The Gijón International Film Festival is celebrating its 57^th edition from 15-23 November. Once again this year – just another in its lengthy existence – the Asturian city will play host to an interesting selection of cinematic works that, in line with its long-standing editorial policy, combine the youngest and most fresh-faced perspectives with some highly innovative characteristics and decidedly indie recurring styles. Proof of this can perhaps be seen in the opening film. The festival has chosen to fire the starting pistol for its programme with the first two episodes of El vecino [+lire aussi :
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fiche série], the series directed by Nacho Vigalondo and written by Carlos de Pando and Sara Antuña. This adaptation of the comic of the same name by Santiago García and Pepo Pérez stars Quim Gutiérrez and Clara Lago, and was made for Netflix (see the news).

In its competitive official section for feature films, the festival’s main category, the gathering will welcome the most recent works, featuring European co-producers, by Spanish-Chilean helmer Théo Court (White on White [+lire aussi :
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interview : Théo Court
fiche film], which will be having its Spanish premiere, following its participation in Orizzonti at Venice), Costa Rica’s Sofía Quirós Úbeda (Land of Ashes [+lire aussi :
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fiche film]), Iceland’s Hlýnur Pálmason (A White, White Day [+lire aussi :
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interview : Hlynur Pálmason
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interview : Andreas Horvath
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interview : Nora Fingscheidt
fiche film]), Bulgarian Stephan Komandarev (Rounds [+lire aussi :
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interview : Stephan Komandarev
fiche film]), Romania’s Anca Damian (the animated flick Marona’s Fanastic Tale [+lire aussi :
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fiche film]), Italian maestro Nanni Moretti (the documentary Santiago, Italia [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], the deserving winner of the Golden Leopard at Locarno), as well as US iconoclast Harmony Korine (The Beach Bum [+lire aussi :
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fiche film]). In addition, the section is saving a special slot for the Spanish premiere of The Perseids [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], the feature debut by Catalan directors Alberto Dexeus and Ànnia Gabarró (which last year scooped one of the FICX Push Play Work-in-progress awards), and the world premiere of Work, or to Whom Does the World Belong [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], the feature debut by Asturian filmmaker Elisa Cepedal.

Out of competition, we find documentaries by Werner Herzog (Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Gitanjali Rao. The official section is rounded off by the most recent opuses by high-profile Canadian helmer Xavier Dolan (Matthias & Maxime), Australia’s Shannon Murphy (Babyteeth), China’s Lou Ye (Saturday Fiction) and the USA’s Lynn Shelton (Sword of Trust).

Awaiting audiences in the ever-daring Rellumes, Llendes and Esbilla parallel strands are Spanish-produced features such as As mortes [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Cristóbal Arteaga, Enero [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Ione Atenea, La educación sentimental by Jorge Juárez, Inland [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Juan Palacios, Outside [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Xesc Cabot and Pep Garrido, De barrio by Xurxo Chirro, On the Names of the Goats [+lire aussi :
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interview : Miguel G. Morales y Silvia…
fiche film] by Silvia Navarro Martín and Miguel G Morales, and The Island by Mark John Ostrowski.

Besides all this, the festival, which is once again training the spotlight on younger viewers with its Enfants Terribles section, is organising retrospectives of a number of unique filmmakers, such as the great Franco Piavoli, the intriguing Axelle Ropert, fledgling directors Stefan Ivančić and Elena López Riera, who up to now have only worked on short films, and audiovisual artist María Cañas.

For more information on the full programme, please click here. Previously, the festival announced its FICX Industry Days programme, which we talked about here.