Two Paraguay filmmakers proved this week that a hit movie can be made on a small budget, with the international premiere of their crime thriller “7 boxes” (7 Cajas) at the Toronto film festival. Directors Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schembori’s first feature film is the only one from Paraguay being screened at North America’s biggest film festival. Only about 20 films have ever been made in the small Latin American country, according to Maneglia and Schembori, which makes “7 Boxes” — shot and edited for only $500,000 — a must see for festival audiences in Toronto. The action in the film takes place entirely in the squalid, overcrowded labyrinth of outdoor markets in the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion.Victor, a 17-year-old wheelbarrow carter played by Celso Franco, is offered a crisp $100 bill for a seemingly simple task: transport seven boxes to an undisclosed location on the outskirts of the market. The pay is a small fortune for the boy and more than enough money to buy a camera cell phone that he hopes will help him achieve his dream of launching a movie acting career.
