Gijón unveils Official Selection, to close with Cobeaga’s latest

by Sergio Ríos Pérez

10/11/2010 - The Gijón International Film Festival, whose 48th edition will run from December 19-27, will once again this year be the epicentre of alternative cinema in Spain.

Marking a new departure on the Spanish festival scene, this film event is characterised by its uninhibited approach, rigorous selection and the warm response from local audiences. As proof of its open outlook, the festival will close with Borja Cobeaga’s second feature, the comedy No Controles [trailer] (“No Controls”), screening out of competition.

Cobeaga, whose debut feature Friend Zone [trailer, film focus] (2009) is one of the strongest and most refreshing comedies of recent years, is perfectly suited to the event with his liberated style that oozes cinematic passion. His latest feature, No Controles, will be released in Spanish theatres on December 24.

The Official Selection competition will comprise 16 titles, including three Spanish productions: French director Oliver Laxe’s You Are All Captains, which won the FIPRESCI Prize in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight; Jonás Trueba’s Todas Las Canciones Hablan de Mí (“All Songs Are About Me”); and Manuel Martín Cuenca’s Half of Oscar, straight from the Toronto Film Festival.

Also vying for the top prize are six other European productions, including two Romanian films: Aurora [trailer] by Cristi Puiu and Tuesday, After Christmas [trailer, film focus] by Radu Muntean; Benoît Delepine and Gustave Kervern’s French title Mammuth [trailer, film focus]; Benjamin Heisenberg’s German film The Robber [trailer, film focus]; Alexei Popogrebsky’s Russian work How I Ended This Summer; and Tilva Ros by Serbia’s Nikola Lezaic.

(Translated from Spanish)