The prestige afforded
Daniel Sánchez Arévalo for some time now is borne out by
ALCINE37.
'Traumalogía' is the thirteenth short film made by this absent-minded observer from Madrid. And it is the most commonly repeated word on the list of winners. This
tragicomedy set in churches and hospitals has won four awards including the First 'Ciudad de Alcalá' Award and the Audience Award.
The year of Sánchez Arévalo's triumph will also be remembered for the
internationalization of ALCINE. The Alcalá de Henares / Comunidad de Madrid Film Festival moved up a gear in a field under exploration in previous years.
The European Competition made a bold step forward and demonstrated the promising future that lies ahead. Productions from Rumania, Norway and Iceland were on the podium during this first official contact with the continent's filmmakers. In short the festival's healthy pulse is proof that
ALCINE's heart beats with renewed energy and vigour.
And there was much more to enjoy during
nine packed days. Ireland joined the festivities with screenings of the best of its films. Festive nights were cheered with an exquisite repertory of Gaelic sounds washed down with barrels of frothy beer. Six debut works including diverse genres, themes and styles were on display in the
Open Screen for New Directors section. The audience's highest appreciation was for
'Amor en defensa propia', enveloped in the heart-felt sensibilities of two elderly persons in difficult times. Closer to home, directors from Alcalá had their opportunity to shine in the
'Local Filmmakers' section.
An exhibition remembered the figure of
Lotte Reiniger, the muse of Germany's avant-guard in the twenties who was a forerunner of Disney's macro-factory in the field of animation. The other ALCINE exhibition turned those normally behind the camera into models for the still photography of the talented
Óscar Fernández Orengo. The concerns of the latest generation of Spanish filmmakers, fifteen in all, are reflected in
'Contemporary Voices' a fantastic pick-me-up for film buffs welling up from
Hilario J. Rodríguez's computer keyboard for the second year in a row.
Filmmaking workshops, meetings between short filmmakers and the public, sessions on advertising, solidarity and toys on film completed the offering of the
thirty seventh ALCINE festival, which again received an immensely gratifying response from the public.
So bring on number 38.
