The Pleasure is Mine

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at BAFICI 2024, Sacha Amaral’s debut feature is a bold and provocative work of queer rebellion. Through a nuanced character study of a reckless lothario he delves into themes of desire and disobedience. Protagonist Antonio (played with a perfect blend of insouciance and incivility by Max Suen), is a young man existing on the fringes, earning a living by selling weed and compulsively exploiting the affection of others. The film is shot with a delicate naturalism that teases out the sensuality and casual eroticism of his encounters. Ever restless and self-sabotaging, he drifts through Buenos Aires, irresistibly charming yet undeniably amoral. Amaral’s film asks – what drives the desire to deceive, and what truly brings us pleasure?

~ Alice Miller

Sacha Amaral is a Brazilian screenwriter, director and teacher based in Argentina. He has a degree in stage directing from the National University of Arts (UNA), where he is currently a professor of dramaturgy.

His first feature film as a screenwriter, So long Enthusiasm (2017), had its world premiere at the Berlinale 2017, won the competition at FICCI (Carthagena) and BAFICI 2017 (Buenos Aires).
His first short film: Great are the Deserts – was part of the BAFICI 2019 short film competition and Cinélatino (Toulouse). His second short film: Billy Boy – was part of the official selection of the Cannes Film Festival 2021 and various other festivals such as: Bogoshorts, Queer Lisboa (winner), Chéries-Chéris, Sofia IFF, etc. His third short: Plurabelle – was part of the competitions of Winterthur film festival (Switzerland) and Drama film festival (Greece) where it won a special mention.

THE PLEASURE IS MINE (2024), PLURABELLE (2022), BILLY BOY (2021), GREAT ARE THE DESERTS (2019)