78 SHORT FILMS FROM 30 COUNTRIES TO COMPETE FOR THE THREE DANZANTE AWARDS QUALIFYING FOR HOLLYWOOD’S HIGHEST AWARDS
THE UPPER ARAGONESE FESTIVAL REINFORCES ITS OFFER FOR THE PUBLIC with the premiere of SIX FEATURE FILMS PRIOR TO THEIR COMMERCIAL RELEASE AND A MICHELIN STAR GASTRO-CINEMA
HUESCA FESTIVAL’S THREE TRIBUTES WILL BE DEDICATED TO JOSÉ SACRISTÁN, AURA GARRIDO AND THE FILM ACADEMY
Huesca International Film Festival presents its 46th edition. From 8th to 16th June Huesca capital will become an international referent of short film; a total of 78 short films, coming from 30 different countries will compete for the Danzante Award in every one of the contests: International, Iberoamerican and Documentary. This award will directly qualify them for the Oscar Awards shortlist. The official section includes 13 premieres and 19 debut works, with Spain, France and Chile as the most represented countries.
Together with the contests, a multidisciplinary programme that expands its horizons with the inclusion of the Youth Film Fest and the creation of a parallel section –prior to the beginning- entitled Aragonese Window, an area for Aragón most outstanding works in the last months. An offer with short film as the common thread, in fact, there is a total of 30 tittles out of competition, at the core of each and every one of the activities. ‘We have an ambitious project, but a festival like this one cannot set other targets’, declares Rubén Moreno, who is running the festival for the first time.
There will be two very special gala ceremonies, both conducted by the actress Laura Gómez-Lacueva, who will also be the protagonist of the Violet Sessions on June 8th, in cooperation with Instituto Aragonés de la Mujer. During the opening ceremony Spanish actress Aura Garrido will receive the City of Huesca Award in recognition of her career, an act that will be closed by the presentation (prior to commercial release) of the film Solo by Hugo Stuven, starred by Alain Fernández and the award-winner herself.
The second gala ceremony will take place on June 13th and it will honour José Sacristán, distinguished with the Luis Buñuel Award, and The Film Academy, distinguished with the Pepe Escriche Award. Just like in the previous one, it will be culminated with the exclusive screening (prior to theatres) of Formentera Lady, Pau Durà’s debut feature with José Sacristán as protagonist.
PREMIERE OF FEATURE FILMS AND CONSOLIDATION OF THE INDUSTRY AREA
The selection of works out of competition at the Olimpia Theatre is completed by Michael Haneke’s last work: Happy End, a title that competed at Cannes last year and has not yet been released; the global premiere of Carrasca, the documentary on Huesca artist Teresa Ramón; Benzinho, Best Iberoamerican film at last Málaga Festival, which has not been released at commercial theatres; and a special screening session with the five short films nominated to Best Fiction at last edition of the Goya Awards.
Regarding the professional and industry area, they are consolidated as a fundamental cornerstone, and in 2018 this argument is going to be backed by several events. On the one hand, on Sunday 10th, a breakfast meeting will be carried out at the Blue Hall of the Casino dealing with the funding of short films and documentaries from public institutions, Goya-winner Gaizka Urresti will conduct it. Also, on Tuesday 12th and Thursday 14th, at the same venue, four projects will be presented (two feature films and two short films). The documentaries Champán para todos by Lola Lapaz and Marceline, el mejor payaso del mundo by Germán Roda, together with the short films La comulgante by Ignacio Lasiera and Mermelada de Moras by Rafa Laviña and Jorge Andolz.
Some successful identity signs from last edition will be repeated, as ‘Children to the Festival’ that gathers almost one thousand children at the Olimpia Theatre every year, or ‘Elderly to the Festival’, that brings a selection of short films to different centres and rest homes of the city. One of the most popular activities lately, Gastro-Cinema, renews its location. Lilas Pastia, a Michelin Star Restaurant, and its chef Carmelo Bosque will be in charge of this culinary experience married to several short films where gastronomy plays an important role; it will take place on Sunday June, 10th.
GOYA AWARDS AND INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES AT THE JURY
The jury that is going to provide the final winners list has also been announced at the official presentation of the festival. A total of nine members (three per contest) where we can find filmmakers Blanca Torres and Goya winner Isabel De Ocampo; the popular Aragonese actor Armando del Rio, producer Cristina Lera or director Julio Soto, one of the surprises of the Spanish cinema at international boxes last year with his animation film Deep. Along with them a great International representation coming from outstanding festivals as Brazilian Ana Arruda, Dutch Inke Van Loocke, French Laurent Tremeau and the Portuguese Miguel Valverde, all of whom are coming to Huesca thanks to the support of Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) through the Spanish Culture Internationalizing Program (PICE) in the Visitors category.
A further strength of this edition will be the exhibitions. A total of 6 will be linked to the festival, opening new lines of collaboration and new venues for the festival. The Casino will host exhibitions with a powerful visual force: Los Besos Perdidos and Homenaje a Chaplin. Cine mudo, pintura, silencia y emoción, while the CDAN will dedicate its Camera Obscura to the Philippine filmmaker Lav Diaz; Huesca Museum will complete with Teresa Ramón Le Jue de Vivre the premiere of the documentary film about the Upper Aragonese painter. As main novelties, the collaboration with Aragón Planetarium with the photographic exhibition Estrellas versus estrellas, la magia de lo invisible and the itinerant Sastería Cornejo. Vistiendo al cine, that will bring to Manuel Benito Moliner Culture Centre and different shops of the city, a total of 40 costumes from works as important as El Cid, the Legend, 55 Days at Pekin, Doctor Zhivago (Best Costume Design Oscar in 1965), The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (Best Costume César in 1999), Shakespeare in Love, Gladiator, Les Misérables or ongoing series as Game of Thrones, Vikings and Downton Abbey.
OUTDOORS SCREENING PROMOTION
One of the main novelties of this year is the promotion of open air screenings that turn General Alsina Square into a new headquarter of the festival and that will also work to close the present edition. On June 15th and 16th, this iconic location will become an open-air cinema with free entrance; on Friday we will see Proyecto tiempo, a film directed by Isabel Coixet and made up of several short films, never before seen on the big screen, and crowded with big names of the Spanish cinema, Carmen Machi, Lluís Homar, Úrsula Corberó, Hiba Abouk, Aitor Luna or Miguel Ángel Muñoz are just some of them.
On Saturday 16th, at this same venue, we will watch one of the revelation films of the season Muchos hijos, un mono y un castillo by Gustavo Salmerón. A documentary comedy -winner of the Goya, Forqué and Platinum Awards- that presents an iconic character of the seventh art in our country: Julita, the director’s own mother.
