Dirty Money, Dirty War Q&A With "Azor" Director Andreas Fontana and Actress Carmen Iriondo

The assured debut from Swiss director Andreas Fontana, "Azor" (2021) invites us into the alluring world of the ultra-wealthy in early-1980s Argentina. With the country in the clutches of a military dictatorship, violence simmers just below the surface. Atmospheric and seductive, this sophisticated political thriller teems with exquisite scenery and ominous conversation.

Set in Buenos Aires, the film follows private banker Yvan (Fabrizio Rongione) as he arrives from Geneva with his wife Ines (Stéphanie Cléau) to replace a mysteriously missing colleague and placate their moneyed clientele. Moving through the smoke-filled lounges and lush gardens of a society under intense surveillance, Yvan finds himself untangling a sinister web of high finance and the country’s “Dirty War”.

A highlight from the Berlinale and New Directors / New Films Festival, "Azor" depicts the uneasy interplay between wealth and power. Written in collaboration with Argentine filmmaker Mariano Llinás (La Flor), this is a work of international intrigue worthy of John le Carré or Graham Greene.