28/04/2023 - In addition to the competitive sections taking place between 3 and 7 May, four Spanish non-fiction film projects will participate in the Final Cut section

DocumentaMadrid has finalised its programme for its 20th edition, which will be held at Matadero Madrid, Filmoteca Española, ECAM and Museo Reina Sofía from 3 to 7 May.

The films in its International Competition are And the King Said… What a Fantastic Machine [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Axel Danielson, Maximilien …
film profile], a thought-provoking and fun film that follows the rise of image culture directed by Axel Danielson (Sweden/Denmark); Bloodhound [+see also:
film review
film profile], by Yamina Zoutat (France/Switzerland), an account and analysis of the famous contaminated blood scandal that shook France in 1999; It Is Night in America [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], by Ana Vaz (Italy/France/Brazil), a film that follows a variety animals in danger of extinction; How to Save a Dead Friend [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], by Marusya Syroechkovskaya (Sweden/Norway/France/Germany), about young rebels struggling to survive in Putin’s Russia; Knit’s Island [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], by Ekiem Barbier (France), a dystopia where three directors play online video games; and Nuestra película, by Diana Bustamante Escobar (Colombia/France), a visceral response to the violence of the news from her childhood.

The section is completed with the short films 45th Parallel, directed by Lawrence Abu Hamdan (United Kingdom); Against Time, by Ben Russell (France); El polvo ya no nubla nuestros ojos, by Colectivo Silencio (Peru), recent Punto de Vista winner; Of Dreams in the Dream of Another Mirror by Yunyi Zhu (France); Incident, by Bill Morrison (United States); The Newest Olds, by Pablo Mazzolo (Argentina/Canada); and The Secret Garden, by Nour Ouayda (Lebanon).

The National Competition will feature twelve Spanish productions, including the feature films To Books and Women I Sing [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: María Elorza and Marian Fer…
film profile], by María Elorza, a portrait of a hidden genealogy and its relationship with literature that presented at San Sebastian; Como ardilla en el agua, by Mayte Gómez-Molina, a story of a seemingly unbridgeable distance; Karpeta urdinaki (Blue Files), by Ander Iriarte, an investigation into torture at the hands of the State Security Forces; Remainders [+see also:
film review
film profile], by Raúl Capdevila Murillo, a western about the decline of an old world; and Una zona ajardinada demasiado tranquila para mí, by Alejandro Vázquez San Miguel, a feature film created around his grandparents.

Plus the shorts Amarillo atlántico, by Carla Andrade, a journey along the southernmost coast of Galicia; Aqueronte, by Manuel Muñoz Rivas, a sensitive reflection on the transitory condition of the human being; Bloom, by Helena Girón and Samuel M. Delgado, a reconstruction of the landscapes and mythical dimension of the fascinating island of San Borondón; Laberint Sequences, by Blake Williams, an exploration of the false paths and infinite loops of the Laberint d'Horta, in Barcelona; Las órdenes, by Elisa Celda, a film that turns movement, breathing and faces into cinematographic material; and Statistical Hallucination, by Colectivo Estocástica, which questions the images of the future, as well as the medium-length film Oído odio, by Diego del Pozo Barriuso, which presents different languages to represent, think about and interpret the sentiment of the title.

Finally, the Final Cut section is aimed at Spanish films in the final stages of production and has selected four projects: Adolescencia infinita, by Vítor Soho; Natsu no uta (Summer Songs), by Jorge Suárez-Quiñones; Distopías alcanzadas, directed and produced by Nayra Sanz Fuentes; and Turismo de guerra, by Kikol Grau. All of which are competing for a €4,000 prize.

(Translated from Spanish by Vicky York)