63 SEMINCI (2018)
VALLADOLID INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Valladolid International Film Week (SEMINCI) celebrates 63 years, more than six decades of much and good cinema, and this is something that very few festivals can say, or almost none at the national level except the San Sebastian Festival. The bar of recent years has been exceeded in each new edition although at the programming level it should be noted that this year’s has been really magnificent, perhaps due to a good film harvest of this 2018, or (what is more likely) That the selection committee of this 63 SEMINCI has really done a great job. This is more than apparent because the rest of the national competitions have not been able to get an official section as powerful as this one, without of course belittling the rest of the parallel sections of this Valladolid film festival.
Great cinematographic titles of different nationalities of great quality, speaking exclusively of the official section, endorse the aforementioned, films such as: “Genesis” by Philippe Lesage (in the end the absolute winner of this edition in addition to getting the prestigious “Golden Spike ”),“ Your son ”by Miguel Ángel Vivas,“ A Land Imagined ”by Yeo Siew Hua,“ Ága ”by Milko Lazarov,“ The reports on Sarah and Saleem ”by Muayad Alayan,“ The Guilty ”by Gustav Möller,“ Dogman ”by Matteo Garrone, the wonderful“ Border (Grans) ”by Ali Abbasi, the documentary“ Understanding Ingmar Bergman ”by Margarethe von Trotta, the original and brilliant“ The Woman of the Mountain ”by Benedikt Erlingsson”, the closing of the trilogy of Canadian filmmaker Denys Arcand with “The Fall of the American Empire”, the excellent “The Quiet” by Pablo Trapero, the hilarious “My Masterpiece” by Gastón Duprat, “Magic Nights” by Paolo Virzi, the interesting North American indie film “The (des) education of Cameron Post” by Desiree Akhavan, Utoya, July 22 by Erik Poppe or the Spanish film “Jaulas” which is the promising debut in the Andalusian feature film Nicolás Pacheco.
All these films that have been part of the official section of this 63 edition have had a successful national and international impact, without going any further in the last European Film Awards (EFA) some of them have been the main protagonists with an important number of nominations highlighting that wonderful Award for Best Actor for the endearing Italian actor Marcello Fonte for his spectacular performance of Marcello, that canine hairdresser, in “Dogman” of the great Matteo Garrone. In addition, we must highlight the nomination of the Academy Oscar for Best Makeup for the Fabulous and “Fantastic” Border (Grans) “by Ali Abbasi this year, an excellent film that could perfectly have been scheduled at other festivals more specialized in genre cinema but this is also an important factor that speaks very well of this SEMINCI, since it is opening more and more (with total success) the different plot themes in the selected films not focusing exclusively on the dramatic genre, however much author cinema it may be, something so characteristic and sometimes numerous (and even abusive) of other national festivals.
Finally, one more year to highlight how the public of Pucela lives the Seminci and is fully involved for a week in this great festival and that shows, and much, for good in the different projections of the different spaces distributed throughout the city. The city of Valladolid and its SEMINCI have once again become international references in their “style brand” that defines this contest so well, the author’s cinema, not only in the official section but also in all parallel sections. And we are more than delighted to be able to enjoy this great author’s cinema that identifies us and gives reason to be as an independent film website.
Our passage through this very interesting edition covered for five days a series of projections, press conferences and meetings that we will detail below:
CADAVRE EXQUIS (2018) (C) by Stéphanie Lansaque & François Leroy
A visual, acoustic and olfactory ballad through a homeless dog that only has one eye. In the labyrinth of the narrow streets of Old Hanoi, everyday life and legend come together in a syncopated rhythm of Hat Xam, the Vietnamese blues.
BORDER (GRÄNS) (2018) by Ali Abbasi
Tina is a customs agent recognized for her efficiency and for her extraordinary smell. It gives the impression of being able to smell the guilt of an individual. But when Vore, a seemingly suspicious man, passes by her, her abilities are tested for the first time. Tina knows that Vore hides something, but fails to identify what it is.
YOUR SON (TU HIJO) (2018) by Miguel Ángel Vivas
The life of Dr. Jaime Jiménez collapses when his 17-year-old son is in a vegetative state due to a brutal beating he receives when he leaves a disco. After seeing that justice does nothing to stop the guilty, he himself will undertake a trip to hell in search of revenge.
THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST (2018) by Desiree Akhavan
A young woman is forced by her family to attend a therapy center to reorient the sexuality of gay youth.
DOGMAN (2018) by Matteo Garrone
The owner of a dog groomer outside Rome is influenced by a local criminal until his personal life is complicated and he decides to take charge of the situation.
THE FALL OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE (LA CHUTE DE L’EMPIRE AMÉRICAIN) (2018) by Denys Arcand
Pierre-Paul, 36, an intellectual and a doctor of philosophy is forced to work as a delivery man to have a decent salary. One day, while delivering a package, he comes across the scene of an armed robbery that has gone wrong with a result of two deaths. He finds two sports bags full of tickets. Pierre-Paul faces a dilemma: get away empty-handed or take the money and run away… Denys Arcand’s thematic successor to the films ‘The decline of the American Empire’ and ‘The barbarian invasions’.
I HATE NEW YORK (2018) by Gustavo Sánchez
In New York, with a domestic camera and without a script, the director enters for 10 years (2007-2017) in the intimate lives of four female artists and transgender activists of the city’s underground subculture. His testimonies gradually reveal bits and pieces of his past, his experiences and his struggles for his own identity. A series of revelations will lead the viewer to become an intruder to an accomplice of their destinies. Produced by J.A. Bayona, “I Hate New York” shows another face of transsexuality: that of nonconformist and revolutionary people who have struggled to face prejudices or put them aside, who have not assimilated to the impositions of the system but have created one’s own and have built their personality from artistic activism and creative disruption.
JAULAS (2018) by Nicolás Pacheco
Concha and her daughter Adela live in a humble neighborhood with a man who doesn’t love them. One day, tired of that life, Concha decides to risk everything, the compensation received is left to vacate the plot where they live and escapes with Adela. But soon they are discovered…
THE QUIETUDE (LA QUIETUD) (2018) by Pablo Trapero
Two sisters meet again after a long time apart. One returns because of his father’s delicate state of health, while the other pretends that nothing has changed. Together with the mother, the three will be forced to reconstruct the past and face the challenges that appear in the present.
BETWEEN TWO WATERS (ENTRE DOS AGUAS) (2018) by Isaki Lacuesta
Isra and Cheíto are two brothers who have taken very different paths in life. When Isra leaves prison and Cheito ends a long mission enlisted in the Navy, both return to San Fernando Island. The reunion of the brothers will renew the memory of the violent death of their father when they were children; The need to resume their lives and reconcile with themselves will unite them again. Twelve years after “The Legend of Time”, Isaki Lacuesta returns to San Fernando.
“SPANISH PARTY” IN THE CULTURE OF THE MILLENNIUM – SPANISH CINEMA PARTY
EGG (C) (2018) by Martina Scarpelli
A woman is locked at home with an egg she is attracted to while at the same time terrified. She eats the egg and repents. She kills him. She lets the egg starve.
MY MASTERPIECE (MI OBRA MAESTRA) (2018) by Gastón Duprat
Arturo (Guillermo Francella) is a charming and unscrupulous gallery owner. Renzo (Luis Brandoni) is a sullen and decadent painter. Although they are joined by an old friendship, they do not coincide in (almost) anything. The gallery owner tries by all means to revive his friend’s artistic career, but things go from bad to worse. Until a crazy and extreme idea appears as a possible solution.
ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR (C) (2018) by Alison Snowden & David Fine
Anthropomorphic animals are in a therapy session.
UTOYA. JULY 22 (UTOYA 22. JULI) (2018) by Erik Poppe
We meet Kaja, an 18-year-old girl, just 12 minutes before the killing begins at the summer camp on the Norwegian island of Utøya, on July 22, 2011, which was the worst day in modern history of Norway. The young campers know about the bomb exploded by a terrorist in Oslo, but they don’t know that Anders Breivik is on the island with the intention of killing the more people the better.
MR DEER (AGHAYE GAVAZN) (C) (2018) by Mojtaba Mousavi
The story is told in an unknown time and takes place in a subway in ruins. The people in that society have an animal face, have forgotten their ethics and humanity. Among them, someone with a deer face tries to change this society.
THE GUILTY (DEN SKYLDIGE) (2018) by Gustav Möller
Asger Holm, a police officer, has been temporarily suspended from his duties and relegated to an emergency service operator. During his routine night shift, he receives the strange call of a terrified woman. Despite his surprise reaction, Asger realizes that the woman on the other side of the phone has been kidnapped, and that is when the search will begin. Recruited at his desk at the emergency switchboard, Asger will have to locate and help the woman in danger with the help of her partners across the country. As the minutes pass, Asgar will have to face not only the precipitation of events related to the case, but also his own personal demons.
SKIP DAY (C) (2018) by Ivete Lucas & Patrick Bresnan
An intimate look at a very special day in the lives of high school students in an industrial area of the Everglades in Florida. The future is uncertain, and the irresistible attraction of the beach is pushing lifelong friends to travel 90 kilometers to relax and enjoy the waves.
GENERATION WEALTH (2018) by Lauren Greenfield
A documentary in which the photographer and filmmaker Lauren Greenfield investigates the pathologies created by the richest society in history.
ÁGA (2018) by Milko Lazarov
In a cabin, in the snow-filled fields of the north, Nanook and Sedna live, following the traditions of their ancestors. Their life begins to change when hunting becomes more difficult, animals begin to die strangely and ice begins to melt more and more. Chena, who visits them regularly, is his only connection with the outside and with his daughter Ága, who left the tundra a long time ago. When Sedna’s health deteriorates, Nanook decides to fulfill his dream: visit Ága.
AROUND THE BEND (IN DEN GÄNGEN) (2018) by Thomas Stuber
Christian (Franz Rogowski) is new to the supermarket. He enters this unknown universe with the help of his partner Bruno (Peter Kurth), who teaches him all the tricks of the profession and becomes his friend. In a short time he falls in love with Marion (Sandra Hüller), who works in the candy department and always jokes with him. But Marion is married, although she is not happy in her marriage.
ALMOST GHOSTS (2018) by Ana Ramón Rubio
A documentary that explores the decline, on the verge of disappearance, of ghost towns through the iconic US Route 66. At 73, Harley Russell lives off the tips he receives at his dilapidated Erick (Oklahoma) location with his show of mediocre musicians. Ángel Delgadillo, the last barber from Seligman (Arizona), continues to shave at 91, drivers who deviate from the interstate to visit their town. Lowell Davis, with more than 80 years, is the number 1 inhabitant of Red Oak II, (Missouri), a ghost town that he himself rehabilitated with the restoration of his old houses. Three stories of perseverance and overcoming on what was once the road that connected the United States from east to west. Three survivors trying to save the life of the best known route in America.
MAGICAL NIGHTS (NOTTI MAGICHE) (2018) by Paolo Virzì
Summer 1990. The corpse of a renowned film producer appears on the Tiber River. The main suspects are three young aspiring writers.
WOMAN AT WAR (KONA FER Í STRÍO) (2018) by Benedikt Erlingsson
At fifty, Halla, a singing teacher, declares war on the local aluminum industry, which is polluting her country. To do this, it takes all kinds of risks in order to protect the environment in Iceland. But his situation could change with the unexpected arrival of a letter.
A LAND IMAGINED (2018) by Yeo Siew Hua
Wang, a Chinese worker who lives in the industrial area of Singapore suffers an accident at work and is eager for repatriation. Unable to sleep, he begins to frequent a cyber café in the middle of the night. Hoping to find some form of human contact in a land that makes him feel alienated, he makes an online friendship that ends up being much more sinister than expected. When Wang suddenly disappears, policeman Lok is called to investigate the story by discovering an unexpected truth.
HEAD FULL OF HONEY (HONEY IN THE HEAD) (2018) by Til Schweiger
A man (Nick Nolte) who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, and who has just become a widower after fifty years of marriage, embarks on a last road trip with his granddaughter (Sophie Lane Nolte) heading to Venice.
WINNERS 63rd VALLADOLID INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL – SEMINCI
OFFICIAL SECTION
GOLDEN SPIKE
GENÈSE (Genesis) by Philippe Lesage (Canada)
SILVER SPIKE (EX AEQUO)
IN DEN GÄNGEN by Thomas Stuber (Germany)
SILVER SPIKE (EX AEQUO)
THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST by Desiree Akhavan (USA)
“RIBERA DEL DUERO” AWARD TO THE BEST DIRECTOR
PHILIPPE LESAGE by GENÈSE (Genesis) (Canada)
BEST ACTRESS AWARD TO
HALLDÓRA GEIRHARÐSDÓTTIR for KONA FER Í STRID (France, Iceland, Ukraine)
BEST ACTOR AWARD TO
THÉODORE PELLERIN for GENÈSE (Genesis) (Canada)
“PILAR MIRÓ” AWARD TO THE BEST NEW DIRECTOR
MILKO LAZAROV for ÁGA (Bulgary / Germany / France)
“MIGUEL DELIBES” AWARD TO THE BEST SCRIPT
EMIL NYGAARD ALBERTSEN AND GUSTAV MÖLLER for DEN SKYLDIGE (The Guilty) (Denmark)
BEST DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD TO
HIDEHO URATA for A LAND IMAGINED (Singapore / France / Netherlands)
GOLDEN SPIKE TO THE SHORT FILM
CADAVRE EXQUIS (Exquisite Corpse) by Stéphanie Lansaque and François Leroy (France)
SILVER SPIKE TO THE SHORT FILM
DRZENIA (Tremors) by Dawid Bodzak (Poland)
AWARD TO THE BEST EUROPEAN SHORT
CADAVRE EXQUIS (Exquisite Corpse) by Stéphanie Lansaque and François Leroy (France)
INTERNATIONAL CRITIC AWARD. FIPRESCI AWARD
LA CHUTE DE L’EMPIRE AMÉRICAIN by Denys Arcand (Canada)
AWARD TO THE BEST FEATURE (Meeting Point)
THE RETURN by Malene Choi (Denmark / South Korea)
SPECIAL MENTION TO THE BEST FEATURE (Meeting Point)
YOMEDDINE by A.B. Shawky (Egypt)
AWARD TO THE BEST FOREING SHORT (Meeting Point)
TOTUL E FOARTE DEPARTE by Emanuel Pârvu (Romania)
A NIGHT OF SPANISH SHORTS (Meeting Point)
GUSANOS DE SEDA by Carlos Villafaina (Spain)
FIRST PRIZE IN THE “TIME OF HISTORY” SECTION
LIBRE by Michel Toesca (France)
SECOND PRIZE IN THE “TIME OF HISTORY” SECTION
OUR NEW PRESIDENT by Maxim Pozdorovkin (USA / Russia)
PRIZE TO THE BEST SHORT FILM IN THE “TIME OF HISTORY” SECTION
UN MONDE SANS BÊTES by Emma Benestan and Adrian Lecouturier (France)
AWARD TO “DOC. SPAIN” SECTION
MORIR PARA CONTAR by Hernán Zin (Spain)
AWARD TO “SHORTS FROM CASTILLA & LEÓN” SECTION
ÁNGEL CAÍDO by Fran Parra (Spain)
AWARD TO DUNIA AYASO
ARANTXA ECHEVARRÍA for Carmen y Lola (Spain)
RAINBOW SPIKE
BEING IMPOSSIBLE (Yo, imposible) by Patricia Ortega (Spain)
SPECIAL MENTION. RAINBOW SPIKE
SOCIUMIS PATIMARI (Prisoner of Society) by Rati Tsiteladze (Georgia)
PUBLIC PRIZE FOR THE OFFICIAL SECTION
MI OBRA MAESTRA by Gastón Duprat (Argentina / Spain)
PUBLIC PRIZE FOR MEETING POINT SECTION
YOMEDDINE by A.B. Shawky (Egypt)
YOUTH AWARD “OFFICIAL SECTION”
THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST by Desiree Akhavan (USA)
YOUTH AWARD MEETING POINT SECTION
YOMEDDINE by A.B. Shawky(Egypt)
GREEN SPIKE
ÁGA by Milko Lazarov (Bulgary / Germany / France)
PRIZE FOR “SEMINCI YOUNG” SECTION
LOVE, SIMON by Greg Berlanti (USA)
GOLD BLOGS PRIZE
DEN SKYLDIGE (The Guilty) by Gustav Möller (Denmark)
SOCIOGRAPH AWARD
IN DEN GÄNGEN by Thomas Stuber (Germany)
Traducido por: Eduardo Llorente.
