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INDUSTRY France / Spain

Small is Biútiful due to showcase six Spanish projects in Paris

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- French professionals will be able to find out more about projects by Carles Torras, Asier Altuna, Albert Arizza, Liliana Castaz Diaz, Julio Mazaric and Rocío Mesa on 27 June

Small is Biútiful due to showcase six Spanish projects in Paris
Director Carles Torras (© Festival de Málaga)

Organised for the closing of "Different 11! L'autre cinéma espagnol" by Espagnolas en Paris and the Ile-de-France Film Commission, on Wednesday 27 June, Small is Biútiful will be bringing together French producers, distributors and sellers in Paris (at the Patio Opéra) to find out more about six Spanish feature film projects (selected from 44 candidates, a very large number), by quality directors on the look-out for French partners. A meetup that has already proven its relevance, with recent films including Carmen & Lola [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Arantxa Echevarría
film profile
]
(discovered last month at the Directors' Fortnight at Cannes), Sin fin [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
(winner of the Best Actor Award in April at Malaga), Sister Of Mine [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pedro Aguilera
film profile
]
(in competition at Rotterdam in 2017), Mimosas [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Oliver Laxe
film profile
]
(winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes Critics' Week in 2016), The Bride [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Paula Ortiz
film profile
]
(winner of two Goya awards in 2016) and Magical Girl [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Carlos Vermut
film profile
]
(winner at San Sebastian in 2014).

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Among the selected projects The Paramedic by Carles Torras stands out, whose previous film, Callback [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Carles Torras
film profile
]
, triumphed at Malaga in 2016. The thriller's screenplay was written by the director, along with Hèctor Hernández Vicens, and immerses us in the day-to-day life of Angel, with a girlfriend called Vanesa, who works as a paramedic on board an ambulance driven by his friend Ricardo.But an accident leaves him confined to a wheelchair. Wallowing in depression and unable to face his new life, Angel decides to channel his rage, getting even with those who, in his eyes, have betrayed him. Production is being handled by Zabriskie Films, with filming planned to commence in February-March 2019, with the film already confirmed to star Bruna Cusí.

Also on the programme is La hora de despertarnos juntos by Asier Altuna, nominated for a Goya award in 2006 for Best New Director with Aupa Etxebeste! and in competition at San Sebastian in 2015 with Amama (When a Tree Falls) [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Asier Altuna
film profile
]
. Adpated by the director from the eponymous book by KirmenUribe, the film tells the story of the life of a woman and her family marked by the history of Spain in the 20th century: Civil War, political exile in Paris, love and the birth of her three children and her clandestine return under Franco's dictatorship as a source of information. Production is being handled by Txintxua Films.

Also of note is Volare by Albert Arizza, winner of the Discovery Award at Sitges in 2008 with Ramirez. Written by the filmmaker, the screenplay focuses on Bruno and Mara whose lives are about to change. He is ten years old and lives on an itinerant fairground with his alcoholic father. She is a young woman who is fleeing her past in search of a new beginning.  They strike up a special relationship that makes them hope for a better future. The film is due to star Sara Salamo and Raúl Arévalo. Produced by the Madrilenian outfit Cinema Resistance, the film is due to involve seven weeks of filming.

Small is Biútiful will also be showcasing the social drama EstelaLiliana Díaz Castillo’s directorial debut. The plot, written by the director, tells the story of a Colombian woman who arrives in Spain to help Montserrat, a widow at the end of her live. Their relationship provoques changes in both of them. Produced by Boogaloo Films, the feature film is already supported in co-production by the Brazilian outfit Machado Filmes and the Colombian outfit Black Factory Cinema and is due to involve five weeks of filming next year.

Another debut feature film project to be selected is Asparagus (Espárrago) by Julio Mazarico. Written by Roberto Goñi, the screenplays stars Pepa, whose life is not easy. As a single mother in a small town in The Ribera of Navarre, she battles every day to raise her daughter, get along with her retired-farmer father, and to maintain her job at a cannery being crippled by serious financial difficulties. Yao is a Chinese businessman who arrives in the village, attracted by an excellent business opportunity. It's an opportunity that will change Pepa's life... Produced by En Buen Sitio Producciones, the film will be shot in May-June 2019.

The selection also includes Tobacco Barns [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rocío Mesa
film profile
]
, which will be the directorial fiction debut by documentary filmmaker Rocío Mesa. Written by the director, the screenplay is set in a rural area filled with large and mysterious tobacco barns. Three generations spend the summer uncovering the secrets of these buildings in a little town that simultaneously represents a childhood playground, a teenage cage, and an old person's memory. Production is being provided by the Andalusian outfit La Claqueta PC and five weeks of filming is planned for August 2019.

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(Translated from French)

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