Toulouse, Day 1

I arrived yesterday morning in Toulouse and right away went for a little bit of family research, to the house where my parents lived 35 years ago - then it was lunch at LA CANTINA, a makeshift tent for festival delegates in the backyard of an ancient church.
The first thing that struck me, as a non-French speaker, was that I could speak Spanish to practically anyone...the accents of Central and South America are heard buzzing on every corner of this so-called 'pink' city (called that because of the color of the bricks that make up all the buildings).
After an introductory meeting we popped over to the Cinemateque (where we enjoyed a Venezuelan cumbia band) and then to a private screening of LA TETA ASUSTADA, the Peruvian film that was nominated for an Oscar this year. The Croatian and French distributors of this feature will be explaining the release strategy in their territories today.
The film itself was not to my personal liking, but I can see what others see in it. The story of a young Peruvian girl with an odd medical condition, the film shines when portraying the everyday life of poor Peruvians but is less successful when exploring the inner turmoil of the protagonists' life, with a series of clunky metaphors. The cinematography and score are first rate, though, as are the main performances. Off to the first day of workshops now, more to folllow!