Sand Dollars

GERALDINE CHAPLIN
DÓLARES
DE ARENA
A FILM BY
LAURA AMELIA GUZMÁN
ISRAEL CÁRDENAS
PRODUCED BY:
aurora dominicana
WITH THE SUPPORT OF:
DIRECTOR’S
NOTE
S
and Dollars was born from our wish to
The film is a very free adaptation of the novel
Contradictions as having to pay for company,
portray a world full of contradictions,
Les Dollars des Sables, using elements that
to pay to solve everyone’s problems, the wish
contradictions that go from parties
contribute to create an atmosphere, Anne
to belong, to be helpful and useful, and the
and vacations, to love, betrayal, pleasure,
and Noeli’s intimate world: an impossible
impotence of not knowing how and to always
morality and loneliness. This is the world that
relationship, concern for one another and
feel like an outsider. Of assuming a place, a
emerges from the book Sand Dollars written
loneliness.
life or going after a distant illusion.
by the French author, Jean-Noël Pancrazi;
that world is, in a certain way, Samaná: the
Anne is a migrant in the opposite direction,
town where we previously filmed Jean Gentil,
from France to the Dominican Republic,
a place where Dominicans from the country-
looking for pleasure, relaxation and to forget,
side coexist with other Dominicans from the
instead of looking for work. And Noelí, a girl
capital and Haitians, and also with a group
who has thoughtlessly been prostituting her-
of Europeans that have lived there for years,
self for a long time, who dreams of leaving
some of them even considered as founders
the island and going somewhere in Europe to
of this new life here.
have a better future.
SYNOPSIS
E
very afternoon Noelí, a young Domi-
Noelí’s boyfriend feigns to be her brother and
nican girl, goes to the beaches at Las
outlines a plan in which Noelí travels to Paris
Terrenas. Along with her boyfriend,
with the old lady and sends him money every
they look for ways to make a living at the ex-
month.
pense of one of the hundreds of tourists that
wander the beach.
For Noelí, the relationship with the old lady is
one of convenience, but the feelings become
As people parade through her life, Noelí has
a steady client, a mature French woman who,
as time goes by, has found an ideal refuge on
the island to spend her last years.
more intense as the departure date closes in.
BIO
LAURA
AMELIA
GUZMÁN
ISRAEL
CÁRDENAS
Directors / Producers
B
orn in Santo Domingo, Dominican Re-
2006 his first feature as co-director, script-
public on May 7th 1980, Laura Amelia
writer, photographer, producer and editor.
Guzmán graduated from Altos de
Sand Dollars is his fourth feature.
Chavón / The School of Design, where she
studied fine arts and photography. After ex-
Besides his work as Director, he has collab-
hibiting in photography shows, she attended
orated in various features as co-scriptwriter
the International Film and Television School
(Los Últimos Cristeros, directed by Matías
in Cuba, specializing in cinematography.
Meyer, Mexico 2012), director of photography
(Cumbres, directed by Gabriel Nuncio) and
After working in several features, she moves
producer (Ocaso, directed by Theo Court,
to Mexico. Since 2004, she has lived between
Cumbres, Mañana Psicotrópica directed by
Mexico and the Dominican Republic working
Alexandro Aldrete). In 2013 he establishes
with her husband Israel Cárdenas, with whom
Rayo Verde Post, image post-production
she shares script, photography, production
studio in the Dominican Republic.
and direction credits in their feature films.
Together they run the production company
FILMOGRAPHY
Aurora Dominicana.
Cochochi 2007/ 87 min / Drama
Jean Gentil 2010/ 85 min / Drama
Israel Cárdenas (Mexico, 1980) is a selftaught filmmaker who started out his career
in musical videoclip productions and some
film workshops at NYFA and EICTV. He
worked as camera assistant and second unit
camera in some projects before shooting in
Carmita 2013/ 75 min / Documentary
COCHOCHI (2007)
JEAN GENTIL (2010)
CARMITA (2013)
Awards and recognitions:
Awards and recognitions:
Festivals
Discovery award, Toronto Intl. Film Festival
Jury’s Special Mention, Venice FF (Orizzonti)
Intl. Competition Ficunam
Jury award, Toulouse Film Festival
Bronze Alexander, Thessaloniki Intl. FF
Trinidad y Tobago Film Festival
Jury award, Valdivia Film Festival
Best Script Award, Miami Intl. FF
RDoc Documentary Film Festival
Best Feature, Gramado Film Festival
Jury’s special Prize, Guadalajara FF
of the Dominican Republic
Best Feature, Miami Intl. Film Festival
Best Film Award, Palmas Gran Canaria FF
Cali International Film Festival
Fipresci awards at Gijón and Toulouse
Grand Prize, Jeonju Intl FF
Buenos Aires Documentary Film Festival
Nominated for the Ariel for Best First Feature
Special Mention, Bafici
Cinemigrante
and Best Script
Best Feature, Cosquín FF
Fine Arts Film Festival
Best Film & Best Actor, Festivalissimo
www.cochochi.com.mx
Jury Award & Critics Award, Lima FF
Critics Award, Gramado FF
Best Director, Critic’s Award, Best Actor, Viña
del Mar Intl FF
Best Feature, Trinidad y Tobago Intl FF
Best Feature, Casandra Award, Dominican
Republic.
www.jeangentil.com
It’s been pure joy to learn, and
a wonderful experience”
Geraldine Chaplin
CAST
GERALDINE CHAPLIN (US, 1944) Started
the Ground. She was also a close collabo-
YANET MOJICA (Dominican Republic, 1993)
RICARDO ARIEL TORIBIO (Dominican
in David Lean’s adaptation of the epic love
rator of Carlos Saura with whom she had a
She lives in the town of Las Terrenas where
Republic, 1993). A professional musician and
story, Doctor Zhivago. Chaplin has enjoyed a
12-year relationship.
she’s a dance instructor of salsa and denbow.
self-taught artist, Ricardo has natural acting
long and successful career in North America
After an unexpected casting accompanied
skills. After doing some musical video clips,
with movies such as A Wedding, Welcome
She won a Goya Award for Best Supporting
by Geraldine Chaplin, she becomes a strong
his first feature film experience is in Dólares
to L.A., The Age of Innocence, Jane Eyre
Actress for her role in the Argentine-Spanish
candidate to be the second lead of Dólares
de Arena.
and Robert Altman’s Nashville for which she
thriller, In the City Without Limits and received
de Arena. After several months of rehearsals
received a Golden Globe nomination. She
a Goya nomination for Jose Antonio Bayona’s
and work before the camera, she wins the
also played the role of her own grandmother
The Orphanage. She reunited with Bayona
roll doing a great job in her first feature film
in Richard Attenborough’s biopic of her late
for the disaster film The Impossible starring
experience.
father, Chaplin, which starred Robert Downey
Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor.
Jr. in the title role.
Chaplin’s impressive contributions to Spanish
cinema earned her a Gold medal from the
While she has made a name for herself in
Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinema-
North America, Chaplin continues to have
tograficas de España.
the most success overseas in Spanish and
French cinema. Fluent in both languages,
she has been a part of Spanish cinema for
decades with roles in Pedro Almodovar’s
Talk To Her and Jacques Rivette’s Love on
TECHNICAL INFO
Title:
Dólares de Arena / Sand Dollars
Photography:
Israel Cárdenas
Jaime Guerra
Genre:
Drama
Shooting format :
5K Anamorphic / Color
Editing:
Andrea Kleinman S.A.E / E.D.A
Screening format:
DCP
Script collaboration:
Alejandro Andújar
Length:
85‘
Production design:
Sylvia Conde
Locations:
Samaná, Dominican Republic
Wardrobe:
Laura Guerrero
Languages:
Spanish, English, French
Sound design:
Alejandro De Icaza
Production company :
Aurora Dominicana
Co - producers :
Canana Films, (Mexico), Rei Cine (Argentina)
Sound mixer:
Raúl Locatelli
FOPROCINE-Instituto Mexicano De Cinematografía (IMCINE)
Music:
Ramón Cordero, Edilio Paredes
Consejo Nacional Para La Cultura Y Las Artes (CONACULTA)
Music Supervisor:
IASO Records
Production countries :
Dominican Republic / Mexico / Argentina
With the support of :
FONPROCINE-Dirección General de Cine, Rep. Dominicana
Diego Gat
Benjamin De Menil
Post Production:
Programa Ibermedia
Israel Cárdenas
Instituto Nacional De Cine Y Artes Visuales (INCAA)
Jaime Guerra
Banco BHD
Juanjo Cid
Hubert Bals Fund
Carlo Reyes
Contact:
Written & Directed:
Laura Amelia Guzmán & Israel Cárdenas
Based on the novel “Les Dollars des Sables”
by Jean-Noël Pancrazi, Gallimard Editions.
Production:
Rayo Verde Post
Laura Amelia Guzmán, Israel Cárdenas, Benjamín Domenech,
Santiago Gallelli, Matías Roveda, Pablo Cruz
Executive Production:
Linel Hernández, Gabriel Tineo, Eddy Guzmán,
Associate producers:
Mónica de Moya, Julián Levin, Desirée Reyes
Sylvia Conde & José Luis Cárdenas
[email protected]
Sales agent:
[email protected]