National Board of Review student grant-winning actor, screenwriter and director Constanza Majluf-Baeza is developing her debut feature “Pink Desert” (“Desierto rosa”), which will participate in the upcoming MAFF Co-Production Fund and Meeting Event at the Malaga Film Festival.
Set in 1970 in a desert mining town in northern Chile, “Pink Desert” follows the story of Mariola, a 17-year-old known in the town as Mario. Sporadic rains bring bursts of life to the driest place on Earth, and in the midst of this landscape, Mariola gets invited by a theatre company of travestis to travel to Lima, Peru. During the journey, Mariola begins to discover who she has always wanted to be. Upon returning to Chile, a new era of political and social change drives her to affirm their identity.
In industry news, Peru’s Mestizo Studios has boarded the project, lead produced from Chile by Flamingo Producciones. To date, “Pink Desert” has garnered significant attention and support, having been awarded Chilean Audiovisual Fund backing for writing, rewriting and production. It also picked up Columbia University’s Sloan Screenplay Award and the Final Draft Ventana Sur award.
As a project, “Pink Desert” participated in the Estelab Latin America-Europe co-production lab, Cine Qua Non Lab, Ibermedia and Fundación Carolina’s CDPAI and El Principio del Film at Ventana Sur.
In addition to directing, Majluf-Baeza co-writes with Chilean filmmaker Ignacio Juricic Merillán, known for his Cannes Queer Palm-winning short “Lost Queens” (2015) and San Sebastián Horizons player “Enigma” (2018). The cast includes Chilean superstar Alfredo Castro (“Tony Manero,” “El Conde,” “They Will Be Dust”) in a supporting role. The film’s primary cast has yet to be confirmed.
Rodrigo Díaz, the film’s producer at Flamingo Producciones, told Variety: “‘Pink Desert’ invites us to explore an untold universe: the world of a travesti theater company in Latin America during the 1970s, seen through the eyes of a transgender teenager. Mariola’s journey embodies a visionary heroism, transforming not only her own story but cementing an invaluable legacy for generations to come. Through a blend of depth and humor, we journey with Mariola as she discovers her true self.”