A banner year for Argentine cinema, 2014 saw the appearance of long-awaited new films by both Martín Rejtman and Lisandro Alonso, along with the latest featurette by the prolific Matías Piñeiro and the happy announcement that shooting would finally begin on Lucrecia Martel's eagerly anticipated adaptation of Antonio De Benedetto's legendary modernist novel Zama. The occasion also offered a welcome reminder of the singularity of contemporary Argentine cinema and the loose, indeed provocative, family tree that can be traced across these artists’ notably distinct work. A particularly fruitful pairing can be made of the films of Rejtman and Piñeiro, two directors whose films make clear their strong debt to theater and theatrical traditions of performance, with both turning frequently to stage actors to anchor their films within a certain theatrical ideal of literally constricted yet imaginatively expansive space. Both Rejtman and Piñeiro also work within and beyond ideas of cinematic, and theatrical, comedy; Rejtman through his signature deadpan timing and long takes, and Piñeiro through his exuberant and ceaselessly rhythmic looping and interrupted Shakespearean (and Sarmiento) inspired dialogue. These are two artists who also find an abiding inspiration in the subtleties and shadows of language—and in the distinct Argentine Spanish in particular which gives unique color and intensity to their cinema. With this in mind, both Rejtman and Piñeiro offer two texts about each other's work.

The Harvard Film Archive is thrilled to welcome both Martín Rejtman and Matías Piñeiro to present their new films, Two Shots Fired and The Princess of France, and to join us for two evenings of cinema and conversations. – Haden Guest