29/10/2020 - Two of the projects that took part in the forum, Golem by Burnin’ Percebes and Ciudad sin sueño by Guillermo García López, were singled out as they will be shot in the Spanish capital

The sixth edition of Ventana CineMad took place in Madrid’s Paz Cinema – on site as well as online – between 21 and 23 October. The international co-production forum chose 16 finalist projects, the teams behind which got the opportunity to come into contact with industry professionals over the course of those three days in order to boost their development (see the news). The jury, which pronounced its verdict on the last day of the event, was made up of Paz Lázaro, a member of the selection committee for the Berlinale’s Official Section; Garbiñe Ortega, artistic director of the Punto de Vista Festival in Navarre; and Sandra Hermida, a producer of films such as The Impossible [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Juan Antonio Bayona
film profile] and A Monster Calls [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Juan Antonio Bayona
film profile].

A total of €60,000 was given out in prizes, split into €15,000 per category: Best Fiction Feature Project, which went to Ciudad sin sueño, to be directed by the winner of the Goya Award for Best Documentary in 2016 (Delicate Balance [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), Guillermo García López; Best Fictional TV Series Project, for Los Trévor, a satirical melodrama by Ángela Armero; Best Animated Project, for the children’s comedy Byron y la pulga, consisting of 52 seven-minute episodes by Valerio Venegas and Lilí Cabrera; and Best Documentary Project, for the harrowing, realistic and humanistic El silencio de la tierra by Eulogio Romero.

Furthermore, the jury handed out two Special Mentions. The first – provided by Film Madrid and the City of Madrid Film Office, in recognition of the fact that the film’s shoot and post-production will take place in the city or Community of Madrid – went to Golem, a fantastical and hilarious adventure-comedy by artistic duo Burnin’ Percebes (The Queen of the Lizards [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]), defined by the brains behind it as “a story of acceptance and maturity in a throwaway world, where human relations are becoming fleeting and banal; a stroll through the life of a regular guy in search of answers in an extraordinary and absurd setting”. The second Special Mention – acknowledging its potential contribution to the international promotion of Madrid – went to the social drama with shades of magical realism Ciudad sin sueño, which will be filmed in the neighbourhood of Cañada Real and whose synopsis reads: “The enigmatic images that Ramón films with his mobile phone could potentially alter the destiny of his family, who are threatened with eviction, but in order to do so, he will have to confront his own dreams.”

In attendance at the 2020 Ventana CineMad closing and awards ceremony were Carmen Páez, deputy general manager for the promotion of the cultural industries at the Ministry of Culture and Sport; Gonzalo Cabrera, general manager of cultural promotion for the Community of Madrid; Miguel Ángel Redondo, delegate of the government Department of Economy, Innovation and Employment at Madrid City Council; and Mario Madueño, chair of the AMA (Madrid Audiovisual Association).

Here is the full list of award-winning projects:

Best Fiction Feature
Ciudad sin sueño – Guillermo García López
Producers: Lina Badenes, David Casas Riesco and Marina García López (Turanga Films and Sintagma Films)

Special Mentions
Golem – Burnin’ Percebes
Producer: Pedro Hernández Santos (Aquí y Allí Films)
Ciudad sin sueño – Guillermo García López

Best TV Series (fiction)
Los Trévor – Ángela Armero
Producer: David Martínez (Secuoya Studios)

Best Documentary
El silencio de la tierra – Eulogio Romero
Producers: Jonás da Cruz, Albert Sagalés and Bettina Walter (Random Films, Diagonal TV and BWP)

Best Animated Series
Byron y la pulga – Valerio Veneras, Lilí Cabrera
Producer: El Recreo Studio

(Translated from Spanish)