How to Survive/Succumb to Summer

Wherever you are, we're sure that this damn heat is keeping you just as much company as it is us. Once again, summer is fulfilling (and even doubling down on) its threat to make our lives miserable with high temperatures and the false promise of giving us some respite, which, as we all know, will soon prove to be a terrible death trap.

So, for a little bit of cinematic company, we've decided to get our programming team back together to come up with a collection of films that are perfect for letting off steam together as we face the horrors of this season of the year.

We've got chainsaws, beach parties, Aztec ruins, rural getaways, and tons of beer... whatever it takes to keep us from roasting under the damn Sun.

Blood Beach (Jeffrey Bloom, 1981)

A late Jaws exploitation film where, with a touch of irony, the threat shifts to the sand. For those of us who aren’t big fans of crowded beaches smelling of suntan lotion and overrun with towels, the last thing we needed was to hear that beneath the sticky, irritating sand lurk mutant worms ready to devour non-swimmers without a second thought. It was a small summer sleeper at the time, but it truly shined on the shelves of those beloved video stores... even though today it’s a bit lost, forgotten, and in need of a solid Blu-ray release. And when it comes to fighting worms and other species, no one better than John Saxon—one of those guys whose very presence made you feel everything was going to be okay.

Ángel Sala - Artistic Director

Sightseers (Ben Wheatley, 2021)

The fact that summer and vacations in general are fertile ground for love... and heartbreak, is something we all know well. British director Ben Wheatley explored this combination with generous doses of black humor, blood, and bucolic landscapes in his third film, Sightseers (2012). This macabre British comedy, starring Alice Lowe and Steve Oram (who also co-wrote the script), takes us on a road trip through the English countryside that is as romantic as it is lethal, where every tourist spot becomes an excuse for chaos. With an irresistible blend of social satire and zany violence, Wheatley constructs a genre gem that subverts the conventions of the slasher movie and the couple crisis.

Mònica Garcia i Massagué - General Manager Foundation

Summer Wars (Mamoru Hosoda, 2009)

Before Mamoru Hosoda became internationally famous with The Boy and the Beast, and even before he made his solo debut at Madhouse studio with The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, the director worked on several franchises for the great Toei Animation and, among them, Digimon. In two of the films he directed for the series, Hosoda was already exploring digital worlds with kids who got lost in them during their summer vacations. It was no surprise that the virtual universe would be the star in some of his subsequent films, as it was in 2009 with Summer Wars: the world of OZ has been attacked by a virus and the avatars of millions of people will be exposed, causing a global catastrophe; Kenji and the entire family of his girlfriend Natsuki, with whom he is spending his summer vacation, must join forces to fight this crusade and save the world. A fun summer family adventure!

Gloria Fernández - Selection Committee

Summer Time Machine Blues (Katsuyuki Motohiro, 2005)

Who hasn't thought about how useful a time machine would be to escape the heat and people's lack of empathy when summer rolls around? That's what Japanese director Katsuyuki Motohiro (who adapted the TV crime saga Bayside Shakedown: The Movie) has in store for us. Five young people, in the middle of summer, intense heat, and a time machine that will transport them from one place to another, as if they were lab rats, creating all kinds of hilarious situations. A record-breaking seller at the CineAsia stand in Sitges, this film invites you to travel without even leaving your room.

Enrique Garcelán - Selection Committee

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Tobe Hooper, 1974)

Fear tends to dress in winter attire. It feeds on chills and nights when an icy wind is blowing. That's why movies that take a different path and swap nighttime for scorching sun, goose bumps for heat waves, are so interesting. And none other goes as far in this regard as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: Tobe Hooper's masterpiece literally opens with visions of a blood-red sun, and the first face we see is that of a desecrated corpse, whose putrefaction has left it with a grimace not unlike the one we ourselves display during these ever more frequent heat waves. It doesn't take long for other bodies to appear, alive (though not for long), scantily clad in shorts and T-shirts that expose flesh that must be slashed, chopped up, and probably laid out on a grill. Horror without respite awaits them, a journey of bones and dust where not even a puddle to wet their throats is in sight. The (numerous) close-ups don't lie: sweat pours down from wide-open eyes and mouths contorted in screams, turning the blood salty, while the chainsaw’s teeth sing an unmistakable song, telling us that this is what summer hurts like.

Gerard Casau - Selection Committee

The Ruins (Carter Smith, 2008)

Now that summer is here and many people are making the most of it to travel, I would like to warn people about the dangers of venturing into remote, paradisiacal areas. Sometimes, what seems like an idyllic stroll in a dreamlike setting can turn into a veritable nightmare of sun, sweat, and wild nature. The protagonists of The Ruins will experience this firsthand when, searching for the brother of one of their group, they venture into the jungle and come across some ancient Mayan ruins. Director Carter Smith offers us an atypical film, where the dangers of the environment are combined with powerful body horror. A very well-crafted and, above all, entertaining film. Get ready to feel the suffocating heat, the growing tension, and the unease that only places where no one should be can provide. Perfect for watching in the summer with friends and enjoying one of those films that sometimes fly under the radar, but that I will never get tired of advocating.

Omar Parra - Selection Committee

Wake in Fright (Ted Kotcheff, 1971)

The prison from which there was no escape was summer vacation: an unattainable promise; from which there is no escape. On days of nerves and desperation fueled by extreme heat, I find it impossible not to return to the feverish memory of one of the most savage Seven Chances screenings I can remember. I don't think I've ever felt so thirsty watching a movie; I don't think I've ever felt so uncomfortable... and fascinated at the same time. Ted Kotcheff's descent into hell took place in the Australian Outback, amid a dryness that not even all the beer barrels in the world could alleviate. It's the perfect definition of a cursed film: because of the dark legend that surrounds it and because of what it awakens: the temptation to lose yourself in its abyss; the perfect invitation to bet everything on the most absurd game... only to end up losing what little sanity the thermometer allows us these days.

Víctor Esquirol - Selection Committee