Sitges Family: Bringing Cinema Closer to the Whole Family
The 56th edition of the SITGES - Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia remains firm in its commitment to promoting Sitges' and film culture among new generations. A good example of this is the renewal of the "Sitges Family" initiative, back for another year with more screenings, more activities and the determination to continue growing.
Sitges, Monday, September 18th, 2023. Via an Instagram livestream, Ángel Sala, Marc Velasco and Omar Parra presented the films and new features arriving this year with a new edition of "Sitges Family"; a project that arose for the purpose of opening up both Sitges' (and the Sitges Film Festival's) culture as well as cinematic culture to the new generations. The Festival remains committed to promoting the cultural values of our Festival, bringing fantastic genre films closer to the youngest members of the family. Tickets will be available on Monday, September 25th.
Once again this year, we'll be returning to the Mercat Vell (Old Market), an ideal venue located in Town Hall Square, in the center of Sitges' old town. This is an ideal venue, but we have also explored other possibilities to be able to offer a wider range of activities, which is why some of them will be held in the MEETING venue, part of the space known as the King Kong Area. And regarding the screenings, this year they will be divided into two sections: Fantastic Kids and Fantastic Teens.
Fantastic Kids
The section that carries the most weight is, without a doubt, Fantastic Kids, with a total of 26 short films and 15 feature films designed for the whole family and from all over the world, proof that Sitges2023 continues to be faithful to the Festival's model that brings together all sorts of different cultural and artistic expressions. Therefore, it's a great opportunity for new generations to experience other ways of living and thinking through film. The first screenings of the day are especially designed for the youngest members of the family, with simple, fun and almost dialogue-free movies; while as the day progresses, the screenings take on a more teenage tone.
This year's selection includes many films being screened for the first time in Spain. As for the short films, the choices are extremely diverse, but we would like to especially highlight the Spanish national productions, with top level short films such as David Castro González's 'COLE KRSUÁ', Fran Gas's 'FIDEUÀ', 'ENTRE LUCES DE MI INOCENCIA' by Laura Zamora (nominated for a Goya in 2019) or Dani Padró's 'UN DÍA ESPECIAL', which will be screened accompanied by the feature film 'CAPA CAÍDA', a double bill dedicated to superheroes that will delight teenage fans of this genre.
As for the feature films, the Australian animated science fiction film 'SCARYGIRL' will be the opening film, an introduction to fantastic genre filmmaking that serves as an example of what's in store for the audience. The selection is varied both in its themes and its genre: From Héctor Escandell's 'ES GEGANT DES VEDRÀ I ALTRES RONDAIES' (THE GIANT OF ES VEDRA AND OTHER FAIRY TALES), a live-action film based on folktales from the island of Ibiza, to Brazilian director Igor Bastos' 'PLACA-MÃE' (MOTHERBOARD), an animated sci-fi film that raises ethical questions about the limits of Artificial Intelligence, MI MAESTRA SE COMIÓ A MI AMIGO', a sort of midway point between 'GOONIES' and 'HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS' or 'DRAGON BALL 0', a Korean adaptation of the well-known animated series (and manga, of course) that fans of the "trashiest" (and funniest) movies are going to enjoy.
Fantastic Teens
The Fantastic Teens section brings with it far fewer films, a total of 2 short films and 4 feature films, but with a much more irreverent tone and designed for teenage audiences (and adults) who want to start exploring the more "hardcore" side of the Sitges Film Festival.
The selection will include a total of four screenings: the diptychs formed by the Spanish short film 'SILURO, LA BESTIA DEL EBRO' and the American feature film 'GLOWZIES' by Hank Braxtan; and 'MI ZONA' by Spanish director Cristian Beteta and the American feature film 'THE INVISIBLE RAPTOR' by Mike Hermosa, a film about an invisible raptor terrorizing a small town; 'GUY MANLEY - A REAL MOVIE' by Swedish director David Andersson, about a former spy who embarks on his latest mission and the horror comedy 'THE BRIDGE CURSE: RITUAL' by Taiwanese director Leste Hsi.
Here’s a complete list of all the screenings:
Fantastic Kids (Short Films)
TÜMPEL - Lena Von Döhren (Denmark)
THE BRIGHTEST STAR – Tuomas Tupprainen (Finland)
EL MOTOR Y LA MELODÍA - Juan Antonio Limo Giribaldi, Manuel-Antonio Monteagudo (Peru)
TOYA DAN ROH SENINYA – Andara Fembriarto (Indonesia)
LITTLE FAN – Sveta Yuferova (Germany)
SPOON – Arthur Cays (France)
COLE KRSUÁ - David Castro González (Spain)
CAMILLE – Denise Roldán (Mexico)
IF – Didier Charette (Canada)
VIDA Y LA TORTA DE CHOCOLATE – Rodrigo Elizalde (Argentina)
SPOT THE DIFERENCE – Brune de Cerval (France)
THE CALLOWAY TRAIN – Agathe Geneste (France)
TOMATO KITCHEN – Junyi Xiao (China)
ENTRE LUCES DE MI INOCENCIA – Laura Zamora (Spain)
BROKEN – Farzaneh Omidvarnia (Dinamarca)
FIDEUÁ - Fran Gas (Spain)
THE NECTAR INSTEAD – Yoo Lee (USA)
BECARIAS – Núria Poveda, Marina Cortón, Marina Donderis (Spain)
THE LAST ELEPHANT ON EARTH – Johanis Lyons-Reid (Australia)
WIND PRINCESS – Chris Tex (Brasil)
BUG – Coral Amiga, Nicole Hartley (Inglaterra)
TODO ESTÁ PERDIDO – Carla Pereira (Spain)
NADA DE NADA - Gastón Haag (Spain)
UN DÍA ESPECIAL – Dani Padró (Spain)
DUMB BUNNY AND JACKASS. GHOST-A-GO-GO – Bill Kopp (USA)
Fantastic Kids (Festure Films)
ES GEGANT DES VEDRÀ I ALTRES RONDAIES - Héctor Escandell (Spain)
PLACA-MAE – Igor Bastos (Brasil)
ASUNTOS PENDIENTES DEL MÁS ALLÁ - Ian Martin (Mexico)
THE WEIRD KIDZ – Zach Passero (USA)
ALCHEMIST CURSED IN TIME 2 – Petr Kubík (Czech Republic)
SCARYGIRL – Ricard Cussó, Tania Vincent (Australia)
MOLLI AND MAX IN THE FUTURE – Michael Litwal (USA)
CAPA CAÍDA - Santiago Alvarado (Spain)
DRAGON BALL 0 – Wang Ryong (South Korea)
DARK TALES – Daniel de la Vega, Daniel Noblom, Matias Akhmentis, Francesc Canovas, Fabio Colonna, Ezio Massa (USA/Spain)
OPAL – Alain Bidard (France)
LA FAMOSA INVASIÓN DE LOS OSOS EN SICILIA – Lorenzo Mattotti (France)
EL MALVADO ZORRO FEROZ – Patrick Imbert (France)
MI MAESTRA SE COMIÓ A MI AMIGO - José Sierra (Mexico)
THE WONDERLAND – Kochii Hara (Japan)
Fantastic Teens (Short Films)
SILURO, LA BESTIA DEL EBRO – Jordi Romero (Spain)
MI ZONA – Cristian Beteta (Spain)
Fantastic Teens (Feature Films)
GLOWZIES – Hank Braxtan (USA)
EL RAPTOR INVISIBLE – Mike Hermosa (USA)
GUY MANLEY – A REAL MOVIE – David Andersson (Sweden)
THE BRIDGE CURSE: RITUAL – Lester Hsi (Taiwan)