The film marks the directorial debut of Gerardo Minutti, who also penned the screenplay
Actress María Elena Pérez won the Silver Biznaga for Best Supporting Performance at the Málaga Film Festival
Following its theatrical release in Uruguay on September 25, Perros has also been selected for the Official Competition at the upcoming Mar del Plata International Film Festival in Argentina
‘PERROS’, the debut feature from Uruguayan filmmaker Gerardo Minutti, produced by Cimarrón (THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO) and Cinevinay, is among the 15 films shortlisted by the Spanish Film Academy for a nomination in the Best Ibero-American Film category at the 40th Goya Awards, to be held in Barcelona on February 28, 2025.
The film had its international premiere at the Málaga Film Festival, where María Elena Pérez earned the Silver Biznaga for Best Supporting Performance.
Released theatrically in Uruguay on September 25, ‘PERROS’ will now screen in Official Competition at the Mar del Plata International Film Festival (Argentina) this November, with its official presentation scheduled for November 12.
A Uruguay–Argentina co-production, ‘PERROS’ is a tense and unsettling story written by Minutti himself. The cast is led by renowned Uruguayan actor Néstor Guzzini (‘Mr. Kaplan’, ‘So Much Water’), alongside Marcelo Subiotto (‘Puan’, ‘Incident Light’), María Elena Pérez (‘Barrabrava’), Roberto Suárez (‘Yosi, the Regretful Spy), Noelia Campo (‘Burnt Money’), and Catalina Arrillaga (‘Togo’).
Set and shot entirely in Montevideo, the story follows the Saldaña family during what was supposed to be a quiet summer spent house- and dog-sitting for their neighbors, the Pernas. But after overstepping the bounds of their hosts’ trust, the Saldañas begin treating the house as their own. When the Pernas’ beloved dog mysteriously disappears, it sets off a dark, spiraling conflict — a psychological standoff between two families, steeped in resentment, manipulation, and cruelty.
‘PERROS’ will screen at the Spanish Academy of Cinematic Arts and Sciences (Calle Zurbano, 3 – Madrid) on Friday, November 14 at 16:00 CET.
The film was made with the support of ACAU (Uruguayan Film and Audiovisual Agency), INCAA (Argentina’s National Film and Audiovisual Institute), Uruguay Audiovisual Program (PUA), Cultural Incentive Funds (FIC), MVD Filma and MVD Socio – Montevideo City Council, Ibermedia Program. In 2019, ‘PERROS’ was selected to participate in the Europe–Latin America Co-Production Forum at the San Sebastián Film Festival (Spain).
About GERARDO MINUTTI BONILLA — Director & Screenwriter
A graduate in Social Communication, Gerardo Minutti spent a decade working as a cultural journalist. In 2013, he was awarded a grant from Uruguay’s Ministry of Education and Culture through the FEFCA (Fund for Artistic Training and Creation) to develop a feature film script under the mentorship of Pablo Stoll (director/screenwriter), Laura Santullo (screenwriter), and Sandino Saravia (executive producer). That project became the first draft of ‘PERROS’. In 2018, Minutti directed the short film ‘Hogar’, which received the Special Jury Mention at the Biarritz Amérique Latine Festival (France, 2019), and was officially selected at the Guadalajara International Film Festival (Mexico, 2019), the Uruguay International Film Festival (2019), the Brussels Short Film Festival (Belgium, 2020), and the Panorama section at Curta Cinema (Brazil, 2019). ’PERROS’ is his first narrative feature.