20/11/2020 - During the festival’s industry days, which will be held online between 23 and 27 November, the teams behind the projects will be in search of partners, guidance and collaborators

Director Miguel Ángel Blanca, whose project Magaluf Ghost Town has been selected

The Gijón Film Festival is not just a gathering showcasing completed films that are ready and waiting to be enjoyed by audiences, albeit happening online this year (see the news); it’s also a talent pool of new directors, as proven by its industry days, during which future film projects are presented. This year, with the ultimate aim of facilitating the funding and distribution of productions currently in development, the 58^th Gijón International Film Festival is organising the fourth edition of the PUSH PLAY Work-in-progress Session, via the FICXPRO platform. It is here that six Spanish-produced features will be introduced.

Starting on Monday 23 November, the teams behind said projects will be engrossed in one-to-one meetings with international film-industry experts and will have the opportunity to vie for post-production service awards provided by Deluxe and ECAM. In the Proyectos/WIP section, professionals who have registered on the platform will have access to the information sheets and introductory videos for each work, including relevant contact details in order to set up meetings.

The six titles that have been selected are: O auto das ánimas, directed by Pablo Lago Dantas and produced by Diana Toucedo Films, a documentary that is presently at the editing stage; Mighty Flash [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ainhoa Rodríguez
film profile], directed by Ainhoa Rodríguez, and produced by Eddie Saeta and Tentación Cabiria, a drama in the midst of post-production; Magaluf Ghost Town [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Miguel Ángel Blanca
film profile] by Miguel Ángel Blanca, which is being staged by Boogaloo Films, a documentary that depicts the titular community outside the tourist season; Muyeres, the leap to the documentary domain by Marta Lallana (Ojos Negros [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marta Lallana, Ivet Castelo
film profile]), produced by Corte y Confección de Películas, which won an award in Toulouse and has secured backing from the ICAA; La mala familia [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nacho A Villar and Luis Rojo
film profile] by Nacho A Villar and Luis Rojo, a drama that is about to wrap shooting, staged by Tasio and BRBR & Blur; and Shooting for Mirza by Juan Gautier, a non-fiction film in the middle of post-production, which is being produced by Dynamite Films.

This year at the festival, the first edition of the FICX Pro | LAB initiative will take place, which is intended to stoke and stimulate Asturian audiovisual creativity. It is aimed at filmmakers with a project in development, who will be able to take part in training workshops, get valuable advice and guidance, and present their project in a pitching session. The projects are: Gritar, a dramatic short film by Diego Garot (Birmania Producciones); Mapa de la geografía emocional by Julu Martínez and Candela Megido, an LGBT+-themed romantic drama with thriller elements (produced by the directors together with Alexandra Brancovean); Manual de la siega by Samuel Fernandi, a documentary with animated segments about life in the countryside; Ruta norte, a 60-minute non-fiction work with a screenplay penned by Alfredo Aracil, which is being produced by Menta and broaches the topic of the Asturian music scene in the 1990s; Sin voz, a medium-length fiction film to be helmed by Ana Izarzugaza, with production duties entrusted to Estudio La Cabina; and Urriellu, a historical feature by Pablo Casanueva, staged by Llenzos, which is currently in search of funding.

From Monday 23 November until Friday 27^th, various round-tables will also unfold on FICX.TV. The topics include new distribution channels, sustainable shoots and the future of cinema, and they will see the involvement of filmmakers of the likes of Judith Colell, Alberto Morais and Juan Vicente Córdoba. There will also be an array of workshops, such as ones focusing on the keys to successfully developing an audiovisual project, and the search for funding and opportunities for works in development.

(Translated from Spanish)