The Reserve

The Reserve / La Reserva

Pablo Pérez Lombardini, Mexico, 2024, 93’ 

Tonight, another pop music concert will take place in the parking area near the former shipyard in Izola; this event is not part of the Kino Otok program. Since we again expect noise from the concert to carry over to the Arrigoni Open-Air Cinema, we are moving tonight’s screening of film The Reserve to the quiet setting of the House of Culture. As we have already announced, we made every effort to reach an agreement with all parties involved so that these events would not take place during the festival program; unfortunately, this was not possible.

In this gritty environmental thriller, the lines between duty, sacrifice, and survival begin to blur for forest ranger Julia as she fights illegal loggers destroying the forest around her village.  

While most of the inhabitants of Monte Virgen struggle to collect their coffee, the forest ranger Julia discovers that a group of illegal loggers is destroying the Reserve. Determined to stop them, she looks for the support of a community that will soon turn its back on her. Alone on her quest, she will gradually lose the things she loves most except one thing: her dignity. 

“The writing of the script took place in parallel to numerous conversations with rangers, coffee producers and academics specialized in the region. Our aim was to find a story that the community could accept as a reflection of their everyday lives and of the problems they’re facing now and could face in the future.”
Pablo Pérez Lombardini 

Pablo Pérez Lombardini graduated from CCC in 2015, specializing in film direction. He has written, directed and produced several short films and has worked as an assistant director with Claudia Sainte-Luce, Alonso Ruizpalacios and Rodrigo Plá. In 2016 he founded the production company PIKILA. The Reserve is his first feature.