n Isla Verde, a small town in the province of Córdoba, a group of volunteers organizes the Isla Verde International Brass Festival, which gathers worldwide renowned musicians as well as students from Latin America. Its 7th edition features a good number of concerts by trumpet players Ronald Romm, from the US, and Thierry Caens, from France. Other celebrated figures include French cornetist André Cazalet, US tubist Jon Sass, and British trombonist Brett Baker (among others).
Both professional musicians and students are hosted at the townspeople’s homes, and so a rich cultural exchange experience shapes up. Among the volunteers, there’s hairstylist Juan, his son Luis — a trumpet player — musicians Lucía and Ximena, a couple of chefs, relatives, and friends and neighbours. This way, locals and visitors get to share a week filled with rehearsals, music lessons, and concerts. It is during this week in February when the town of Isla Verde becomes an unparalleled musical melting pot.
Adriana Yurkovich’s documentary Bronces in Isla Verde provides a fair account of this phenomenon by resorting to a keen camera that captures different moments mostly throughout different stages of the preparations for the festival. Rehearsals are particularly appealing because you get to see some very informal aspects of the affair, just like the friendly conversations visitors have with locals upon arrival. In this regard, Bronces in Isla Verde is ably informative while it also candidly conveys the spirit of the event. But as regards the musicians themselves, the film doesn’t explore their personalities at all. Neither does it examine what lies beneath the surface. Which is a shame, considering the richness of the material.
On the other hand, the dynamics of a small town hosting such a unique event are also exposed in a convincing and laid back manner, which together with the outgoingness of these many different folks, makes up for the best part of Yurkovich’s feature.
Production notes
Bronces en Isla Verde (Argentina, 2014). Written, directed and produced by Adriana Yurkovich. Cinematography by Ati Mohadeb, Lucas Marcheggiano. Editing by Mariano Juarez. Running time: 88 minutes.
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