23/08/2023 - Antonio Méndez Esparza, Manuel Martín Cuenca, Víctor Iriarte, Laura Ferrés and Lois Patiño will attend the 68th edition of the gathering, which, from this year on, is directed by José Luis Cienfuegos

The winds of change have been blowing for the seasoned Seminci – Valladolid International Film Festival, which for its 68^th birthday is showcasing not only a brand-new team headed up by José Luis Cienfuegos (see the interview), but also its strong commitment to Spanish film characterised by experimentation, modernity and a spirit of risk-taking. As things currently stand, and until the imminent announcement of more titles, audiences will be able to see 15 features (co-)produced by Spain in the various sections of the festival (unspooling between 21 and 28 October), five of which will be world premieres.

And so, in the official section, and thus duking it out for the Golden Spike, are names of the calibre of Antonio Méndez Esparza and his adaptation of a Juan José Millás novel Something Is About to Happen [+see also:
film review
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interview: Antonio Méndez Esparza
film profile], starring Malena Alterio and set to premiere in Valladolid; Manuel Martín Cuenca with his new work after The Daughter [+see also:
film review
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film profile], El amor de Andrea [+see also:
film review
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interview: Manuel Martín Cuenca
film profile], an intimate drama about a teenage girl who tries to salvage her father’s love, which will also be world-premiered; Víctor Iriarte and his feature debut, Foremost by Night [+see also:
film review
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interview: Víctor Iriarte
film profile], which will soon be screened in Venice’s Giornate degli Autori; Laura Ferrés and her feature debut, The Permanent Picture [+see also:
film review
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interview: Laura Ferrés
film profile], which has just been premiered at Locarno; and Galician artist Lois Patiño with his third film, Samsara [+see also:
film review
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interview: Lois Patiño
film profile], which was given a standing ovation at this year’s Berlinale.

In the same, official section, but of out of competition, Valladolid audiences will get to enjoy the latest outing by Paula Ortiz, who is world-premiering her Teresa [+see also:
film review
film profile], an adaptation of the stage play La lengua en pedazos by Juan Mayorga, toplined by Blanca Portillo and Asier Etxeandia (see the news); Venezuela’s Patricia Ortega will present Mamacruz [+see also:
film review
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film profile], starring Kiti Mánver in a story about a woman rediscovering desire, which was shown at Sundance in January; Patricia Font will bring along the historical drama El maestro que prometió el mar, which sees Laia Costa and Enric Auquer topping the bill (the film will have its world premiere in Gala RTVE); while Denmark’s Lone Scherfig will have the honour of opening the 68^th edition with The Movie Teller [+see also:
trailer
interview: Lone Scherfig
film profile], a Spanish-Chilean-French co-production boasting a screenplay by Walter Salles, Rafa Russo and Isabel Coixet, who have adapted the novel of the same name by Hernán Rivera Letelier – the movie stars Bérénice Bejo, Antonio de la Torre and Daniel Brühl.

The ever-invigorating Punto de encuentro (lit. “Meeting Point”) strand will offer works by several young Spanish filmmakers: Negu hurbilak [+see also:
film review
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interview: Colectivo Negu
film profile], the feature debut by Colectivo Negu, which scooped a Special Mention in the Cineasti del presente section of the recent Locarno Film Festival; On the Go [+see also:
film review
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interview: María Gisèle Royo, Julia de…
film profile] by directorial duo María Gisèle Royo and Julia de Castro, a road movie that took part in the same section of the Swiss gathering; and Muyeres by Marta Lallana, a movie about memory and traditions in the mountains of Asturias, which was crowned with the Grand Jury Prize at the Shanghai Film Festival.

Lastly, Tiempo de Historia (lit. “Time of History”), a section dedicated to non-fiction films, will showcase Zinzindurrunkarratz [+see also:
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film profile] by Oskar Alegria, about reconstructing memories through sound; An Inhabited Volcano [+see also:
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film profile] by David Pantaleón and José Víctor Fuentes, which describes the impact of a volcanic eruption on the island of La Palma in the Canaries; and Romance Scam [+see also:
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interview: Virginia García del Pino
film profile] by Virginia García del Pino, which deconstructs the idealisation of the titular romantic feeling.

(Translated from Spanish)