2013, Bell Lightbox at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2014, and Genre Cinema: Terra Erotica at the Fribourg International Film Festival in Switzerland in 2015, to name a few.
