Yegua: The Tucumán short film that won BAFICI and the Lahaye Media Award
Short film Yegua written and directed by Virginia Scaro, was awarded Best Short Film in the Argentine Official Competition at the 27th edition of BAFICI (Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema), held in April 2026. The nine-minute piece stood out in a category dominated by documentary filmmaking, making its recognition a significant exception within the festival’s overall award landscape.
Scaro, born in Tucumán in 1985 and trained at the Universidad del Cine and the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, shot Yegua in the Calchaquí Valleys, specifically in Amaicha del Valle. A director and sound designer with projects also underway in Japan, she adds this prize to a filmography that includes short films screened at festivals such as Toronto.
A story between man and nature
The official synopsis follows a drunk man who confronts another after a betrayal, only to fall apart. Meanwhile, his mare breaks free, crosses the town, and climbs the mountain. Among fences and other horses, something seems to open the possibility of changing the story. The film departs from a minimal tale of deception —woven through alcohol, night, and solitude— and expands toward the raw force of an animal that breaks its ties and seeks its own destiny.
According to the director herself, the idea grew from a reaction to certain masculine behaviors and a reflection on human fragility before nature. The image of a white horse trotting at night on a road was the visual trigger that completed the script. The cast includes Rodolfo Moreno and Augusto Dioli. Scaro is credited as director, screenwriter, producer, executive producer, and sound designer.
The Lahaye Media Award: DCP mastering for the festival circuit
Alongside the official BAFICI prize comes the Lahaye Media Award, consisting of a full DCP mastering (Digital Cinema Package) for the short film. The DCP is the distribution standard used in cinemas and film festivals worldwide: a package of encrypted, compressed files that ensures faithful image and sound reproduction on any compatible digital projector.
Lahaye Media is a company specializing in image post-production, color correction, and DCP mastering for Latin American cinema and international productions. Having a professional-grade DCP is a key step for a short film to circulate freely across the festival circuit without technical barriers: it guarantees that the work reaches every screen exactly as its director intended.
With this award, Lahaye Media reaffirms its commitment to Argentine independent cinema, supporting projects that stand out for their visual and narrative identity. Post-production is not merely the final link in a film’s chain — it is the process that prepares a work for the world.
BAFICI 2026 and Tucumán cinema
The 27th edition of BAFICI presented more than 700 screenings and 327 titles, consolidating the festival as a central platform for independent filmmaking in the region. In the Argentine Official Competition, the Grand Prize went to Plata o mierda, directed by Toia Bonino and Marcos Joubert, while the Grand Prize of the City of Buenos Aires was awarded to Los vencedores, directed by Pablo Aparo.
The success of Yegua comes at a moment of growing visibility for Tucumán cinema on the national stage, and marks a milestone ahead of Virginia Scaro‘s feature film debut, El Dorado, currently in development.
Technical sheet
- Title: Yegua
- Year: 2026
- Running time: 9 minutes
- Country: Argentina
- Director: Virginia Scaro
- Screenplay: Virginia Scaro
- Production & Executive Production: Virginia Scaro
- Sound Design: Virginia Scaro
- Cast: Rodolfo Moreno, Augusto Dioli
- Location: Amaicha del Valle, Calchaquí Valleys, Tucumán, Argentina
- Festival: BAFICI 27 – Argentine Official Competition
- Award: Best Short Film – Argentine Official Competition
- Lahaye Media Award: DCP Mastering by Lahaye Media