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

SEVILLE 2019

Seville once again celebrates the diversity of European cinema

by 

- This morning, in Madrid, José Luis Cienfuegos, the director of the southern Spanish festival, presented the enticing programme of the 16th edition of the gathering

Seville once again celebrates the diversity of European cinema
Liberté by Albert Serra

As if there weren’t enough incentives for one to visit and enjoy the magnificent city of Seville, its European Film Festival is also being held from 8-16 November. This year, the team headed up by José Luis Cienfuegos is organising its 16th edition, where the richness, audacity and sheer quality of our beloved continent’s audiovisual output will once again be on display. In addition, as Cineuropa will report closer to the time, the gathering, as is becoming customary, will serve as the venue for the unveiling of the main nominees for the 32nd European Film Awards, which will be handed out by the European Film Academy in Berlin on 7 December.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Given the immense variety of cinematic offerings that the Seville-based festival serves up for its audiences, here we will humbly attempt to make a few suggestions for our readers. For example, if Spanish film is your thing or, in other words, if you prefer to consume local products over and above everything else, you will certainly come away satisfied. Not only will be there be special screenings of an Andalusian film (co-produced with Portugal) in the guise of Out in the Open [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Benito Zambrano
film profile
]
, the film adaptation of Jesús Carrasco’s novel, helmed by Seville native Benito Zambrano, but there will also be one for The Plan [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Polo Menárguez
film profile
]
by Polo Menárguez, starring Antonio de la Torre and Raúl Arévalo. Furthermore, the gathering will host the world premiere of the comedy-drama Una vez más [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, the feature debut by Guillermo Rojas, which unfolds in beautiful locations around Seville.

Other Spanish-produced films that cannot fail to move the audience include Liberté [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Albert Serra, which sparked debate but emerged triumphant at the most recent Cannes Film Festival, and which will be competing for the Golden Giraldillo, as will Endless Night [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Eloy Enciso
film profile
]
by Galicia’s Eloy Enciso, which previously battled it out for the Golden Leopard at Locarno. Madre [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rodrigo Sorogoyen
film profile
]
by Rodrigo Sorogoyen will open the event after taking part in the latest Venice Film Festival; Zumiriki [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Oskar Alegría
film profile
]
by Oskar Alegría was also selected for the Mostra; Seville’s own Alejandro Salgado will be competing (like the previous title) in The New Waves – Non-fiction section with Barzakh [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
; The Swamp’s Silence [+see also:
trailer
interview: Marc Vigil
film profile
]
, the feature debut by Marc Vigil, who cut his teeth on TV series such as The Ministry of Time, recently got an airing at the Busan Film Festival; and José Luis Guerín will present his short film De una isla. In addition, maestro Pere Portabella (the producer of Guerín’s Train of Shadows) will receive a well-deserved 2019 Honorary Giraldillo.

Standing out in the Permanent Revolutions section, which is constantly on the lookout for the most revolutionary and innovative cinema, are the indie comedy Violeta no coge el ascensor [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Mamen Díaz, starring Violeta Rodríguez, Julián Villagrán and Aixa Villagrán; the “post-comedy” of the outrageous The Queen of Lizards [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 by duo Burnin’ Percebes (Searching for Meritxell), with a cast including Bruna Cusí and Javier Botet; visual artist Carlos Casas, who will be bringing Cemetery [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, an investigation of uncharted lands with meticulously polished sound design, to Seville; the documentary This Film Is About Me [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alexis Delgado Búrdalo
film profile
]
by Alexis Delgado, about a woman who wants to live in a world of fiction; another doc, Big Big Big by Carmen Haro and Miguel Rodríguez, which talks about the transformative experience of cinema and its effect on our relationships; and, in The New Waves sidebar, Jaione Camborda, who will present her feature debut, shot in Galicia, Arima [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jaione Camborda
film profile
]
.

And, given that we don’t have enough space in this article to mention all of the nationalities of those set to attend the gathering, we will concentrate on the big names that will be showcasing their opuses in the festival’s Official Section in a couple of weeks’ time: Sweden’s Roy Andersson (who will come brandishing About Endlessness [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Roy Andersson
film profile
]
); Italy’s Marco Bellocchio (The Traitor [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Marco Bellocchio
film profile
]
), Pietro Marcello (Martin Eden [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pietro Marcello
film profile
]
) and Lorenzo Mattotti (The Bears’ Famous Invasion of Sicily [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lorenzo Mattotti
film profile
]
); France’s Robert Guédiguian (Gloria Mundi [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Robert Guédiguian
film profile
]
), Bruno Dumont (Joan of Arc [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bruno Dumont
film profile
]
) and Justine Triet (Sibyl [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Justine Triet
film profile
]
); Austria’s Jessica Hausner (Little Joe [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jessica Hausner
film profile
]
); Romania’s Corneliu Porumboiu (The Whistlers [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Corneliu Porumboiu
film profile
]
); Portugal’s João Nicolau (Technoboss [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: João Nicolau
film profile
]
); Macedonia’s Teona Strugar Mitevska (God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunya [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Labina Mitevska
interview: Teona Strugar Mitevska
film profile
]
); Ukraine’s Valentyn Vasyanovych (Atlantis [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Valentyn Vasyanovych
film profile
]
); and European-based helmers Nadav Lapid (Synonyms [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nadav Lapid
film profile
]
), Elia Suleiman (It Must Be Heaven [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Elia Suleiman
film profile
]
) and Abel Ferrara (Tommaso [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Abel Ferrara
film profile
]
).

For more information and the full programme, visit the festival’s website.

(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