Written by Martín Avdolov, a graduate of the Bachelor’s Degree in Advertising Communication from the School of Communication and Design at Universidad ORT Uruguay, and produced by El Cielo Cine and Magma Cine, the series will receive support for its co-production. Filming is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2023 in the cities of Montevideo and Buenos Aires.
Ibermedia promotes excellence in Ibero-American cinema and supports the production of film projects specifically aimed at the markets of that region. Since its inception in 1998, the program has sought to create a favorable environment for companies in Latin America, Spain, Portugal, and Italy capable of developing such projects.
Synopsis of “When I Existed”
Silvio Bertolini has just retired after working for 40 years at Portones Puma, the company founded by his father-in-law, who tragically passed away at a very young age. The devastating blow to the family led Silvio—a promising young Uruguayan rower on his way to Munich ’72—to give up his dreams to take over the company and care for his wife Amaia, who had unexpectedly become pregnant.
Tired of spending his days idling away and feeling unproductive, Silvio discovers that his pension hasn’t been deposited because the system lists him as deceased. He then embarks on a labyrinthine journey through the various government offices in Montevideo, trying to obtain proof of his own existence. He is confident he can successfully complete the process thanks to all the knowledge he gained at the company. However, things become increasingly complicated. Silvio runs up against bureaucracy and its motley cast of characters until he reunites with his old friends (and enemies) from the rowing club. The life he could have lived hits him head-on and deepens his doubts even further.
Everything around him begins to fall apart. Trapped by bureaucracy, estrangement from his wife, and panic attacks, Silvio takes control of his life for the first time and, with the mysterious help of a woman, discovers the source of the error in the system. Silvio travels to Piriápolis, where the home of another Silvio Bertolini—the one who actually died and caused the misunderstanding—is located. There, he comes face to face with the life he always longed for. He meets the widow and her children, and even visits the cemetery where the deceased is buried.
Silvio begins to rebuild his relationship with his wife, Amaia, and his daughter, and tries to make amends for the mistakes he made in the past at the rowing club, using all his expertise to save it from bankruptcy. These new beginnings bring him back to life. He no longer needs a document to tell him he’s alive. Now he truly begins a new phase of enjoying and accepting what he’s done all these years, and what he still has left to live, rowing, just like everyone else.