80 SHORT FILMS FROM 30 COUNTRIES WILL COMPETE FOR THE THREE OSCAR-QUALIFYING DANZANTE AWARDS, WORKS TO BE VIEWED ON-SITE AND ONLINE
SEVERAL PARALLEL SECTIONS WILL SHOW the DIFFERENT REALITIES OF INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM IN A PROGRAMME THAT SUMS UP OVER 100 SHORTS WITH FREE ONLINE ACCESS
THE PREMIERE OF MARCELINE, THE BEST CLOWN IN THE WORLD WILL OPEN THE FESTIVAL IN A DRIVE-IN CINEMA THAT WILL ALSO SCREEN AN HOMAGE TO JOSÉ LUIS CUERDA, GRACIA QUEREJETA’S LAST FILM AND LEARNING TO DRIVE AS HOMAGE TO ISABEL COIXET, LUIS BUÑUEL AWARD
THE DIGITAL FORMAT WILL COUNT ON OUTSTANDING PROTAGONISTS SUCH AS ISABEL COIXET HERSELF, ANNA CASTILLO, CARLOS SAURA, CÁTEDRA BERGMAN OR PILAR PALOMERO, TOGETHER WITH THE EXCLUSIVE PRESENTATION OF THE PROJECT UN HOMBRE SIN MÁS ABOUT JOSÉ ANTONIO LABORDETA AND THE PREMIERE OF THE VIDEO ESSAY EN EL VOLCÁN, IN COOPERATION WITH CÉSAR MANRIQUE FOUNDATION
Huesca International Film Festival presents the complete programme of what the 48th edition will consist of. The festival, that had already announced its adaptation to current circumstances, has maintained its original dates from 12 to 20 June. The Upper Aragonese capital city will become once again the short film international point of attention with over a hundred works divided into three official contests (International, Iberoamerican and Documentary) and several parallel sections. A total of 80 productions from 30 different countries will compete for the Danzante Awards, a prize that directly qualifies to be shortlisted to the Oscar Awards, supported by the Goya Awards and which, in addition, distributes over € 25,000 cash prizes. The festival, that includes 29 world and international premieres, 21 debut films and 15 works coming from film schools, will be accessible from any part of the world via its website; also 14 showings (between 13 and 19 at 17:00 and 20:00 hours) plus the screening of the award winner list on June 20 (17:00 hours) will be enjoyed on-site at the Olimpia Theatre, by a third of the seating capacity and always observing health and social distancing measures.
One of the main novelties of this edition is the drive-in theatre, an activity that combines outdoors cinema on a big screen with recommended social distancing. The Fairgrounds of Huesca (16,000 square metres) will host several screenings starting on June 12 with the world premiere of Macerline, the Best Clown in the World; a film featuring Pepe Viyuela that depicts Marcelino Orbés’ life, a Jaca-born artist that became world star and was a model to people such as Charles Chaplin or Buster Keaton. Previously, it will be premiered in Huesca the short film La chica de la orquesta directed by Isabel Soria and José Manuel Herraiz. Both tittles will shape the showing entitled Aragonese Window, sponsored by Aragón TV.
On Saturday 13 and Sunday 14, the festival will pay a special tribute to director José Luis Cuerda, recently passed away. The iconic Amanece que no es poco and Some Time Later, his last work and spiritual sequel of the first one, will be available to the public in this cinema format where vehicles become the perfect seat and the audio equipment and radio system, the best sound system.
The second week-end will have woman as the great protagonist. On Friday 19, it will be the time of the feature film Invisibles by Gracia Querejeta (City of Huesca Award 2006); starred by Emma Suarez, Adriana Ozores and Nathalie Poza, it was one of the surprises of the Spanish box-office in its first week-end. Now the festival premieres it in Huesca after the forced halt would frustrate his good results because of the pandemic. Director Isabel Coixet will feature the closure of this drive-in theatre with her already announced Learning to Drive. Both films will be screened with the cooperation of the IAM within the framework of the State compact against violence against women.
Completing the film programme, the audience will also have the possibility to enjoy diverse parallel sections to be enjoyed online for free. Some of these were already traditional in previous editions, such as the Aragonese Window in its online version (with the premiere of two short films that sums up to the on-site part of the opening day), Zinentiendo or the premiere of the last audio visual work by San Jorge University. Among the new collaborations, the screening of the awarded films in Cuarentena Film Festival (audio visual reflection of a specific social moment), or a selection of some of the most important Mexican short films, in cooperation with the Pepe Escriche Award that this year goes to the Cátedra Bergman of the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
(CYBER) NIGHTS OUT WITH HONOREES AND AN EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE
The midweek nights of the festival (15, 16, 17 and 18 June) are presenting a special programme, some exclusive meetings denominated ‘(Cyber)nights out with the Festival’. Original pieces that will be displayed every day within the festival framework and via the festival website. Three of them are talk-interviews with the award-honorees of this edition; the Cátedra Bergman, Anna Castillo, Carlos Saura or Isabel Coixet will review their projects and their careers and, in addition, there will be a virtual delivery of the trophy. This program will be culminated on Thursday 18 June with the world premiere of the video-essay on the work of the Spanish painter, sculptor and artist César Manrique. The work En el volcán. Manrique: Jameos del agua/Casa Tahíche by Huesca artist Orencio Boix will be only available for the next two hours following the presentation at 22:00. The premiere has been possible thanks to the collaboration of Huesca CDAN, César Manrique Foundation and the International Film Festival.
CINEMA YET TO COME AT ‘(ONLINE) VERMOUTH WITH…’
The traditional ‘Vermouth with…’ that every year gathers together a great number of people around the incomparable setting of ‘La Confianza’ corner shop so as to share a discussion with some of the most outstanding guests of the festival, is adapted in 2020 to an online format via live streaming on the festival official Instagram account (@FestivalHuesca) and will open a window to the best cinema -with Aragonese flavour- that is coming in the next months. The audience will be able to participate directly with their questions and commentaries.
The first appointment will take place on Monday 15 June (13:00 hours) when the Goya-winning filmmaker Gaizka Urresti presents the project Un hombre sin más co-directed together with Paula Labordeta. A documentary work on José Antonio Labordeta, the charismatic and beloved Aragonese singer-songwriter, writer and politician. We will get to know his more intimate and personal side thanks to a life journey with his wife, daughters and granddaughters
On Wednesday 17 it will be the turn of Huesca filmmaker Martín Gutiérrez. Director of the film Amateur, in progress, a work that obtained the recognition of Málaga Work In Progress 2020, and that constitutes a gesture of love and justice towards his homeland, the Valley of Hecho.
The last of the ‘virtual vermouths’ will have a marked violet colour thanks to the partnership of the Women Institute of Aragón (IAM) and it will take place on Friday 19, with Pilar Palomero as a protagonist. Born in Saragossa, she is one of the Spanish directors with the brightest future and her debut work Schoolgirls was selected by last Berlinale. The filmmaker will talk about the shooting, her link with Huesca festival and her plans regarding the commercial release of the film next autumn.
AN INTERNATIONAL JURY TO DECIDE THE DANZANTE AWARDS
The list of winners shall be announced on June 20, last day of the festival, and it will be the result of the deliberation by the nine members conforming the jury of the official section. The international contest will count on director and scriptwriter Celso García, author of the award-winning The Thin Yellow Line (produced by Guillermo del Toro), last year he became one of the most important blockbuster filmmakers in his country with the remake La boda de mi mejor amigo; together with him, the Italian Claudia Praolini, director of Concorto Festival and Chelo Loureiro from Galicia, one of the most remarkable producers of our country, especially in the animation sector, winner of a Goya Award, she has also been nominated six times.
The Iberoamerican contest will count on three members: Alba Paz, director of Cineespaña Festival in Toulouse; Itziar Miranda, Aragonese actress and writer highly popular thanks to her role in Love in Difficult Times or more recently in the series El último show; and Nacho Rubio, Teruel actor and director that has participated in numerous films such as The Footballest, Bendita Calamidad or the short film El Vagabundo, with which he obtained the Simon Award in the category of Best Actor.
Finally, the documentary jury consists of Marina Diaz, film and audio-visual manager at Cervantes Institute; Brazilian director Sergio Oksman, winner of a Goya Award among over 100 international prizes; and Polish Witold Kon, director of the Independent Short Film World Awards.
A GLANCE AT ALL SECTORS OF SOCIETY
Huesca International Film Festival maintains its social commitment, this year more necessary than ever, making use of its main tool: culture. Classic events as ‘Elderly to the festival’ keep their format avoiding any type of physical contact with residences for senior citizens and centres for disabled persons, but offering Spanish shorts that can act as a stimulus and entertainment for all residents. The activity ‘Children to the festival’ is reformulated as online and continues with its aim of audio-visual literacy in a pleasant and participatory way, it will be developed through a showing reserved to Primary School students.
Another sector Huesca festival pursues to support is trade, that is why it is maintained the collaboration with the showcase contest organized by Huesca Traders Association and Diario del Altoaragón. Under the slogan ‘Nothing is what it seems’ and with the seventh art as common thread, this competition doubles efforts and will distribute various awards with a total value of €4,000.
Alongside this, a novelty, the ‘Solidarity Festival’. There will be a food collection for the Food Bank in cooperation with Club Peña Guara that will be carried out at the festival venues of this edition (Olimpia Theatre and drive-in theatre). The partnership with CADIS is also renewed through Diversario Festival whose team will produce protection masks for all members of Huesca Festival staff.
All activities are free, except for the drive-in tickets that are already on sale on the website https://www.huesca-filmfestival.com/en/tickets/, as well as one hour before the beginning of the 21:00 hours showing, though the festival recommends online purchase.
Huesca International Film Festival is sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, Aragon Government, Provincial Government of Huesca, the City Council of Huesca, Anselmo Pié Foundation and the collaboration of Obra Social “la Caixa”, TUHUESCA and Women Institute of Aragon. The festival is also supported by Spanish Cultural Action (AC/E) through its Spanish Culture Internationalization Program (PICE).
