La Faena Films
La Faena Films is a film production company founded in 2015 by Venezuelan filmmakers Jorge Thielen Armand and Rodrigo Michelangeli.[1][2] The company has offices in Toronto and Caracas.[3]
History
The company was established in January 2015 by Thielen Armand and Michelangeli.[4] Its productions are international co-productions and have been screened at various film festivals.[3]
Films
La Faena Films has produced four feature films and five short films.[5]
Feature films
- La Soledad (2016) – directed by Jorge Thielen Armand. The film premiered at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival and was screened at over 60 festivals, receiving 14 awards including the Audience Award at the Miami International Film Festival.[6][7]
- La Fortaleza (2020) – directed by Jorge Thielen Armand. A co-production between Venezuela, Colombia, France, and the Netherlands.[8] It was selected for the Tiger Competition at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, marking the first Venezuelan production to compete in that section.[9] The film also screened at festivals in Busan, Gijón, Cairo, Rome, and Biarritz, where it received the Jury Prize from critic and film historian Nicole Brenez.[9]
- El Father Plays Himself (2020) – directed by Mo Scarpelli.[10] The film premiered at the 51st Visions du Réel festival in Switzerland, where it received a Special Mention in the International Feature Film Competition.[11][12] It was later selected for the Best of Fests programme at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).[13][14]
- Death Has No Master (2026) – directed by Jorge Thielen Armand. A psychological thriller starring Asia Argento, produced by La Faena Films in co-production with Volos Films Italia and Deal Productions.[15] The film premiered at the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.[16][17]
Short films
- Ráfagas de Paz (2014) – directed by Rodrigo Michelangeli.[18]
- Flor de la Mar (2015) – directed by Jorge Thielen Armand.[19][20]
- Of Memory and Debris (2020) – directed by Rodrigo Michelangeli. The film received a Special Mention at the Caracas Film Critics Festival and was released online as a Vimeo Staff Pick.[18][21]
- Pasta Negra (2025) – directed by Jorge Thielen Armand. A Canadian-Venezuelan-Italian-Colombian co-production based on a short story by Karina Sainz Borgo.[22] The film premiered in the Short Film Competition at the Sundance Film Festival and received the Golden Owl for Best Short Film at the Philosophical Film Festival in North Macedonia and Best Fiction Short at the Festival del Cine Latinoamericano de Rosario in Argentina.[23][24][25]
- Forever, Liam (2025) – directed by Guillermo de la Rosa. A Canadian-Venezuelan co-production, the 22-minute Spanish-language horror-drama short follows Alejandro and Paula, whose young relationship takes a dark turn when Paula's parents reveal that they live with the preserved corpse of her grandfather, caring for it as if he were still alive.[26][27] The film was produced by Pavlo Castillo, Rodrigo Michelangeli, Álvar Carretero de la Fuente, and Guillermo de la Rosa.[28] It screened at festivals including Nevermore Film Festival, Panic Fest, and Telluride Horror Show.[29]
References
- ↑ "Jorge Thielen Armand". DAFilms.com. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
In 2015 he founded La Faena with Rodrigo Michelangeli, a production company dedicated to art-house films.
- ↑ "La Faena Films". Unifrance (in French). Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- 1 2 "La Faena Films - Compagnie audiovisuelle canadienne". RDVCanada.ca. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
- ↑ "About — La Faena Films". La Faena Films. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
- ↑ "LA FAENA". Cinando. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
- ↑ "Viva Cinema: La Soledad". Bullock Texas State History Museum. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- ↑ "BAFICI 2017: LA SOLEDAD DE JORGE THIELEN ARMAND". desistfilm. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
- ↑ "La fortaleza". Cineuropa. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
- 1 2 "La Fortaleza". Québec City Film Festival. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
- ↑ "El Father Plays Himself review – behind the scenes with a raging wildman ego". The Guardian. 2021-08-02. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- ↑ "El Father Plays Himself – Films – Visions du Réel". Visions du Réel (in French). Retrieved 2026-08-31.
- ↑ "El Father Plays Himself (2020) - Mo Scarpelli". IDFA. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
- ↑ "IDFA announces first films for 2020; Best of Fests & Gianfranco Rosi Top 10". Modern Times Review. 2020-09-29. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
- ↑ "El Father Plays Himself". Cinema Italiano. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
- ↑ "Death Has No Master". Directors' Fortnight. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
- ↑ "First Cut Lab Films at Cannes". First Cut Lab. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
- ↑ "Asia Argento: «Dovevo essere per forza bella e sexy, ora ho smesso»". Il Mattino. 2026-05-24. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
- 1 2 Egaña, Crysly (2021-07-29). "Rodrigo Michelangeli: "Hacemos cine para verlo en la gran pantalla"". El Nacional (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-04-26.
- ↑ "Flor de la Mar (película 2015)". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2022-05-31. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- ↑ "Berlinale Talents Project - FLOR DE LA MAR". Berlinale Talents. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
- ↑ "Of Memories and debris De Memoria y Escombros". Festival International du Film Indépendant de Bordeaux. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
- ↑ "Pasta Negra by Jorge Thielen Armand". La Faena Films. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
- ↑ "Awards at the 15th Philosophical Film Festival". Philosophical Film Festival. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
- ↑ "Cortometrajes premiados 31° Festival de Cine Latinoamericano Rosario". Rosario.gob.ar. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
- ↑ "Pasta Negra by Jorge Thielen Armand". La Faena Films. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
- ↑ "Forever, Liam". Short Film Wire. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
- ↑ "Forever, Liam". Plex. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
- ↑ "FOREVER, LIAM". MovieFestUK. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
- ↑ "FOREVER, LIAM | FOUR MINUTES TIL MIDNIGHT Long-Form Narrative Shorts". Nevermore Film Festival. Retrieved 2026-08-31.