Boltaña (), 29th of March - 6th of April 2019

Press Release] Cinema/CULTURE

Twenty-one documentaries competing for the Espiello awards

• Nine of the twenty-one entries directed by women. • Among 16 Spanish finalists are two Aragonese productions. • Documentaries in the Competition Section to be screened simultaneously at the University of Zacatecas in Mexico. • Music is the unifying theme this year (Espiello, Al son de la vida-To the sound of life).

HUESCA (18th March 2019).- In Espiello’s 17th year, “To the sound of life” will be a re-occurring theme throughout Sobrabe’s International Festival of Ethnographic Documentary. Music is a universal vehicle for communication as will be seen on the festival’s opening day with the screening of two documentaries made 45 years apart. The first of these, titled “La Comarca de ”, was filmed in 1974 by Manuel Garrido Palacios for the RTVE series “Raíces”, and the second, “SobrarbeSon”, between July 2018 and March 2019 by Juan Carlos Somolinos.

“La Comarca de Sobrarbe” features the work done by Ánchel Conte and the Viello Sobrarbe Group in the 1970’s during the revival of this region’s folkloric tradition. “SobrarbeSon” on the other hand brings together music that is currently being written and performed in this area of the , with around 30 musical groups covering many styles, reflecting a vibrant music scene and the love that locals have for the music itself.

From the 29th of March to the 6th of April, the Boltaña Palacio de Congresos (Huesca) is hosting this latest edition of Espiello, The Sobrabe International Festival of Ethnographic Documentary, in a year that will see the awarding of the “ Siñal d’Onor”or “Honourable Mention” for a professional career related to the audiovisual and ethnological world to the director Chus Gutiérrez .

Chus Gutiérrez’s name is now up alongside those of Patricia Ferreira, Carmen Sarmiento, Carlos Saura, Fernando Trueba, Diego Galán, Cristina García Rodero, Luis Pancorbo, María Ángeles Sánchez, Joaquín Díaz and Ángel Gari, on the list of distinguished figures who have been awarded the festival’s blue ribbon.

40 productions will be screened, of which 3 world premieres, 3 national premieres, 10 films from , and 7 directorial debuts.

The 21 documentaries entered in the Competition Section will appear among the event’s 40 screenings during the festival, which while blazing a trail in its genre nationally, is putting itself squarely on the international map. Curiously, despite the majority of documentary productions being Spanish (16 in all), most of them were

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filmed in other countries. And this year there is a strong presence of female Directors, 19 in all, 13 of who direct or co-direct 9 documentaries in the competition section.

Of the 320 documentaries coming from 51 different countries across all continents, Spain heads the list with 156 titles entered in the festival. The high proportion is reflected in the films from Spain this year which represent 16 out of a total of 21 finalists. “The festival organization is particularly pleased that two Aragonese productions have made it to the final” (Orosia, estrella de la montaña and Soñando un lugar), says Patricia Español, Espiello’s Director, who is happy with the pre-selection process of documentaries and on which she comments “Although it’s tough, we’re seeing a marked improvement every year”.

This year, the figure of women and their roles in different areas of life is highly significant: the birth of baby girls and the transformation from girl to woman in different cultures or the story of women who’ve decided not to have children. Female mule drivers, sailors and scientists are among others who appear on the festival screen this year.

Due to the exceptional quality of documentaries this year, the Competition Section has been extended by one hour. “On Saturday the 30th March and 6th April, the screening times will be half an hour longer, starting at 10:30 instead of 11:00”. The post-screening debate sessions are being kept on by popular demand from both directors and audiences alike.

Competition Section Documentary finalists.

1.-Arrieros , Marcelo Curia (Brazil). 2.-Rota n’roll , Vanesa Benítez (Spain). Directorial debut 3.-Tódas las mulleres que coñezo , Xiana do Teixeiro (Spain). 4.-Lunàdigas, overo delle donne senze figli , Nicoletta Nesler /Marilisa Piga (Italy). 5.-Atsolorra , Rubén Martínez Rosas (Spain). 6.-Irioweniasi. El hilo de la luna , Esperanza Jorge Barbuzano and Inmaculada Antolín Dominguez (Spain). Directorial debut 7.-Orosia, estrella de la montaña , Eduardo de la Cruz/ Amalia Sesma (Spain). 8.- Igloolik, un cuento real , Eric de Gispert/Miquel Ardèvol (Spain). 9.- Das Versunkene Dorf /El pueblo hundido , Georg Lembergh (Austria/Italy). Directorial debut 10.-Grrl! , Daniel Suberviola (Spain/Sweden). 11.-Yeses , Miguel Forneiro (Spain). 12.-Su Battileddu , Cinzia Puggioni (Italy). Directorial debut 13.-Stölden/ Robo , Anna Nevander / Louise Nevander (Sweden). Directorial debut 14.-Born in Gambia/ Nacido en Gambia , Natxo Leuza Fernández (Spain). 15.-¡Folk! Una mirada a la música tradicional , Pablo García Sanz (Spain). 16.-Scientifilia , Pilar Rodríguez Franco (Spain). Directorial debut 17.-Fràgils , Lluís Jené / Amanda Sans Pantling / Oriol Gispert (Spain). 18.-Otíñar, un pueblo con amo , José Miguel Tudela Cánovas (Spain). 19.-Cuerdas , Marga Gutiérrez Díez (Spain). Directorial debut 20.-Soñando un lugar , Alfonso Kint (Spain). 21.-Mariñeiro , Juan Galiñanes (Spain).

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Espiello is an ever-expanding festival and this year’s innovative feature is the creation of an overseas branch in Latin-America at the University of Zacatecas (Mexico) , where on the 1 st and 5 th of April, the documentaries from the competition section will be simultaneously screened on both sides of the Atlantic.

Espiello is organized by the Culture department of the “Comarca de Sobrarbe” and is sponsored by the “Diputación Provincial de Huesca”, “Turismo de Aragón” and the head office of the Aragonese government’s Linguistic Programme. All activities are free and most screenings have a free kindergarten service.

Prizes and Honourable Mentions

Documentaries entered in the competition section will compete for the following Espiello awards: Best documentary, “Espiello Choven” for the best documentary produced by someone under the age of 36, “Espiello Pirineos” for the best mountain themed documentary, “Espiello Boltaña” to the documentary with most audience votes, “Espiello Rechira” for the best investigative work, the ASECIC Zúñiga Prize, awarded by the Spanish Association of Cinema and cientific film (ASECIC), the IAMS prize, awrded by the International Association for Media in Science, the Espiello Agora Aragonese Prize for the best entry of 2018, the Espiello Agora Aragonese Prize for the best Aragonese language entry from a school in 2018 and the promotional poster competition this year by Abel López Cabeza .

Contenders for the “Espiello Pyrenees” prize - best mountain themed documentary. Su Battileddu Arrieros Das Versunkene Dorf/ El pueblo hundido Otíñar, un pueblo con amo Soñando un lugar Orosia, estrella de la montaña Cuerdas

Contenders for the “Espiello Choven”prize , - best documentary produced by someone under the age of 36. Su Battileddu Todas las mujeres que conozco Stölden ¡Folk! Una mirada a la música tradicional Atsolorra Scientifilia

The festival is awarding three honourable mentions this year: The Espiello Special Mention of Honour, which this year will go to the film-maker Chus Gutiérrez ; the Espiello Chicorrón Special Mention, which is awarded this year to the non-profit organisation Yeeep! , for promoting the quality of audio-visual culture for 2-13 year olds, and the Special Masters Mention, dedicated to the producer and writer Manuel Garrido Palacios .

Espiello’s permanent committee have unanimously voted to award the Espiello “Siñal d’Onor” to the director Chus Gutiérrez in recognition of her “ solid career as a documentary director, cinema director, writer, actress and singer”. She has worked in 3

different genres and media (shorts, video clips, feature films, documentary, fiction, comedy, drama and musicals) displaying great skill, talent and bravery. As well as an enormous productive capacity throughout her career, her open-minded and very human vision has always been at the forefront of her work. As one of the directors and founders of the CIMA, Asociation of Women Film-makers and Audiovisual Media, she believes in the importance of women’s representation in cinema, given that it’s a good way for audiences to get to know and see us, whilst at the same time we defend our very existence. Through her films she has told stories with significant social and political content, tackling the themes of immigration, borders, discrimination and drugs while placing special emphasis on intercultural coexistence. Another constant in her work is music. Her latest film is “ Droga oral” (2015) , which picks up the thread of her first documentary “ Sexo oral” (1994) ; now she is working on the documentary “Rol & Rol”, about women’s under- representation in the media.

For her talent, her bravery, her implication, her feminism, her humanity and her gift of musical sensitivity, the “Siñal d’Onor Espiello 2019”, goes to Chus Gutiérrez.

The non-profit organisation Yeeep! Kid’s Media will be awarded to the “ Siñal Espiello Chicorrón” for its advisory and consultancy work in audiovisual culture within the infant or youth sectors and for its promotion of quality productions aimed at this age group. Through their work, young people can discover the huge diversity of choice which they have access to and participate critically, independently and creatively. Yeeep! Has participated in Espiello by programming two screenings in the Anvistas I and Cachimalla sections.

Yeep! Kid’s Media’s main objective is to promote audiovisual quality for children between the ages of 2 and 13. Members of the group include teachers, child psychologists, and specialists in the field of audiovisual communication. You can find a free cinema and TV guide for children at www.yeeep.es.

Two old friends, both honoured by Espiello, will meet face to face at the opening ceremony.

The “Siñal Mayestros” will be awarded to Manuel Garrido Palacios (Huelva, 1947) director of iconic TVE series such as Raíces , Todos los juegos , La duna móvil , El bosque sagrado , La primavera en Doñaña or Rasgos. An outstanding student of Julio Caro Baroja, Manuel Garrido Palacios has made ethnography his absolute passion.

His professional journey around more that 2000 Spanish villages, where he recorded our country’s popular traditions, is captured in his books and has put his ethnographic work well and truly on the map. He also writes novels, of which “ Teclas blancas, teclas negras” (2018) is his latest offering. Garrido Palacios has never stopped researching, travelling or writing in the field of ethnography.

Garrido Palacios is a member of the North American Academy of Spanish language and his career path has been firmly rooted in the fields of ethnography and cultural heritage.

His friend Joaquín Díaz (Zamora, 1947), who was awarded the 2007 Special Mention, is returning to the Festival to interview Manuel Garrido Palacios in Boltaña’s Palacio de Congresos.

Joaquín Díaz, as well as being a musician and a composer, is a key figure in the field of the study and dissemination of traditional culture. 4

Other sections in the festival.

Espiello runs several other parallel sections, some of which take place before the beginning of the festival, with activities including “ Espiello Agora x l’aragonés” (23rd of March) or “Anvistas”. Another section, “ Documentales con interés antropológico o social” (23rd of March ), will see the screening of “Landfill Harmonic/ The orchestra of rubbish”, a film recommended for viewers aged 7 and over. This session is organised by the prize-winning Yeeep! Kid’s Media collective in collaboration with the José María Campo music school.

On the festival’s inaugural day, the 29 th of March, the “ Sección Mayestros” will pay homage to Manuel Garrido Palacios, with the screening of the episode “La Comarca de Sobrarbe” from the series Raíces and then an interview conducted with him by Joaquín Díaz. That evening will see the premiere of Juan Carlos Somolinos’ documentary “SobrarbeSon” in the “ Sección Pirineos” .

In the “ Sección d’arredol”, focusing on audiovisual productions from within our comarca, Oliver Martín ’s directoral debut “ Nuestro país ¿perdido?” will be screened on the 30 th of March . On the same day the Espiello Agora x l’aragonés and Cachimalla sections (aimed at children) will take place. These are scheduled by Yeeep! and children will have the chance to see the animation film “Dyrene I hakkebakkeskogen/ El bosque de Haquivaqui . Then it will be the turn of Anvistas II, with the screening of “Petitet”, followed by “Coloquio” looking at emerging identities from the sound of music. The day will end with Falorias , “Ethnography in fiction”. This section is dedicated to the memory of the late American cinema director Stanley Donen, with the screening of one of cinema’s best ever musical films “Singin’in the rain”.

This year, for the benefit of primary and secondary students, the film “ El prestidigitador” by Hugo Sanz will be screened as part of the usual “ Un día de cine” section . It is aimed at students from the -Cinqueta de Plan primary schools group and students from the secondary schools of Graus, Castejón de Sos and Aínsa Sobrarbe. The scheduling and forum of this programme of audiovisual literacy and personal growth will be coordinated by Ángel Gonzalvo.

Finally, in the spirit of this year’s musical theme, the photography exhibition “SobrarbeSon” will be opened on the 31 st of March with around 50 images that came about from the filming of a documentary of the same name, directed by Juan Carlos Somolinos. The exhibition will be divided into three sections: musicians, meeting places and tradition.

International Panel of judges

Before the advent of the panel of international judges, who award the Espiello prizes to a selection of the 21 finalists, the pre-selection judges would preview all 349 of the documentaries entered to then select 320 of them. The pre-selection jury was made up of 60 people, among who were 24 cinema and anthropology experts from outside the organisation, members of Espiello’s permanent Committee and residents of the area.

Rogelio Sánchez Verdasco , -Expert in Scientific Propagation of the High Council of Scientific research (CSIC) and ex-secretary of the ASECIC, the Spanish Association of Scientific Cinema and Image. As well as collaborating with Espiello’s Permanent Committee, this year he will preside over the International Panel of judges where he

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will be joined by Catarina Alves Costa , Carmen Puyó Gómara , Óscar Salguer Montaño y Paloma Yánez .

Catarina Alves Costa , a film maker and visual anthropologist, works as a Professor of Visual Culture in the anthropology department at Nova University in Lisbon. She has sat on the panels of several ethnographic film fests and has been directing films since 1992.

Carmen Puyó Gómara Journalist and film critic at the Heraldo de Aragón newspaper. She has covered various film fests and has appeared on several panels.

Óscar Salguer Montaño A Doctor of Social and Cultural Anthropology at Granada University, he also works as an associate Professor in the Social Anthropology and Social Psychology department at Complutense University in Madrid.

Paloma Yánez Paloma works as an ethnographic film maker and is currently undertaking a doctorate in Visual Anthropology at Manchester University, studying family and the sensory changes in industrial agriculture space in the south of Spain. She has been working on several research projects over the last 7 years; In the Congo with emerging musicians; In Egypt, with children post Arab-spring; In Libya, with a theatrical project about cancer in the middle-east and in Norway and Brazil, with geologists from the oil industry. Her documentaries have been screened in numerous festivals, and she has received awards one of which being the first prize for student documentaries at the Krafta Film Festival in Scotland.

More information: Patricia Español, Espiello Director : 974 51 80 25 / 616 403 564 www.espiello.com

Pre ss Contact : [email protected] 619 73 31 66

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