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VALENCIA 2020

The 35th Mostra de València erects a cinematic bridge over the Mediterranean

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- The Spanish festival is back, offering a meticulously selected array of films produced on both sides of the Mediterranean Sea, and set to unspool from 22 October-1 November

The 35th Mostra de València erects a cinematic bridge over the Mediterranean
The Mystery of the Pink Flamingo by Javier Polo

The 35th Mostra de València – Cinema del Mediterrani kicks off on 22 October with the Spanish docufiction The Mystery of the Pink Flamingo [+see also:
film review
trailer
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]
by Javier Polo, and is due to wrap on 1 November. Between these two dates, audiences will get to enjoy a handpicked batch of films produced by countries perched on all shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The titles in the official section will be competing for the Golden, Silver and Bronze Palms at this year’s edition, for which the festival has beaten its own record in terms of the number of submissions, having been sent more than 750 titles.

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One person will receive the gathering’s Honorary Palm without having to go through the motions of competing, and that’s Portuguese filmmaker María de Medeiros, who will pick up said trophy at the closing ceremony, after having given a master class and premiered Our Children [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
. In addition, Serbian artist Marina Abramovic will host a conference on Tuesday 27 October, while a documentary dedicated to her, Homecoming. Marina Abramovic and her Children [+see also:
film review
film profile
]
, will be screened and a selection of her audiovisual works will be exhibited. Plus, Mariano Barroso (the director of the series La línea invisible [+see also:
series review
interview: Mariano Barroso
series profile
]
– see the review) and Félix Viscarret (Patria – see the review) will discuss the Basque conflict in a round-table set to take place on Saturday 24 October, part of a series of events dedicated to this topic.

But if it’s artists from the Valencian Community that we’re talking about, the Mostra is certainly not neglecting them; in fact, it is premiering ten of their titles this year. Standing out among them are the documentary The Recipe for Balance [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Óscar Bernàcer
film profile
]
, helmed by Óscar Bernácer and revolving around how chef Ricard Camarena and his team are adapting to the “COVID-19 era”; the historical thriller Un cercle en l’aigua by Vicent Monsonís, who has adapted the stage play La estancia, written by Chema Cardeña; the non-fiction film Camagroga [+see also:
film review
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]
by Alfonso Amador, hinging on a family of tiger-nut farmers; the reunion-centric Things to Do Before You Die [+see also:
film review
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film profile
]
, the feature debut by Miguel Llorens and Cristina Fernández; and the experimental title The Last Supper [+see also:
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masterminded by Andrea Jaurrieta (Ana by Day [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
), based on an idea by María S Torregrosa and Toni Agustí.

Of particular note in the official section are the motherhood drama Zana [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Antoneta Kastrati
film profile
]
(a co-production between Kosovo and Albania), helmed by Antoneta Kastrati; Tereza37 [+see also:
film review
trailer
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(Croatia) by Danilo Serbedzija, which tackles the same topic as Zana, as well as sexuality; a woman’s existential journey as shown by the Spanish film The Wanderer [+see also:
film review
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film profile
]
by Canary Islander Miguel Mejías; the similarly personal portrait of a woman painted by Luxor [+see also:
film review
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interview: Zeina Durra
film profile
]
(Egypt/UK/United Arab Emirates) by Zeina Durra; and Mosquito [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: João Nunes Monteiro
film profile
]
(Portugal/France/Brazil), a film set in Africa during World War II, directed by Joao Nuno Pinto.

The Informativa section will also bring together a clutch of extremely interesting titles, such as Red Moon Tide [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lois Patiño
film profile
]
, the second feature by Galicia’s Lois Patiño; Mare [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andrea Staka
film profile
]
(Croatia/Switzerland), the chronicle of a woman’s emotional awakening by Andrea Staka; Working Girls [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Anne Paulicevich and Frédér…
film profile
]
(France/Belgium) by Frédéric Fonteyne and Anne Paulicevich, about cross-border prostitution; My Morning Laughter [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
(Serbia) by Marko Djordjevic, which looks at how complicated it can be to lose your virginity once you’re past the age of 30; and the troublesome family reunion portrayed in Happy Birthday [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
(France/Belgium) by Cédric Kahn, toplined by French star Catherine Deneuve.

The full programme of the 2020 edition of the Mostra de València can be found here.

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(Translated from Spanish)

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