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 [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Antonio Méndez Esparza
scheda film], starring Malena Alterio and set to premiere in Valladolid; Manuel Martín Cuenca with his new work after The Daughter [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], El amor de Andrea [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Manuel Martín Cuenca
scheda film], 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 [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Víctor Iriarte
scheda film], which will soon be screened in Venice’s Giornate degli Autori; Laura Ferrés and her feature debut, The Permanent Picture [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Laura Ferrés
scheda film], which has just been premiered at Locarno; and Galician artist Lois Patiño with his third film, Samsara [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Lois Patiño
scheda film], 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 [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], 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 [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], 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 [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Lone Scherfig
scheda film], 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 [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Colectivo Negu
scheda film], 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 [+leggi anche:
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intervista: María Gisèle Royo, Julia d…
scheda film] 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 [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Oskar Alegria, about reconstructing memories through sound; An Inhabited Volcano [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] 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 [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Virginia García del Pino
scheda film] by Virginia García del Pino, which deconstructs the idealisation of the titular romantic feeling.