The 70th SEMINCI completes its first weekend with Spanish premieres, international arthouse cinema and the glamorous visit of Alexander Skarsgård
There are dates on the calendar that inevitably coincide with the Valladolid International Film Festival (SEMINCI). Today, the daylight saving time change gave a little respite to SEMINCI-goers who decided to enjoy the first concerts of Alhambra SEMINCI Night, Gerar Fallen at Bizarro Bar and Basoa at El desierto rojo. Football fans also say that a Clásico is also a recurring event at each edition. That’s why today’s match between Barça and Real Madrid has put fans who are passionate about both cinema and football in a difficult position. Because auteur cinema is not at odds with sport, as could be seen at the Hotel Olid, where Chinese filmmaker Bi Gan debuted his Barcelona shirt to cheer on his favourite team. On the other side, Madrid’s Gabriel Azorín presents his film Last Night I Conquered the City of Thebes tomorrow at the Meeting Point section . In addition, the festival director, impartial in the duel, was spotted on the terrace of the bar opposite the Calderón Theatre.
Just as popular (or cañí, as some would say) as gathering in a bar to watch the match on television is the quinqui cinema that Rafael Cobos revisits in Golpes, the tense tale of robberies set in Seville in the 1980s, which the filmmaker (winner of two Goya awards as a screenwriter) premiered today in the Official Section. The film, co-written with Fernando Navarro, tells the story of two brothers, a policeman (Luis Tosar) and a thief (Jesús Carroza), marked by the death of their father at the hands of the Civil Guard during the Civil War.
Cobos, who subverts the codes of the crime genre with a more twilight and emotional tone, moving away from the conventional canon, explained that with this film he sought to explore the consequences of the ‘Transition’, those open questions that were never fully answered, creating an interesting combination of the adventures of quinqui cinema and a film loaded with political commitment.
The second world premiere of a Spanish production on the third day of the 70th edition of SEMINCI was Leo & Lou, directed by another debutant, Carlos Solano. The film, starring Isak Férriz and Julia Sulleiro, tells the story of an impromptu road trip through Galicia, where the two characters build an unexpected friendship. This Special Screening stands out for its focus on diversity and inclusion, conveying a message about the importance of communicating with deaf people without resorting to paternalism.
Official Section
Ukrainian filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa is also participating in the Official Selection with Two Prosecutors, his return to fiction after seven years devoted to documentary filmmaking. Inspired by the autobiography of Soviet physicist and activist Georgy Demidov, the film offers an in-depth look at the USSR during the Stalinist Great Purge. Loznitsa establishes a mirror effect between the past and the present, warning that the fact that we can see so many similarities between the reality of 80 years ago and what is happening in Russia today means that society has not changed and that we are not so far removed from the dangers of these totalitarian regimes of yesteryear.
Also in competition, Taiwanese director Shih-Ching Tsou presented Left-Handed Girl, a moving story of overcoming adversity told from the perspective of a little girl who runs around the food stalls while watching her mother and sister try to support the family. The film, written and edited by Sean Baker (Oscar for Best Film for Anora), was conceived even before their collaboration on Take Out (2005), when both visited Taiwan with this project already in mind.
Meeting Point and Time of History
The established Uruguayan filmmaker Federico Veiroj visited Valladolid to present Face to Face at Time of History, a non-fiction work that pays tribute to both his own film career and his family history. “The first time I started diving into my archive of approximately 35 years, it began as a diversion, with the excuse of seeing my father. That turned into recovering material that I had filmed in 2008 and with which I was not satisfied. And I shaped the documentary so that it would tell more about my relationship with my father. It is very personal material, a film that shows where I come from and some of the concerns I have.”
In the same section, Candela Sotos premiered her first feature film, Yrupê, at SEMICI: “It was quite a process to learn how to make a film and, at the same time, research my great-uncle’s archive, which I accessed quite by chance. I started having conversations with my mother about the family, and we knew we had a great-uncle who made scientific films, but it had never occurred to me to delve into that. That’s when I began a journey to access the archive, give it visibility, and make a film about his work.”
Pauline Loqués has come to Valladolid to share with the audience Nino, a film included in Meeting Point, which came about after she lost a loved one to cancer. ‘I needed to process my grief through writing and reinvent the story to save a character.’ Nino emerged as an indecisive young man who, paradoxically, is driven to live life to the fullest after receiving a diagnosis of serious cancer. The film takes place over just three days: the time between diagnosis and the start of treatment. The director wanted to explore that ‘’time-out’ and explore how the ordinary is experienced in an extraordinary moment in life.
Short films and productions from Castile and León
The second feature film included in Castile and León Feature-Length Films, Mi sueño cubano (My Cuban Dream), by Christian Dehugo, was born out of an impromptu trip to Havana. ‘I knew the Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba Company through social media and was fascinated by what they did, so I got in touch with them and we were able to coordinate to make some videos, which had a big impact on social media. And I thought, “we have to do something more powerful, take it to the big screen”. So we embarked on this adventure and we are lucky to be able to say that we are going to premiere in my city.’
The session dedicated to regional cinema also brought together short film makers from Castile and León, both emerging and established voices, Isa Sáez (The Root), followed by the Metta team formed by Sara Martínez Sanz and Rocío Pérez, and Dacio de las Heras, responsible for 15 Days Being 15. There was particular excitement surrounding the screening of Bajo el Sol de España (Under the Spanish Sun) by director Carla Alvarez, who was accompanied by actresses Belinda Washington and Elena Vilaplana, and producer Clara Olatz. The programme was completed by Alberto Allica, director of Darshan, accompanied by producer Clara Santaolaya, and the trio responsible for the short film Costillar y chuletilla, made during their Master’s degree at the University of Valladolid, consisting of Lucía Bertrán, Lucía Caviedes and Patricia Pérez. This session at the Broadway 5 Cinemas highlighted the creative vitality of the region.
Also short film makers, but international ones, are the filmmakers who presented their work today in the second session of the International Official Section, entitled “The Limits of Desire”. From Norway came Hedda Mjøen, director of Mercy (Nåde), accompanied by producer Stian Skjelstad, to share their vision of this production. The Scandinavian representation was completed by Lovisa Sirén, Swedish director of Without Kelly. The session also included the screening of Dog Alone and Because Of (U). Spanish director Irene Moray also presented her short film Plancton, bringing a local perspective to this selection of works that explore the limits of desire from different cultural and narrative perspectives.
Hollywood at the Calderón
The day ended with the presentation of Harry Lighton’s Pillion at the Calderón Theatre. Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgard posed surrounded by shouts of ‘handsome’ in leather shorts, braving the cold Valladolid night. The audience’s enthusiasm grew after the screening of this entertaining story of domination and masculinity, which is in competition in the Official Section.
