Private Project

Before opening night

Juana and Román are married and live outside the city. They face a very important weekend. Juana, a popular actress, drunk and unstable, opens a play in a public theatre. Román, a blocked independent filmmaker, searches for themes and inspiration for his new project. Lili, their daughter, is the mirror where they reflect their happiness and frustrations. Freely inspired by John Cassavettes’ Opening Night.

  • Santiago Giralt
    Director
  • Los Griegos Media
    Director
  • Santiago Giralt
    Writer
  • Santiago Giralt
    Producer
  • Federico Carol
    Producer
  • Erica Rivas
    Producer
  • Mili Roque Pitt
    Producer
  • Silvia Rodriguez
    Producer
  • Erica Rivas
    Key Cast
  • Nahuel Mutti
    Key Cast
  • Rodrigo de la Serna
    Key Cast
  • Miranda de la Serna
    Key Cast
  • María Marull
    Key Cast
  • Monica Villa
    Key Cast
  • Santiago Giralt
    Key Cast
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Antes del estreno
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    drama
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 10 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    November 11, 2010
  • Production Budget:
    100,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Argentina
  • Country of Filming:
    Argentina
  • Language:
    Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, 35 mm
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Mar del Plata Film Festival
    Mar del Plata
    Argentina
    November 20, 2010
    International
    Best Actress
Distribution Information
  • Los Griegos Media
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Santiago Giralt, Los Griegos Media


Santiago Giralt (Argentina, 1977) is a multidisciplinary artist.

He is a published writer, an awarded filmmaker, an actor, a playwright and a collaborative artist. He has participated in many international residences (Iowa City, Madrid, Vienna, Banff, Halifax) and works around the themes of family, LGTTBIQ activism, the social construction of memory and the relationship between fiction and biography.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement


“It’s been a while since I wanted to make my own version John Cassavettes’ Opening Night. I wanted to make a movie inspired by Gena Rowlands outstanding performance. I wrote a movie with 18 long scenes and I shot it in my own home, outside the big city. I wanted to make a movie about art people living in nature. That’s how Gus Van Sant camera work came into my mind with his “film-walks”, like Gerry or Elephant. I’ve also got inspiration from Clint Eastwood’s classicism. We decided to shoot with natural light, in long takes, with the Cannon 7D photography camera. We rehearsed for more than a month, we shot in a few weeks. We wanted to talk about marriage, about the difficulties of creation. And about love. Always about love.”