Following the success of last year’s inaugural edition (read more here), the Spanish Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — led by Mariano Barroso — launched the second edition of its Residences programme on Monday, 5 October. The initiative, coordinated by Inés Enciso, is designed to offer intensive coaching to a talented cohort of creative filmmakers. Due to the current public health situation, this year’s edition will adopt a hybrid format, with some aspects moved online. The programme will continue until July 2021, during which time the selected participants will work on their projects with support and guidance from some of Spain’s most illustrious directors, including Isabel Coixet, Juan Cavestany, Belén Funes, Manuel Martín Cuenca, Víctor García León, Montxo Armendáriz, Carla Simón and Anna R. Costa.

A total of 931 entries were received for this year’s competition, both from Spain and from all over the world. Just 20 filmmakers were selected for the programme: ten women and ten men, eighteen from Spain and two from Cuba. Among the selected projects are the second feature by Pilar Palomero (entitled La maternal [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Gabriel Azorín
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scheda film]; screenwriter Lola Mayo (a frequent collaborator of Javier Rebollo, having written the screenplays for The Dead Man and Being Happy [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Javier Rebollo, regista di…
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At the opening ceremony on Monday 5 October, the Academy’s president, Mariano Barroso, extended his thanks to the Ayuntamiento de Madrid for its support of this second edition, “born of the need that all film makers feel to carve out a special place in which to realise our projects and our dreams.” This year, the programme has devised a hybrid format combining online activities and mentoring with in-person events, in order to ensure everyone’s safety in light of the current pandemic.

The full list of selected projects is as follows:

San Dai Shi Guang (Three Generations) – Jiajie Yu Yan 
La maternal [+leggi anche:
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Celestina 2020 – Tina Olivares 
Libertad, igualdad, fraternidad – Lola Mayo 
Last Night I Conquered the City of Thebes [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Gabriel Azorín
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Waka Waka – César Esteban Alenda 
Cariño, me he follado a Bunbury – Teresa Bellón Sánchez de la Blanca 
Los vagabundos – Jorge Cantos 
Yo no moriré de amor – Marta Matute García 
Balearic [+leggi anche:
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El viaje de Salazar – Léster Álvarez Meno (Cuba)
La belleza – Irene Moray 
La bola de cristal – Edgar Burgos 
Operación Viridiana – Guillermo Chapa 
Lejos de aquí. La verdadera historia de Eloy de la Iglesia y José Manzano – Eduardo Fuembuena Loscertales 
Los vigilantes del sueño – Iker Azkoitia 
No es universal – Celia de Molina Díaz 
La memoria de los árboles – Maite Vitoria Daeneris 
Y sin embargo, te quiero – Bárbara Mateos García 
La extranjera – Patricia Pérez Fernández (Cuba)