The Festival de Málaga will roll out the red carpet of cinema at its 28th edition from March 14 to 23, featuring a program that will host 260 films, including 22 films selected for the Official Section, with up to nine debutant filmmakers and a strong presence of women filmmakers — both behind the camera and on screen — vying for the Biznaga de Oro.
«For the first time, female directors outnumber male directors. It is encouraging to continue growing towards a festival with gender parity,» said the Festival’s director, Juan Antonio Vigar, at a press conference held at the Academy of Cinema (Madrid).
Also present at the event were the President of the Academy and member of the selection committee of the event, Fernando Méndez-Leite, as well as the directors and producers participating in the Official Section.
Vigar pointed out that of the 22 films competing in the Official Selection, thirteen were directed by women, representing 60 percent, and in the case of the 15 Spanish films, ten were directed by women, 66 percent. This edition saw 2,745 films submitted, a 7.3 percent increase from the previous year, coming from 54 countries.
Of all the submissions, 977 feature films were directed by women, accounting for 35.5 percent of the total; while of the selected films, 100 were directed by women, 38.5 percent. Vigar also emphasized the importance of the event for young creators, with 33 percent of the films being debut feature films.
«Málaga is a place where emerging young talents feel they have a place, are valued, and are encouraged,» he stated.
Vigar mentioned that the Festival aims to blend auteur cinema with more commercially minded films, which he believes is what Spanish cinema needs. «It might be easy to bet on a certain type of film, but we try to ensure a balance between auteur cinema and more commercial films. I think we are the only festival that manages to combine these aspects,» he praised.
Méndez-Leite praised the event for being «crucial in the development of Spanish cinema in the last quarter of a century» and highlighted Málaga’s significance in the Spanish film industry. «It has been a window to the world like few other activities,» he noted.
DEBUT FILMS
Among the debut films at this 28th edition is ‘Sorda’, recently awarded the Public Prize at the Berlinale, by Eva Libertad, telling the story of Miriam Garlo, a deaf woman contemplating motherhood and the multitude of fears and insecurities she faces.
Also in this section is ‘Jone, batzuetan’, by newcomer Sara Fantova, following the story of a 20-year-old woman torn between a new love and her father’s Parkinson’s disease. «It’s a film made with very few resources, and I’m thrilled that it will premiere in Málaga,» she celebrated at the press conference.
Subsequently, Gerard Oms presented ‘Molt lluny (Very Far)’, starring Mario Casas and David Verdaguer, exploring identity and privilege and how these two concepts interact. «It reflects on the idea of belonging to a group and is inspired by a trip I took to the Netherlands, deconstructing a learned ideal,» the director explained.
‘La Furia’, by Gemma Blasco, tackles sexual abuse and rape, with the main character, a victim of violence, channeling her pain by identifying with the character of Medea in Greek tragedy.
Ingride Santos (‘Ruido’), Ana Lambarri (‘Todo lo que no sé’), Gala Gracia (‘Lo que queda de ti’), Gerardo Minutti (‘Perros’), and Matilde Tute (‘Nunca fui a Disney’) are the other filmmakers presenting their debut films in the Official Section at Málaga.
OFFICIAL SECTION
The Official Competition Section will feature 22 films — 15 Spanish and seven Latin American. Additionally, there are 21 films — 16 Spanish and five Latin American — in the non-competitive Official Section, including the closing film, for the first time a series, ‘Mariliendre‘, by Javier Ferreiro, produced for Atresmedia in collaboration with SUMA Content by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, which has generated significant anticipation.
Representatives of the 22 films were present at Wednesday’s meeting. For example, filmmaker Daniel Guzmán, who won the Biznaga de Oro for ‘A cambio de nada’, will open the event with ‘La deuda‘, addressing gentrification in central neighborhoods and the elderly.
«The Málaga Film Festival is a platform that is promoting authorship, and the audience is walking hand in hand with the industry. Sometimes other festivals are more selective, but Málaga is establishing itself as a very important festival in our country,» he emphasized.
Also at Málaga will be Celia Rico with ‘La buena letra’, an adaptation of the novel by Rafael Chirbes, set in the post-war era, following a family struggling with hunger during that time. Gracia Querejeta has also adapted a novel by Rosa Montero, ‘La buena suerte‘, depicting violence from children to parents, a topic she noted as taboo but socially relevant. «This topic is rarely discussed,» she pointed out.
In this section, Belen Funes competes with ‘Los tortuga‘, telling the story of two women dealing with the loss of a loved one and facing housing issues. Following these Spanish films are ‘El cielo de los animales‘, by Santi Amodeo; ‘La terra negra‘, by Alberto Morais; ‘Una quinta portuguesa‘, by Avelina Prat.
Alongside them will be the Japanese film ‘Ravens‘, by Mark Gill; ‘Culpa cero‘, by Valeria Bertucelli and Mora Elizalde (Argentina); ‘El ladrón de perros‘, by Vinko Tomicic (Bolivia, Chile, Mexico, Ecuador, France, and Italy); ‘El diablo en el camino‘, by Carlos Armella (Mexico and France); ‘Sugar Island‘, by Johanné Gómez (Dominican Republic and Spain) and ‘Violentas mariposas‘, by Adolfo Dávila (Mexico).
