Steven Soderbergh Opens Sitges2024 with his Presence

The 57th edition of the SITGES - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia has finally gotten underway. Presence, Steven Soderbergh's latest release, kicked off this fantastic fiesta. The screening of House of Spoils and the new adaptation of Salem's Lot are the first two special screenings at this year's edition. The Official Fantàstic In Competition Selection presented Soi Cheang's Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In and Quentin Dupieux's The Second Act. 

It has become a tradition that the youngest members of the family are the ones to enjoy the Auditori experience before anyone else. The first day of the Festival kicked off with the traditional screening for schools, where young moviegoers were able to delight their senses with Dalia and the Red Book, an endearing 3D animated odyssey in the spirit of Borges' work directed by David Bisbano. A little girl is transported to the fictional world penned by her father in the film that opens the doors to this year's Anima't section. And taking the baton was Memoir of a Snail, another Claymation animation gem from internationally acclaimed filmmaker Adam Elliot, director of the much applauded (and tearful) Mary and Max. This story about atypical friendships -along with the screening of the anti-war The Glassworker by Pakistani Usman Riaz- won over the Prado theater, once again cementing Sitges' romance with animated movies.

The highlight of the day arrived, as expected, with the opening gala ceremony of this year's edition. The Auditori was all decked out in style, featuring a red carpet walked by stars of the caliber of Fred Dekker, Carlota Pereda, Lisa Dreyer and Christophe Gans, members of our deluxe Official Jury. Following this parade of talent, the gala begins, conducted by Ángel Sala and Mònica Garcia i Massagué, with interventions by Melina Matthews and Dafnis Balduz and with the attendance of illustrious institutional guests: Mr. Ernest Urtasun Domènech, Minister of Culture, Hon. Mrs. Aurora Carbonell i Abella, Mayor of Sitges, Hon. Mrs. Sònia Hernández Almodóvar, Minister of Culture of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Hon. Mrs. Raquel Sans, 1st Vice-president of the Parliament of Catalonia, Mr. Ignasi Camós, General Director of the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA), Mr. Albert Oliver-Rodés, Councilor for Culture, Social Rights and Education of the Sitges Town Council, Mrs. Judit Sans, manager of the ICEC and Mr. Francisco Vargas, Director of the Audiovisual Area of the ICEC.

Indeed, there were plenty of big names at the opening gala, but two may have shone a little brighter than the rest. Steven Soderbergh and his latest film, Presence, were the night's starring couple. The American filmmaker, the man behind an extensive filmography that includes movies such as Ocean's Eleven, Contagion or the remake of Solaris, relies on a surprising script by David Koepp to convince us that a family is not alone in their new home. The film, starring Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan and Callina Liang, lands in Sitges following its screening at the past edition of the Sundance Film Festival, making a huge impact on the packed and enthusiastic Auditori.

Mar Targarona, Catalan director and producer, was also one of the most important names of the night, because it was during the opening gala that she received the Woman In Fan Award at this year's Festival. This filmmaker was honored for her immense contribution to domestic fantastic genre films. As a producer, the Barcelona-born filmmaker has brought to the big screen productions including Julia's Eyes, The Body and The Orphanage, and as a director, Targarona brought us The Photographer of Mauthausen, winner of four Gaudí Awards and nominated for four Goya Awards.

The Official Fantàstic In a Competition Selection also opened its doors today, inviting us to the frenetic Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, the latest from Soi Cheang. This Hong Kong filmmaker, the man responsible for bringing us films like Motorway, Limbo and Mad Fate, reaffirmed his position today at the Auditori as an essential figure in contemporary action movies with this story of revenge and illegal fights. Quentin Dupieux's return to Sitges is always good news. After presenting many of his previous films here and receiving the Time Machine Award in 2022, this French absurdist is back with The Second Act, a Dupieux-style comedy of errors starring Léa Seydoux, Vincent Lindon and Louis Garrel that opened the recent edition of the Cannes Film Festival.

To premiere with two special screenings is to premiere in style. And if not, just tell that to the Prado theater's audience, who were able to enjoy Salem's Lot by Gary Dauberman, James Wan's regular collaborator and director of Annabelle Comes Home. Like Annabelle, Stephen King returns home with an adaptation of one of his best novels, this time starring Lewis Pullman, Alfre Woodard and Makenzie Leigh. Also special for the Festival is the return of the duo of Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Kurdy. Their latest film House of Spoils brought the ideal snack to the Tramuntana theater for fans of The Bear and Blumhouse, a delightful culinary madness seasoned with the occasional jump scare. 

Of course, we haven't forgotten the rest of the sections. Órbita welcomed us to the Festival with the special screening of The Moon Thieves. The members of the Cantonese boy band Mirror place themselves at the service of filmmaker Kim Wai Yuen in this vibrant action comedy a la Ocean's Eleven. Italy invaded the section with Diabolik: Who Are You? by the Manetti Bros., the third part of the detective franchise that has been gaining fans in Sitges year after year. Also a sequel -and also screened in Órbita- is the hunt for a serial killer portrayed in I, The Executioner by Ryoo Seung-wan, who already visited us last year with Smugglers and today flooded the Auditori with fights, persecutions and plot twists. 

Meanwhile, Panorama set the bar high by opening with The Damned by Thordur Palsson, creator of Netflix's first Icelandic TV series. In this atmospheric feature film that premiered at Tribeca, the filmmaker hybridizes drama and psychological horror to the point of leaving the Escorxador's audience glued to their seats. Something very similar was achieved by Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever, the sequel to one of the most successful Danish films in history directed by Ole Bornedal. To give the first day an exceptional ending, Panorama welcomed us with a double bill of Angela Gulner's The Beldham and Francesco Carnesecchi's Resvrgis. Noves Visions also raised its curtain. Didier Konings makes his feature debut with Heresy, a dark portrait of religious fanaticism that transformed the Prado theater into a small Dutch village in the Middle Ages. 

In addition to all the films that were screened, we can also add the beginning of the parallel activities that characterize this Festival. Starting today, the FOODTASTIC, an area where you can enjoy the best gastronomy at any time, ideal when the free time between films is short, has been opened. You can also visit the FANSHOP, a space where you can buy all kinds of merchandise related to horror films. You can also enjoy Rodatge Maleït, the free "passage of terror" that this year repeats at the CENTRE CULTURAL MIRAMAR and that will be open every day of the Festival. Finally, we invite you to visit the two exhibitions that we have organized this year at the Festival: ONE OF US!!!! A FREAKS COMIC TRIBUTE, a collection of fantastic illustrations featuring eccentric beings with works by artists including Gerard Freixes, Chema García, Olga de Castro and Joaquín Reyes and curated by Borja Crespo, and The Strange Colors of Vranckx, a journey through the art of one of the most amazing creators of film posters curated by Gerard Casau. The first is located at the exit of the Auditori Melià and the second at the Estudi Vidal. We invite you to stay up to date with all the parallel activities here.