email print share on Facebook share on Twitter share on LinkedIn share on reddit pin on Pinterest

GIJÓN 2019

The 57th Gijón Film Festival is raring to go

by 

- The Spanish gathering, which will unspool from 15-23 November, is once again presenting a selection of the most fresh-faced and innovative (and indie) films within its programme

The 57th Gijón Film Festival is raring to go
White on White by Théo Court

The Gijón International Film Festival is celebrating its 57th edition from 15-23 November. Once again this year – just another in its lengthy existence – the Asturian city will play host to an interesting selection of cinematic works that, in line with its long-standing editorial policy, combine the youngest and most fresh-faced perspectives with some highly innovative characteristics and decidedly indie recurring styles. Proof of this can perhaps be seen in the opening film. The festival has chosen to fire the starting pistol for its programme with the first two episodes of El vecino [+see also:
series review
series profile
]
, the series directed by Nacho Vigalondo and written by Carlos de Pando and Sara Antuña. This adaptation of the comic of the same name by Santiago García and Pepo Pérez stars Quim Gutiérrez and Clara Lago, and was made for Netflix (see the news).

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

In its competitive official section for feature films, the festival’s main category, the gathering will welcome the most recent works, featuring European co-producers, by Spanish-Chilean helmer Théo Court (White on White [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Théo Court
film profile
]
, which will be having its Spanish premiere, following its participation in Orizzonti at Venice), Costa Rica’s Sofía Quirós Úbeda (Land of Ashes [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
), Iceland’s Hlýnur Pálmason (A White, White Day [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Hlynur Pálmason
film profile
]
), Austria’s Andreas Horvath (Lillian [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andreas Horvath
film profile
]
), Germany’s Nora Fingscheidt (System Crasher [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nora Fingscheidt
film profile
]
), Bulgarian Stephan Komandarev (Rounds [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Stephan Komandarev
film profile
]
), Romania’s Anca Damian (the animated flick Marona’s Fanastic Tale [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
), Italian maestro Nanni Moretti (the documentary Santiago, Italia [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
) and Portuguese master Pedro Costa (Vitalina Varela [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, the deserving winner of the Golden Leopard at Locarno), as well as US iconoclast Harmony Korine (The Beach Bum [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
). In addition, the section is saving a special slot for the Spanish premiere of The Perseids [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, the feature debut by Catalan directors Alberto Dexeus and Ànnia Gabarró (which last year scooped one of the FICX Push Play Work-in-progress awards), and the world premiere of Work, or to Whom Does the World Belong [+see also:
film review
film profile
]
, the feature debut by Asturian filmmaker Elisa Cepedal.

Out of competition, we find documentaries by Werner Herzog (Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
), Abel Ferrara (The Projectionist) and Emma Tussell (Video Blues) as well as the animated movie Bombay Rose [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Gitanjali Rao. The official section is rounded off by the most recent opuses by high-profile Canadian helmer Xavier Dolan (Matthias & Maxime), Australia’s Shannon Murphy (Babyteeth), China’s Lou Ye (Saturday Fiction) and the USA’s Lynn Shelton (Sword of Trust).

Awaiting audiences in the ever-daring Rellumes, Llendes and Esbilla parallel strands are Spanish-produced features such as As mortes [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Cristóbal Arteaga, Enero [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Ione Atenea, La educación sentimental by Jorge Juárez, Inland [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Juan Palacios, Outside [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Xesc Cabot and Pep Garrido, De barrio by Xurxo Chirro, On the Names of the Goats [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Miguel G. Morales and Silvi…
film profile
]
by Silvia Navarro Martín and Miguel G Morales, and The Island by Mark John Ostrowski.

Besides all this, the festival, which is once again training the spotlight on younger viewers with its Enfants Terribles section, is organising retrospectives of a number of unique filmmakers, such as the great Franco Piavoli, the intriguing Axelle Ropert, fledgling directors Stefan Ivančić and Elena López Riera, who up to now have only worked on short films, and audiovisual artist María Cañas.

For more information on the full programme, please click here. Previously, the festival announced its FICX Industry Days programme, which we talked about here.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

(Translated from Spanish)

Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.

Privacy Policy