What distinguishes your film picks?
They represent the freshness and diversity of Spanish and Portuguese films.
Your most memorable Festival discovery?
The Secret in Their Eyes (Festival 2009). I was in Madrid when I got a call from director Juan José Campanella, who wanted me to come and see his new film,a work in progress. I went into labour five weeks before its world premiere at the Festival and had little time to promote it. Despite this, the audience response was overwhelming. Sony picked up the film and the following year it won an Academy Award® for Best Foreign Language Film.
The movie villain of your dreams?
Boba Fett. I always found Boba Fett extremely attractive — even though he's completely iron-masked.
Diana Sanchez is an International Programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival®, responsible for introducing audiences to the best in Latin American cinema.
The year after she joined the Festival in 2002, she programmed the Festival’s spotlight on Brazil, Vida de Novo. Sanchez subsequently programmed two surveys of Argentine Cinema for TIFF Cinematheque, in 2004 and 2006. Also in 2006, she programmed a week of Cuban cinema at the Royal Ontario Museum.
Sanchez is currently a programme consultant for the International Film Festival Rotterdam, a senior programme consultant for the Miami International Film Festitval, and has been involved in a variety of other festivals and cinematic presentations. She also programs the Calgary Latin Wave with the PROA Foundation in Argentina, now in its second year. In 2007 Sanchez was on the Ecuadorian Ministry of Culture Film Fund jury and in 2008 was on the first Premiera Copia jury at the Havana Film Festival. She has also been a jury member for the script development fund at the Colombian Ministry of Culture. She successfully negotiated the co-production contract and distribution for Nos Hacemos Falta – Tilt [(We Need Each Other – Tilt) 2001].