2023. On the occasion of the 2023 Spanish Cinema Day we present the 10 films competing in the Spanish Section

The Madrid Films by Women Festival joins the SPANISH CINEMA DAY, which is celebrated today, October 6th, by presenting the Spanish Authors Competition, as well as other Spanish films out of competition, included in this 6th edition’s programming.

This initiative, launched in 2021 by the Ministry of Culture and Sports, through the Spanish Institute of Cinematography and Audio-visual Arts (ICAA), aims in its third edition to celebrate  and honour all the people who throughout history have contributed to the world of cinema. Directors, screenwriters, actors, producers, props managers, makeup artists, apprentices, lighting managers, directors of photography, scripters, art directors, tailors, electricians, editors and conductors, who make possible the stories we see on screen. The Spanish Cinema Day is, therefore, the day “of all those who make our cinema possible.”

OFFICIAL SECTION. SPANISH COMPETITION. SALA BERLANGA.
Sala Berlanga de la Fundación SGAE

Thanks to the collaboration of the Fundación SGAE, the Madrid Films by Women Festival will program the Spanish Competition at the Sala Berlanga. The Festival's Programming Committee has carefully selected 10 feature films, produced between 2022 and 2023, which will compete for the 2023 Best Spanish Film Award at the Madrid Films by Women Festival. 

The award, to be given at Closing Gala, will be granted by 3 critics from the ‘Asociación Premios Blogos de Oro’: María Cabal, cinema journalist, Diego Da Costa, cultural journalist and Verónica Dávila, journalist, and will be given . The director of the winning film will receive €3,000 in film equipment rental discounts, courtesy of RC Service, and a mobile phone, Xiaomi 13 Lite, courtesy of Xiaomi Iberia.

In addition, most of the film directors will attend the screening of their films to introduce their creation and to discuss with the audience. The films selected for the Spanish Competion are:

• “20.000 Especies de Abejas” (2023) de Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren
• “El sueño de la Sultana” (2023) de Isabel Herguera
• “Chinas” (2023) de Arantxa Echevarría 
• “Vasil” (2022) de Avelina Prat 
• “¡Salta!” (2023) de Olga Osorio
• “La Singla” (2023) de Paloma Zapata
• “O Corno” (2023) de Jaione Camborda, premiada con la Concha de Oro en el Festival de San Sebastián 2023
• “El mestre que va prometre el mar (El maestro que prometió el mar)” (2023) de Patricia Font
• “Las buenas compañías” (2023) de Silvia Munt
• “Creatura” (2023) de Elena Martín Gimeno

Check below the detailed full program of the screenings!

SPECIAL SESSIONS. SALA BERLANGA
Sala Berlanga de la Fundación SGAE

We will also premiere in Madrid, at a special screening, the out of competition documentary “Arnasa Betean, Emakume Zinegileak” by Bertha Gaztelumendi and Rosa Zufía (“A Deep Breath, Women Filmakers”), 2023, which portrays Basque women filmmakers’ reality, past and present. A journey through pioneers and veterans, as well as through the younger ones who triumph in festivals.
The session will take place on Friday, November 3rd at 9:00 p.m. in the Sala Berlanga of the Fundación SGAE.

La Morada de Malasaña 

On November 1st and 2nd at 7:00 p.m., two special screenings of “Domingo, Domingo”, 2023, the latest film by Laura García Andreu, will take place. It’s a documentary about a farmer who keeps a secret: a hidden tree with a new variety of oranges that he dreams to patent to beat multinationals market advantage.

8madrid TV

Once again, the local television channel 8madrid TV joins the festival with a special programme dedicated to Spanish female directors, made up of 6 feature films from various decades and themes. The films that will be broadcasted in prime time are:

• “Para que no me olvides” (2005) de Patricia Ferreira
• “Paisito” (2008) de Ana Díez 
• “Tu vida en 65 minutos” (2006) de María Ripoll
• “Terroristi a Madrid (La ciudad perdida)” (1955) de Margarita Alexandre y Rafael M. Torrecilla
• “Urte Ilunak (Los años oscuros)” (1992) de Arantxa Lazcano
• “Función de Noche” (1981) de Josefa Molina

Finally, it is also worth noting that the Spanish Cinema Day is a unique opportunity to make visible the great national film repertoire, making a claim for the particular and unique vision of all those female professionals who have contributed with their perspective and have given voice to the Spanish audio-visual imaginary.

COMPLETE PROGRAMME OF THE SPANISH COMPETITION
Sala Berlanga. Fundación SGAE