Crebinsky and For 80 Days dominate Cinespaña

by Fabien Lemercier

10/10/2011 - The prize-winning ceremony of the 16th Cinespaña Festival of Toulouse yesterday (October 9) honoured Crebinsky [trailer] by Enrique Otero.

With the Golden Violet for Best Film, the Award for Best Actor (Miguel de Lira and Sergio Zearreta) and Best Original Song (Pablo Pérez), this burlesque, parodic and poetical comedy, the cast of which also includes Luis Tosar, seduced the jury, which was chaired by Anne Alvaro.

Co-written by the director and Miguel de Lira, the screenplay for Crebinsky (produced by Control Z, Zircocine and Chévere Visión) centres on two brothers born to a Russian father and a Spanish mother (photo). Having been swept towards an isolated patch of the coast by torrential rains, isolated from the world and conflicts, they survive at the foot of a lighthouse by collecting objects that have been rejected by the sea and use them to build their own imaginary world. But the Second World War catches up with them, with the arrival of an American submarine that's looking for a place to shore...

The other big winner at the 2011 edition of Cinespaña was For 80 Days, the first feature by the José Mari Goenaga - Jon Garaño duo. Produced by Jon and Moriarty Irusoin, the film's female stars (Itziar Aizpuru and Mariasun Pagoaga) were honoured as well as the screenplay (written by the two directors) and the film also won the Audience Award. The plot revolves around the fortunate reunion of two old women, once childhood best friends - it's a happy reunion, until one realises that the other is lesbian…

Finally, it is notable that the Award for Best Photography went to Rafael de la Uz for Manuel Martín Cuenca’s Half of Oscar [trailer], and that Xavi Giménez’s Cruzando el límite brought home the Award for Best Film, chosen by the Student Jury.

(Translated from French)