Working on the 19th edition of the festival has been a very exciting journey and we ended up with an amazing line up of recent and not so recent films from Spain. We've welcomed many guests from Spain who have presented their work to London audiences and even a wonderful copla performance by Alejandro Postigo and Violeta Valladares.
Our Jury, formed this year by artist Eleanor Boorman, film producer Peregrine Kitchener-Fellowes and film professor Dr. Paul Sutton decided to acknowledge as Best Film Alberto Rodriguez's Modelo 77 (Prison 77).
They also wanted the following to receive a 'special mention':
No mires a los ojos/Staring at Strangers (Félix Viscarret 2022)
Cinco lobitos/Lullaby (Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, 2022)
El Agua/The Water (Elena López Riera, 2022)
The Jury also stated: "Although we could only nominate one film for overall best feature, we felt in our discussion that No mires a los ojos came a very close second to Modelo 77, hence our wish for it to receive a special mention.
We felt that both Cinco lobitos (Lullaby) and El Agua (The Water) were promising first films and deserved a special mention on that basis.
The jury felt that Modelo 77 was a very well made film that told a powerful story about a difficult period in recent Spanish history. There were strong performances from Miguel Herrán and Javier Gutiérrez and from the supporting cast.
No mires a los ojos navigated an unusual plot very cleverly and sustained the audience's engagement throughout. It featured an especially strong performance from Paco León in the lead role.
Cinco lobitos paints a detailed portrait of the struggles of everyday life in contemporary Spain – from juggling work and raising a child to caring for the terminally ill. The highs and the lows are captured in the powerful, utterly believable performances of Laia Costa and Susi Sanchez.
El Agua was remarkable in its almost documentary observation of life in a village community and presented audiences with an especially powerful triumvirate of women at its heart. The non-professional cast shines as a back drop to notable performances from Luna Pamies, Albert Olmo and Nieve de Medina."
As we wrap this festival's edition we start working on what will be our 20th anniversary and, of course, before that, our 13th Spring Weekend.
Stay tuned!
Joana Granero
Director
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