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SITGES 2019

Sitges is all aquiver

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- Today sees the start of the 52nd Sitges Fantastic Film Festival, boasting premieres of Spanish titles such as Advantages of Travelling by Train, Amigo and Ropes

Sitges is all aquiver
Advantages of Travelling by Train by Aritz Moreno

The 52nd Sitges Fantastic Film Festival, which is unspooling from 3-13 October, fires the starting pistol for its jam-packed menu of fantastic, horror and science-fiction films today. It boasts such an abundance of sections, screenings and activities that it is sure to delight the huge number of fans and genre enthusiasts who will be flocking to the charming Catalonian city over the coming days. Standing out among its presentations of Spanish movies are three features. Amigo [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, directed by first-timer Óscar Martín, is a film (a blend of black comedy, psychological thriller and horror) that was shot in just seven days, starring Javier Botet in the lead role; this tall, slim actor also performs in the omnibus movie Advantages of Travelling by Train [+see also:
film review
trailer
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]
, the feature debut by Aritz Moreno, which boasts a cast that also includes Luis Tosar, Pilar Castro, Quim Gutiérrez, Belén Cuesta and Ernesto Alterio. Finally, the indie thriller Ropes [+see also:
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by José Luis Montesinos (Tarragona, 1978), who won a Goya Award in 2014 with the short film El corredor, will also get an airing.

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Other Spanish movies that will be taking part in the competition at Sitges after having done likewise at other gatherings include The Platform [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia
film profile
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by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, starring Antonia San Juan and Iván Massagué, which garnered plaudits at Toronto and Fantastic Fest; and Paradise Hills [+see also:
film review
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]
by Bilbao-born helmer Alice Waddington, which has a screenplay penned by Nacho Vigalondo, and which sports an international cast toplined by Emma Roberts and Milla Jovovich. Paradise Hills was screened at the most recent Sundance.

The Òrbita section, dedicated to thrillers, action flicks and adventure films, will be opened by 4x4 [+see also:
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]
, a Spanish-Argentinian co-production directed by Mariano Cohn (The Distinguished Citizen [+see also:
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trailer
film profile
]
), which is billed as one of the year’s biggest pulse raisers. Furthermore, Sitges is organising the world premiere of La jauría (The Pack), the new opus by Carlos Martín Ferrera, the director of Hidding Place [+see also:
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 and El año de la plaga [+see also:
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. Audiences will also be able to enjoy the second instalment in Dolores Redondo’s Baztan trilogy of novels, Legado en los huesos [+see also:
trailer
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]
, directed – like the first – by Fernando González Molina, which once again stars Marta Etura in the lead role (see the news); and the Gothic tale The Legend of the Christmas Witch [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, an Italian-Spanish co-production directed by seasoned filmmaker Michele Soavi, the main character of which is a feminist yuletide witch.

The Spanish contingent at Sitges 2019 is rounded off by The Goya Murders [+see also:
film review
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]
by director-producer Gerardo Herrero (La playa de los ahogados [+see also:
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), a crime-drama starring Aura Garrido and Maribel Verdú, who will receive a Màquina del Temps Award for Lifetime Achievement from the festival; and the documentary Sesión salvaje [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Paco Limón and Julio César Sánchez, a detailed overview of popular genres (ranging from Eurowestern to erotic comedy, via horror), which features a cavalcade of legendary Spanish film directors, such as Álex de la Iglesia, Eugenio Martín, Paco Cabezas and Jorge Grau, actress Esperanza Roy and producer Enrique López Lavigne, among countless others.

The complete programme of Sitges 2019 can be found here.

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(Translated from Spanish)

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