26/04/2021 - Barcelona's 11th D'A Film Festival will run from 29 April to 9 May, adopting a hybrid format combining an online programme with screenings in both Barcelona and Madrid

Barcelona's D'A Film Festival is back for an 11th edition — and in actual cinemas, too. Between 29 April and 9 May, the festival will offer a hybrid format, with screenings in cinemas in Barcelona (62 feature films and 26 shorts) and 37 titles available to view on the Filmin platform. This year, it’s also making a flying visit to Madrid: between 7 and 13 May, madrileños will have a chance to catch twelve of the festival’s most outstanding films at participating Renoir Plaza España cinemas.

The programme for the Madrid leg includes the festival’s opening film, Bye Bye Morons [+see also:
film review
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film profile], with French filmmaker Albert Dupontel directing and starring alongside Virginie Efira (a hit at this year’s César Awards); Never Gonna Snow Again [+see also:
film review
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interview: Małgorzata Szumowska and Mi…
film profile] (Poland/Germany), from Małgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert; Berlin Alexanderplatz [+see also:
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interview: Burhan Qurbani
film profile] (Germany/Netherlands), by Burhan Qurbani, boldly revisiting the classic novel 30 years after Fassbinder’s TV adaptation; Poppy Field [+see also:
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interview: Eugen Jebeleanu
film profile], by Eugen Jebeleanu; and Love Affair(s) [+see also:
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interview: Emmanuel Mouret
film profile], by French director Emmanuel Mouret.

The D’A festival is always keen to champion home-grown art house cinema, and audiences in both Barcelona and Madrid will be treated to independent titles including Mia & Moi [+see also:
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interview: Borja de la Vega
film profile], by Borja de la Vega, a drama featuring Bruna Cusí, Ricardo Gómez and Eneko Sagardoy; Karen [+see also:
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interview: María Pérez Sanz
film profile], by María Pérez Sanz, starring Christina Rosenvinge as Karen Blixen, author of Out of Africa; and Armugan [+see also:
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interview: Jo Sol
film profile], by Jo Sol, a story about the approach of death.

Other Spanish films in the line-up for Barcelona (and available on Filmin) include 9 fugas [+see also:
film review
film profile], a dazzling visual and aural adventure from Fon Cortizo; ¡Corten!, a fantastical queer gorefest by Marc Ferrer (read more here); Amor sin ciudad, by Pedro Sara and Violeta Pagán; Los inocentes [+see also:
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interview: Guillermo Benet
film profile], a taut thriller by Guillermo Benet; A Storm Was Coming [+see also:
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interview: Javier Fernández Vázquez
film profile], by Javier Fernández Vázquez; Cineclub, by Mireia Schröder and Carles Gorres; and Ovella, a group effort by four students at the Cinema and Audiovisual School of Catalonia (ESCAC).

The festival’s main competitive section — offering a prize of €10,000 — is reserved for emerging filmmakers with a maximum of two features under their belts. Fifteen finalists have been selected, including recent festival favourite Marygoround [+see also:
film review
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interview: Daria Woszek
film profile] (Poland), directed by Daria Woszek, which scooped both the best Film and Best Actress awards at last year’s Gijón International Film Festival. Also in the running is Suzanne Lindon’s exquisite directorial début, Spring Blossom [+see also:
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interview: Suzanne Lindon
film profile]: an eruption of youthful vitality starring Lindon herself, and Bad Tales [+see also:
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interview: Fabio and Damiano D’Innocenzo
film profile], directed by the Italian brothers Damiano and Fabio De Innocenzo.

This feast of European cinema is rounded off by Miss Marx [+see also:
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interview: Susanna Nicchiarelli
film profile], directed by Susanna Nicchiarelli (the festival’s closing film); Malmkrog [+see also:
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interview: Cristi Puiu
film profile], by Romania’s Cristi Puiu — winner of the Golden Giraldillo at the 2020 Seville European Film Festival; and the latest offering from Guillaume Brac, À l’Abordage [+see also:
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interview: Guillaume Brac
film profile], an ebullient romantic adventure to celebrate the start of the summer.

Finally, true cinephiles won’t want to miss a double helping of the work of Russian filmmaker Ilya Khrzhanovskiy, who will be presenting DAU. [+see also:
film review
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interview: Ilya Khrzhanovskiy
film profile] Natasha [+see also:
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interview: Ilya Khrzhanovskiy
film profile] and DAU. [+see also:
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film profile] Degeneration [+see also:
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film profile] (running time: pushing seven hours). There’s also a varied programme of workshops and events dedicated to topics including the distribution and export of European films and how to crack the festival circuit (more information can be found on the festival’s website).

(Translated from Spanish)