14/12/2021 - The festival, which is unspooling from 14-19 December, will screen a total of 24 movies and will dedicate a focus to filmmaker María Pérez Sanz

The Novos Cinemas festival in Pontevedra, Spain, dedicated to first and second works by emerging filmmakers, is back for its sixth edition from 14-19 December. The documentary A Virxe Roxa [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Marcos Nine will have the honour of opening this cinephilic gathering, which will be brought to a close by The Sacred Spirit [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Chema García Ibarra
film profile], the much-lauded feature debut by Chema García Ibarra. In between, 13 films will be taking part in the two competitive sections of the festival. This year’s Official Section is made up of nine varied titles, all of which, in one way or another, aspire to somehow reflect the spirit of our times: They Carry Death [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Samuel M Delgado and Helena…
film profile] by Helena Girón and Samuel Delgado, Berg [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Joke Olthaar, The Tale of King Crab [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alessio Rigo de Righi and M…
film profile] by Matteo Zoppis and Alessio Rigo de Righi, Absolute Denial [+see also:
trailer
film profile] de Bryan Braun, Small Body [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Laura Samani
film profile] by Laura Samani, Rendir los machos [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by David Pantaleón and Clara Sola [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nathalie Álvarez Mesén
film profile] by Nathalie Álvarez Mesén, as well as the US efforts Rock Bottom Riser by Fern Silva and Actual People by Kit Zahuar.

Meanwhile, the Latexos section comprises four titles that explore a diverse range of realities from an autobiographical point of view. Two of these movies hail from Argentina: The Moon Represents My Heart by Juan Martín Hsu (Spanish premiere) and There Are Not Thirty-six Ways of Showing a Man Getting on a Horse by Nicolás Zukerfeld. The quartet is rounded off by El planeta [+see also:
film review
interview: Amalia Ulman
film profile] by Amalia Ulman and 918 Nights [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Arantza Santesteban.

In parallel with the two Official Sections, the gathering is programming a focus dedicated to filmmaker María Peréz Sanz, which will take a look back at her impressive career through a plethora of short films, music videos and features. Karen [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: María Pérez Sanz
film profile], her latest film to date, which brings us closer to the figure of author Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen), will be just one of the works on show here.

One of Novos Cinemas’ ambitions is to continue to be a crucial meeting point for filmmakers, and for this reason, this year’s edition will host visits from auteurs of the likes of Álvaro Gago, Ángel Filgueira, Silvia Fuentes, Carlos Martínez Peñalver and Liliana Torres, who will be talking about their experiences of developing their most recent projects.

The LAB Projects, a space dedicated to providing professional consultancy to projects at any stage of development, has this year invited director-screenwriter-actress Elena Martín; the coordinator of the Berlinale-World Cinema Fund, Isona Admetlla; editor Ricardo Saravia; and musician and producer Xavi Font. Guajes by Ana Sierra, La adolescencia infinita by Víctor Soho, Laguna el ministro by Antonio Llamas and Lucas G Torralbo (of film collective espírituescalera), and Treinta grados de separación by Paula Vázquez López are the projects that have been selected for this edition of the festival.

The jam-packed agenda of activities on offer at Novos Cinemas is rounded off by the works created by students at Vigo University during their participation in the “Video-hipnose. Experimentar co cinema na era dixital” workshop, led by audiovisual artist and filmmaker Adrián Canoura. Meanwhile, in the “Os Entes” workshop, director Chema García Ibarra and art director Leonor Díaz Estévez will break down their methods of creation, based on the symbiosis between both disciplines.

(Translated from Spanish)