THE RIVER TRAIN w/ FOR THE OPPONENTS
THE RIVER TRAIN [EL TREN FLUVIAL]
In the far reaches of the Argentine pampas, nine-year-old Milo (Milo Barría) is a malambo phenom. He trains under the unrelenting eye of his father to perfect the intricate footwork and bombastic stomping required for this impressive gaucho folk dance. But Milo longs for something more than his humdrum rural existence. So he slips a sleeping pill into the family stew and sneaks to the train station, desperate for an adventure in Buenos Aires. Actor Lorenzo Ferro (THE ANGEL) makes his feature directorial debut alongside the late Lucas A. Vignale with this phantasmagoric journey into the oddball underbelly of the big city, told with a child’s mischievous energy and singular worldview. –Josh Gardner
Official Selection, 2026 Berlin Film Festival and New Directors/New Films. DIR/SCR Lorenzo Ferro, Lucas A. Vignale; PROD Tomas Grandio, Valentine Torre, Casiana Vera. Argentina, 2026, color, 75 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
In Memoriam: Lucas A. Vignale (1997–2026)
Preceded by:
FOR THE OPPONENTS [PARA LOS CONTRINCANTES]
Argentine filmmaker Federico Luis (SIMON OF THE MOUNTAIN) won the Palme d’Or for Best Short Film at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival for this exhilarating portrait of Damián, an unrelenting young boxer in Mexico City struggling to hang on to his boyhood innocence. Shot in exacting close-ups on gritty celluloid and featuring a synth score, this riveting short film recalls the best of the Safdie brothers’ work distilled to a tight 15 minutes. –Josh Gardner
DIR/SCR Federico Luis; PROD Fernando Bascuñán, Fernanda de la Peza, Elena Fortes, Augusto Matte. Mexico/Chile/France/UK, 2026, color, 15 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Run Time: 90 Minutes
Opening Date: Sunday, September 27, 2026
Genre: Drama
