Uruguay’s La Mayor Boards Sanfic WIP Player ‘Water Never Hurt’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Uruguayan production company La Mayor has joined Argentina’s Pez Dorado Creative Co. as co-producers of Ana Clara Bustelo’s upcoming family drama “Water Never Hurt.”

Currently in post-production, an early look screening of the film will be held at Sanfic’s Ibero-American Work in Progress section. Currently in post, the film will be ready for distribution next year.

International partners are becoming increasingly necessary for Argentine productions as the federal government continues austerity programs that have gutted cultural investment.

“It’s very difficult to think about the business model we might adopt in Argentina in the coming years due to the significant withdrawal of state support from the industry at this moment,” producer Tatiana Oruste told Variety . “It is a time to resist and reinvent ourselves. But without a doubt, I believe that international alliances will be our greatest strength.”

Set during Argentina’s 2001 economic crisis, “Water Never Hurt” is the story of nine-year-old Juana, who suffers an injury after a horseback riding accident and is operated on without her consent. Left immobilized, Juana begins intense physical therapy to learn to walk again, and in the healing waters of her training sessions, she learns answers to questions her family cannot provide.

“‘Water Never Hurt'” invites us to rethink our societal conception of childhood as fragile, weak, and delicate,” explained Oruste. “It proposes an alternative where children can make decisions about their lives, even at a young age, enabling dialogue within the family.”

Newcomer Máxima Moral plays Juana, joined by actors Celina Carrascosa, Gema Vera, Martin Aguado and José Anechinni.

As a project, “Water Never Hurt” participated in several labs and workshops and won backing from the Raymundo Gleyzer Competition from Argentina’s National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts (INCAA), the Creation Grant from the National Arts Fund and financial support from INCAA’s Audiencia Media. It also pitched at Ventana Sur’s Proyecta sidebar, one of the region’s most influential platforms for feature projects.