Valladolid 2008

FIPRESCI Prize: "The Window" by Carlos Sorin (Argentina-Spain)

53rd Valladolid International Film Festival. The ambience of the 53rd Valladolid International Film Festival (October 24 — November 1, 2008) was determined by the pace of the selected auteur’s films. The films in the official selection as a whole were in the auteur format and this is one of the most tempting traditions of this international festival which has been responsible for introducing the world cinema to the screens of Spain. At Seminci, one can feel the living spirit of the cinema des auteurs: the everlasting tradition of the French Nouvelle Vague, the "Neue Deutsche Film", great directors from the Italian and Spanish cinemas and the Latin-American schools from the Golden Age of the movies in the middle of the last century. Modern cinema — the auteur’s cinema is still preoccupied with the avant-garde in film making even in our post-modern times. With a resounding enthusiasm, the audiences at Seminci traditionally crowd into the festival projection rooms.
    The present times were the focus of the films in this year's selection and the film awarded by the FIPRESCI Jury, The Window (La ventana), is a contemporary drama, with an aura of directly depicting the realities of the present day global world.
           

The FIPRESCI Jury: Leopoldo Muñoz, Furio Fossati, Maya Dimitrova, Lotfi Ben Khelifa, Antonio Santamarina.

53rd Valladolid International Film Festival (October 24 —November 1, 2008), www.seminici.es
FIPRESCI Prize: The Window (La ventana) by Carlos Sorin (Argentina-Spain, 2010, presented in the official competition). Details

Reports

The Eye of the Beholder. The Window (La ventana) is a family drama which Leopoldo Muñoz claims to offer great depth and imagination while providing the perfect metaphor and reflection that only storytelling and cinema can do.
Too Many Dreams! Captain Abu Raed, directed by Amin Matalqa, is a good starting point for the new Jordanian cinema according to Lotfi Ben Khelifa, who sees the central character as an old man who's still preoccupied with changing the lives of his neighbors.
The Perfect Marriage of Spanish and Italian. Furio Fossati looks at the work of Marco Ferreri and Rafael Azcona, an odd couple of friends from Italy and Spain who discovered cinema together and created a most unique body of works.
A Double-Sided Fable. Antonio Santamarina looks at the skilful way director Marcos Jorge’s feature-debut comedy interweaves two stories whilst conveying the contrasting implications of social climbing in Brazilian society.
The Seminci of the Auteurs: Established and Debuting. With a resounding enthusiasm, the audiences at Seminci traditionally crowd the festival screenings. Maya Dimirtova looks at equally compelling works from new and famous directors.

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