Malaga Festival: Biznaga to Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat

The Argentine filmmakers and screenwriters Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat raise the Biznaga de Honor of the 2026 edition of the Festival de Málaga, a recognition that rewards one of the “most influential creative duos” in contemporary audiovisuals thanks to works such as ‘The Man Next Door’ or ‘Official Competition’.

During the opening of the delivery ceremony held at the Echegaray Theater, Juan Antonio Vigar He explained that the festival had long wanted to have the presence of Argentine filmmakers again, who already visited Malaga more than two decades ago. The director of the Malaga competition has highlighted the importance of its filmography and explained that the festival wanted to take advantage of his visit to offer a representative sample of his work: “You have a group of magnificent films and we have programmed four titles that represent your cinematographic universe very well,” he commented, referring to The man next door, The illustrious citizen, Official competition y The Silver Man

Mariano Cohn y Gaston Duprat They have been working as a creative duo since late nineties and they have become references of contemporary Argentine audiovisual thanks to a style characterized by satire, provocation and a critical look at art, power and social contradictions. His works are distinguished by an acid humor that functions as a narrative tool to portray the human condition.

During the meeting with the public, the directors recalled the impact that caused his last work, The Silver Man, a film built from sixteen short stories that reflect on Argentine identity. Duprat explained that the film has generated a strong social reaction in his country. "The nice thing was that the film left the movie theater and people began to discuss it in their homes and on the streets. For us it is spectacular that a film generates that impact," he noted.

For his part, Mariano Cohn has reflected on the evolution of his career and has pointed out that El ciudadano ilustre, awarded the Volpi Cup in the Festival de Venecia, was a turning point in his career. "I think it was the film with a more solid and stable script, but maintaining our position with the public. It is one of those films that challenge and force us to take a position," he explained.

Cohn and Duprat's relationship with Spain

The directors have also recalled the close bond that his films have maintained with Spain, since many of them have been developed as co-productions with the country. “All these films that we are naming have co-production with Spain, that is why we feel that they are also a little Spanish,” said Cohn.

One of the central moments of the event was the conversation about official competition, the film that was screened after the tribute. Mariano Cohn recalled that the project was born from a conversation with Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, in which the idea of also calling Antonio Banderas arose before a script even existed.

"We had a meeting with Antonio and Penelope in London with an empty page. We wanted to have fun and make a film about acting creation and the world of cinema," explained the director, who recalled that the filming was planned as a kind of "live acting match", in which the performers could display their work continuously.

Duprat He added that filming was interrupted by the pandemia in 2020, forcing production to stop for several months. However, that unexpected pause ended up having a positive effect on the creative process: “That forced stop allowed us to study what we had shot and understand the film better to make the second part with more strength.”

Antonio Banderas, who was in charge of presenting the Biznaga de Honor to the directors, recalled with humor some of the keys to the film. "If you have seen official competition “You already know what we do with awards,” he joked, in reference to one of the most memorable scenes in the film.

The Malaga actor has also highlighted the pleasure it was to work with the Argentine duo. "For me it was a pleasure to film with them. Many of the things you are going to see in the film are real: the mannerisms of the actors, the competitions that occur on filming and the eccentricity of the world of cinema," he stated.