The 68th edition of the Seminci, which will take place from October 21 to 28 under the new direction of José Luis Cienfuegos, will bring together in its competitive sections the largest participation of Spanish cinema in its history. The program includes 15 productions with five world premieres, two European premieres and eight national premieres, as reported by the organization yesterday.
The official section has the signatures of established filmmakers such as Manuel Martín Cuenca, who, two years after La hija, presents El amor de Andrea, a girl’s search to recover the love of an absent father. Antonio Méndez Esparza will premiere Que nadie duerma, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Juan José Millás, which has a cast led by Malena Alterio and Aitana Sánchez-Gijón. Lois Patiño participates with her third feature film, Samsara, in which she delves into the reflection on the relationship between humans and the landscape. The film was already screened at the last Berlinale, where it received the special jury prize in the Encounters section. But Víctor Iriarte’s debuts in fiction, with Sobre todo de noche, which will go through the Venice festival first, and Laura Ferrés, with The permanent image, also aspire to the coveted Golden Spike.
Iriarte draws an emotional encounter around motherhood for three characters who are looking for their place in the world, starring Lola Dueñas and Ana Torrent. And Ferrés narrates a story within a story about a woman chasing another woman, hungry for adventure. A melodrama with non-professional actors that is not without touches of absurd humor and that the filmmaker has written in collaboration with Carlos Vermut and Ulises Porra. In the official out-of-competition section, the new works of four directors will be screened: Paula Ortiz, Patricia Ortega, Lone Scherfig and Patricia Font. Author of titles such as De tu ventana a la mía or La novia, Ortiz will world premiere Teresa, an adaptation of the play La lengua en pedazos, by Juan Mayorga. Blanca Portillo takes on the role of Santa Teresa de Jesús in this biopic which also features Asier Etxeandia and which will hit cinemas on November 24.
After surprising Sundance, Patricia Ortega will bring Mamacruz to the Valladolid International Film Week, with Kity Mánver in the role of a woman who explores her sexual desire in old age. With El maestro que prometió el mar, Patricia Font is inspired by the life of the teacher Antoni Benaiges, who disappeared during the Civil War, with the performances of Laia Costa and Enric Auquer. And Danish filmmaker Lone Scherfig will open the competition with La contadora de películas, a declaration of love for cinema starring Antonio de la Torre and Bérénice Bejo.
Punto de Encuentro, one of the great revelations of the Seminci, will offer the productions of young Spanish filmmakers, such as Negu hurblak, from Colectivo Negu, and On the Go, by María Gisèle Royo and Julia de Castro, a road movie about the friendship and love failure.
