Ana Puentes Margarito’s Debut ‘Flowers” explores self-acceptance.

SAN SEBASTIAN — Among the diverse projects emerging from the Madrid Film School ECAM incubator, “Flowers For An Absent Mother” (“Flores para una madre ausente”), the feature debut of writer-director Ana Puentes Margarito, is poised to stand out for its intimate yet universally resonant story of family conflict and emotional recovery. Workshopped and refined through labs like LabGuion, FinLab and ECAM’s prestigious Incubator, the project has undergone a transformative journey. 

Puentes Margarito credits screenwriter Isabel Peña (“The Beasts,” “The Candidate”) as a key mentor in shaping the film’s final script. “For me, it was like shifting our minds: someone from the outside comes and tells us things we haven’t seen,” Puentes Margarito told Variety. “The version we have now is much closer to the story I will tell.” The project is now nearing a key moment as it awaits news from the ICAA selective funding, a critical step toward production next year.

The film was originally conceived as a short titled “My Life At The Beginning” which premiered at the Seville European Film Festival in 2022. Over the years, and through numerous development programs, the story has evolved from one of reconciliation to a deeply personal reflection on self-acceptance. Now, the film centers on Ana, a 25-year-old woman who returns home to confront her ailing father after years of estrangement.

Puentes Margarito has worked closely with producer Adriana Vera of White Leaf Producciones and received co-producing support from Verbena Films. Finnish producer Oskari Sipola, from Welhofilmi, has joined the project, further expanding its international scope. Together, they’ve fostered a tight-knit, almost family-like development process, a deliberate approach to preserve the creative and emotional integrity of the story.

“We like to keep things small and sensitive.” the director noted. “If we make mistakes, we do it together. We want control over the process and we want to take care of the people involved, rather than working with a large number of people we don’t know well.”

The film’s setting, Castilla La Mancha, where much of the story unfolds, is more than just a backdrop. “Castilla La Mancha is a crucial part of the story,” she explained. “Not only is it the setting, but it’s also important for us in terms of financing. We’ve received help from the region, and we hope to continue shooting there next year.”

Puentes Margarito likens the story to a generational exploration of emotional wounds and family legacies; “This isn’t a story about grand external conflicts; it’s about the subtle and difficult task of recovering yourself when the people you love don’t see you for who you are. I hope a lot of people will connect with that.”

With casting in mind, both director and producer have been watching other films at San Sebastian with great interest. The next major milestone for “Flowers For An Absent Mother” is securing ICAA funding. “We’re hoping for a positive response in the next few weeks.” she said. “If that happens, we’ll move forward.”