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2005

38ed. Festival Internacional de Cinema de Catalunya (9/10 - 18/10)
#38

List of winners

Oficial Fantàstic

JURY
Blanca Li, Bill Plympton, Nieve de Medina, Elvis Mitchell and Àngel Quintana

Best Short Film
RESPIRE, by Wi Ding Ho (Taiwan)

Best Art Direction
Dave McKean for MIRRORMASK

Best Make Up FX
Michele Davidson Bell for MIRRORMASK

Best Special Effects
Thomas Mulack for THE PIANO TUNER OF EARTHQUAKES

Best Original Soundtrack
Dalpalan and Jang Yeong-gyu for A BITTERSWEET LIFE

Best Cinematography
Keung Kwok Man for SEVEN SWORDS

Best Script
Brian Nelson for HARD CANDY

Best Actress
Lee Yeong-ae for SYMPATHY FOR LADY VENGEANCE

Best Actor
Lee Kang-sheng for EL SABOR DE LA SANDIA (THE WAYWARD CLOUD)

Best Director
Johnnie To for ELECTION

Special Jury Award
EL SABOR DE LA SANDIA (THE WAYWARD CLOUD), by Tsai Ming-liang (Taiwan)
For it’s bold aesthetic and moral discourse against sexual alienation

Best Motion Picture
HARD CANDY, by David Slade (EEUU).

Carnet Jove Jury
Manuel Yáñez, Salvador Solano, Albert Forns, Gonzalo López and Francisco Javier Rueda

FANTÀSTIC
ELECTION, by Johnnie To (Hong Kong)

MIDNIGHT X-TREME
THE DARK HOURS, by Paul Fox (Canada)

Special Mention to THE WILD BLUE YONDER, by Werner Herzog (USA), for Brad Dourif’s exceptional interpretation.

Noves Visions
JURY
Antonio Santamarina, Carles Torres and Ezgi Yalynalp

THE GIRL FROM MONDAY, by Hal Hartley (EEUU).

Special Mention to GRIZZLY MAN, by Werner Herzog (EEUU) by Werner Herzog, because the members of the jury are still arguing over whether it’s a true story or not.

Orient Express - Casa Àsia
JURY
Antonio Santamarina, Carles Torres and Ezgi Yalynalp

ANTARCTIC JOURNAL, by Yim Phil-sung (South Corea).

Animat – Gertie Award
JURY
José Luis de Vicente, Enric Martí and Álex Samaranch

Best Animated Film
THE DISTRICT, by Áron Gauder

Best Animated Short film
CIRKUS by Thomas Pors

Brigadoon (Sponsor for Editorial DEVIR)
JURY
Eugenio Mira, Luis Royo and Sergio Molina

Best short film
GRAVELESS, by Christian Ray

Méliès D’argent
JURY
Kiko Amat, Christian Molina and Jordi Burgués

Silver Méliès for Best European Motion Picture
TROUBLE, by Harry Cleven (Francia-Bélgica)

Short Film nominee for Silver Méliès Award
CITY PARADISE, by Gäelle Denis

OTHER AWARDS

Audience Award for Best Motion Picture (Sponsor for El Periódico)
HARD CANDY, by David Slade (EEUU)

Nova Autoria Award (Sponsor for SGAE)

Best Director
La última Polaroid, by Mar Coll (Short film, ESCAC)

Best Script
Sin Piedras, (documental, Universitat Ramon Llull)
Director and script: Quim Fuster, Pau Iriarte

Best Soundtrack
14 apóstoles, by Maialen Sarasúa. (Documental. Universitat Pompeu Fabra) Autor of music: Oier Sarasúa

Jose Luis Guarner Critic Award
EL SABOR DE LA SANDIA (THE WAYWARD CLOUD), by Tsai Ming-liang (Taiwan)

Citizen Kane Award to an up-and-coming director
LA MOUSTACHE, by Emmanuel Carrère (France).

Special Mention to ZULO, by Carlos Martín Ferrera (Spain), for his bold treatment of a controversial subject that could happen to anyone.

Jury

Oficial Fantàstic Jury

Bill Plympton
Portland, Oregon, United States, 1946. Director. In 1968 he moved to New York and began studies at the School of Visual Arts, working as a film magazine designer and illustrator for publications like The New York Times, Vogue and Rolling Stone. In 1985, once again taking up an interest for animation that goes back to his early childhood, he directed his first animated short Drawing Lesson # 2 and was nominated for his first Academy Award (years later he would be nominated again for Guard Dog). Several advertising pieces, video clips, some thirty-odd shorts and seven feature films crown a career in the field of animation that has won awards on countless occasions.

Àngel Quintana
Àngel Quintana (Torroella de Montgrí, 1960) Permanent professor of Film History and theory at Girona University. Movie critic for El Punt, the La Vanguardia’s Culture supplement and Dirigido. He has published the books Roberto Rossellini (Professorship, 1995), Jean Renoir (Professorship, 1998), Olivier Assayas.Líneas de Fuga (Olivier Assayas. Lines of Escape - Gijon Festival, 2003), El cine italiano del neorrealismo a la modernidad (Italian cinema from neorealism to the modern age - Paidós, 1997), Fábulas de lo visible (Fables of the Invisible - El Acantilado, 2003), winner of an award last year from the Spanish Association of Film Historians for best monograph in 2003.

Nieve de Medina
Spanish actress. An acting, dance and stage management graduate, she was a finalist for best actress at the 2003 European Academy Awards. Nominated for a Goya Award for best promising new actress by the Spanish Film Academy in 2003 and elected best actress of the year by newspaper El País’ readers, Nieve de Medina has had important roles in big international hit films like Los lunes al Sol- Mondays in the Sun (Fernando León de Aranoa –2002-) and El Bola (Archero Mañas –2000-) as well as a successful career in the theater world.

Blanca Li
Choreographer, dancer and film director, Blanca Li was born in Granada and was educated in New York until founding her own dance company in Paris. An honorary choreographer at the Paris Opera House in Les Indes Galantes and in the ballet
Shéhérazade, in 2001 she directed the Komische Oper ballet in Berlin.
Li wrote and directed her first fiction feature film, Le Delfi, in 2002. She is currently preparing her second film Cabaret Latino, while her dance company continues their program with two shows: Alarme, a series of short, humorous, plastic pieces that she created last year and Al Andalus, an Andalusian-inspired ballet that includes Amor Brujo by Manuel de Falla. Winner of the 2005 Manuel de Falla Award.

Elvis Mitchell
Elvis Mitchell is a film critic for The New York Times. Previously, he was a film critic for the Fort-Worth Star Telegram, the Los Angeles Herald Examiner and The Detroit Free Press. For the past 15 years Mr. Mitchell has become well known to a national audience as the entertainment critic of NPR’s "Weekend Edition with Scott Simon." He has also been the host of "Independent Focus," a program on the Independent Film Channel, and has appeared regularly on other TV and radio programs. In addition, he has written on film for Rolling Stone, GQ and Interview magazines.

Carnet Jove Jury

Manuel Yáñez
Salvador Solano
Albert Forns
Gonzalo López
Fco. Javier Rueda

For the first time since its creation, the Festival will have a youth jury, organized in collaboration with the Secretaria General de Joventut de la Generalitat de Catalunya – the Catalan government's General Department of Youth. The Carnet Jove Jury, made up exclusively of movie critics from 18 to 30 years of age, will be presenting the new Carnet Jove Jury Award for Best Motion Picture from among all the feature films presented in the Festival’s Official Fantàstic selection, allowing for the youth audience, the most loyal to this international competition, to officially express, for the first time, their tastes and preferences in movies.

Noves Visions - Orient Express Jury - Casa Asia

Carles Torras (Film Director)
Ezgi Yalinalp (Assistant director at the Ankara’s Far East Film Festival)
Antonio Santamarina (Filmoteca Nacional)

Anima't Jury

José Luis de Vicente
Assistant Director of the Art Futura digital art festival. Journalist, theoretician and blogger for contemporary audiovisual creations and digital art. He has been the organizer of events like Res Fest, OFF and Copyfight.

Enric Martí
Director, screenwriter and producer. He has been an animation professional since the early nineties. In the bosom of his production company, Virtual Joint, he has become specialized in animation for scientific dissemination and has experimented with the potentials of animation applied to architecture or as a medium for high-level research.

Álex Samaranch
An animation specialist, he has been director and/or coordinator of the few specialized animation magazines published in our country, like Píxel or Animac Magazine.

Méliès Jury

Kiko Amat (Journalist and writter)
Christian Molina (Film Director)
Jordi Burgués (Specialist in merchandising and film memorabilia)

Brigadoon

Eugenio Mira (Film Director)
Luis Royo (Illustrator and designer)
Sergio Molina (Production and talent coordinator)

Tributes

Commemoration 30th Anniversary of Jaws

Sitges 2005 commemorates the 30th anniversary of the world premiere of Jaws, by Steven Spielberg, the movie that not only changed the shapes and concept of fantasy films in the 70’s, but also the entire way of understanding the exploitation of a movie in the commercial movie theater circuit when it became history’s first summer blockbuster.

The festival will be celebrating this anniversary with special screenings of the entire Jaws saga, documentaries on the movie and screenings on the entire universe that has been developing over the past three decades revolving around Spielberg’s film (unusual imitations, collector’s items, etc.).

In addition, Sitges 2005 will be organizing an exhibition with movie-related material and will have important guests (to be confirmed) directly related to Jaws.

Tributes Johnnie To - Màquina del Temps

Born in 1955 and seasoned during the seventies at the TVB television station where he was an assistant, producer and executive producer, the career of this eclectic Hong Kong director and producer, who has known how to successfully cross the turbulent waters of local production, includes more than fifty titles to date, from all imaginable genres.

The Heroic Trio and The Barefooted Kid, both shot in 1993, opened the doors for him to a West dazzled by the fast-paced, colorful martial arts and pulp fantasy imaginary. But it would be starting from 1996, with the founding of the Mylkyway Image production company, when his name would begin to forcefully demand the attention of enthusiasts, specialized critics and international festivals thanks to the direction and production of a remarkable number of police thrillers that combined and renewed the keys to success of filmmakers who’d emigrated to Hollywood, like Tsui Hark and John Woo.

Having worked with most of the stars from the local movie scene, responsible for huge box office hits and winner of innumerable awards and critical acclaim, Sitges 2005 is pleased to be able offer this retrospective and present Johnnie To with the La Màquina del Temps (Time Machine) award, in recognition of a splendid career.

Tributes Jim Henson Company Màquina del Temps

LABYRINTH
Misunderstood by her parents and inspired by her fantasy books, Sarah (Jennifer Connelli) conjures up the Goblins to get rid of her little brother. Baby Toby is then confined inside an immense labyrinth where dark forces lie in wait around every corner. To save him, Sarah must find her way through the Labyrinth’s dangerous passages and stand up to Jareth, the Goblin King (David Bowie). The magic of Jim Henson’s creatures glows in each and every frame of this unforgettable film, impregnated with a chameleon-like Bowie’s musical energy.

THE DARK CRYSTAL
On another planet, in another time, the Dark Cristal was damaged and the age of Darkness spread all over the Earth. Now the conjunction of the three suns heralds the start of the sinister Skekses’ reign of terror, unless the powerful Crystal can be healed. Young Jen, the last of the Gelfings, starts his journey to recover the missing shard of the Crystal and restore order to the Universe. One of the most outstanding works in Jim Henson’s film career, and cornerstone of the fantasy genre during the ‘80s.

Jodie Foster - Grand Honorary Award

This year the Festival will be presenting actress Jodie Foster with its Grand Honorary Award.

Flightplan is the movie the star of The Silence of the Lambs and Panic Room is presenting at Sitges’ film festival this year.

Considered to be a child prodigy of interpretation, she started her movie career at a very early age, with some of the most unforgettable performances in her career under Martin Scorsese’s direction in Taxi Driver and Alice Doesn’t Live Here any More.

Álex de la Iglesia - Màquina del Temps

We need filmmakers like Alex de la Iglesia. This Bilbao-born, compulsive movie-lover who began his professional career as a comic book artist, is responsible for some of the biggest, most-talked-about box office hits in Spanish cinema

His movies, hilarious genre incursions, have always reached the bottom of our hearts. Alex’s epicurism and excellent taste in B-movies and the joy he radiates in his Diario de un Neurasténico (for more information go to www.alexdelaiglesia.com) cast a light on our darkest thoughts and make us better persons.

This year, the Sitges Festival is proud to present him with the La Màquina del Temps (Time Machine) award for his career as a whole.

Bill Plympton - Màquina del Temps

Portland, Oregon, United States, 1946. Director. In 1968 he moved to New York and began studies at the School of Visual Arts, working as a film magazine designer and illustrator for publications like The New York Times, Vogue and Rolling Stone.

In 1985, once again taking up an interest for animation that goes back to his early childhood, he directed his first animated short “Drawing Lesson # 2” and was nominated for his first Academy Award (years later he would be nominated again for “Guard Dog”).

Several advertising pieces, video clips, some thirty-odd shorts and seven feature films crown a career in the field of animation that has won awards on countless occasions.

Jaws Crew: Joe Alves, Carl Gottlieb and Greg Nicotero Màquina del Temps

Three of the men that played an essential role in the creation of the Jaws myth will be in Sitges to accept the honorary La Màquina del Temps (Time Machine) award. Carl Gootlieb (co-writer and actor in the film), Joe Alves (in charge of production design) and special effects wizard Greg Nicotero, will receive this award not only for the film Sitges is honoring this year, but for a whole lifetime devoted to the Seventh Art.

Julio Fernández - Maria Honirífica

Julio Fernández. President of Filmax Group. Born in Fonsagrada (Lugo, Galicia), he has been a resident in Catalonia since the ‘60s.

He is one of the architects of the audiovisual industry’s new stage in Spain. He is a member of the Spanish Academy of the Arts and Film Sciences, winner of the 2002 Castelao Medal from the Xunta de Galicia (Galician autonomous government), of the Gold Star from the Media Club, and belongs to diverse organisms and associations related to the audiovisual and business field: Consultant for the EGEDA, (Entity for the Administration of Audiovisual Producer Rights ) President of the Cluster del Audiovisual Gallego (Galician Audiovisual Group) , member of the FAPAE (Spanish Federation of Audiovisual Producers), Patron of the Fundació Privada de l'Escola Superior de Cinema i Audiovisual de Catalunya - ESCAC (Private Foundation of the Catalonian) and President of the Associació d'Empresaris Gallegs a Catalunya (Association of Galician businessmen in Catalonia).

In recent years he has produced movies like The Nameless, Darkness, El Lobo (Wolf), Tapas, Paraules Encadenades (Killing Words), The Machinist and Frágiles (Fragile – a Ghost Story), among so many others, making him point of reference as an international producer.

He is the creator of the Fantastic Factory trademark, where he has achieved an efficient combination of American, European and Spanish talents. In the animation sector he has produced movies like: Goomer, Pinocchio 300, El Cid, winners of diverse Goya Awards and Gisaku that will be presented at this year’s Festival.

Square Enix Co. Ltd. - Honorary Maria Award

With its headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, Square Enix develops, publishes and distributes recreational products including interactive entertainment software and publications. .

Square Enix brings together, under one name, “Final Fantasy” and “Dragon Quest”, two of the most successful franchises in Japan with millions of dollars in sales in the rest of the world.

In September 2005, at movie theaters all over Japan, the company premiered Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, the long-awaited digital animation production based on the famous series of console games, also a special guest at the 61st Venice Mostra. Sitges 2005 celebrates the company’s innovative efforts presenting Square Enix with the festival’s Honorary Maria Award.

Actes paral·lels

Exhibitions

SITGES-Festival Internacional de Catalunya 2005, will be offering commemorative exhibitions for two of this year’s movie get-together’s main leitmotifs: Jaw’s 30th anniversary and a sample of the work the Grangel Animation Studio in Barcelona has been doing over the last few year for Tim Burton’s animated film, Corpse Bride.

The Jaws, 30th Anniversary show consists of a collection of originals by Joe Alves, the mythical film’s production designer, which along with a personal collection from Jim Beller, one of the biggest Jaws collectors in the world, will complement a unique exhibit never before seen in our country until now.

Corpse Bride-Grangel Studio will be presenting color reproductions of the evolution of the film’s character’s creation, sketches, ideas and finished color drawings, as well as material on the supervision of the dolls used in the shooting of Tim Burton’s latest movie.

Sitges 2005 Shop Window Contest

This year as every year, the Sitges’05-International Film Festival of Catalonia organization, in collaboration with diverse associations of storekeepers with businesses all over town and with the support of Universal-Port Aventura, announces its SITGES 2005 SHOP WINDOW CONTEST.


Eligible Participants:
All business establishments in Sitges with a shop window in full view of pedestrians.
The establishments must be decorated with movie motifs (especially fantasy film) and must have, somewhere visible, a Sitges’05 symbol (it could be the “King Kong” logo, this year’s poster, the program, a postcard, etc.) and a Port Aventura symbol that the participants will be provided with.
The contestants must register and have their shop window set up from October 8th to the 18th.

1st prize. A weekend for four at Universal-Port Aventura, including accommodations at the Port Aventura Hotel (2 nights, breakfast included) and three days admittance to the park.
2nd prize. A weekend for two at Universal-Port Aventura, including accommodations at the Port Aventura Hotel (2 nights, breakfast included) and three days admittance to the park.
3rd prize. Dinner for two at the Dolce Sitges hotel restaurant.

All participants will receive two tickets for a Sitges’05 screening and two tickets to Port Aventura.

Registration: Festival Office: c/ Davallada, 12 (MIRAMAR building), from 9:00 to 15:00 and 16:30 to 19:30.

Publications

Tiburón ¡Vas a necesitar un barco más grande!, el filme que cambió Hollywood by Ángel Sala. Edited by Círculo Latino.

Johnnie To, Redefiniendo el cine de autor, by Domingo López, Beatriz Martíniz, Juan Salido Quim Crusellas, Eduard Terrades, Mike Hostench and Ángel Sala. Edited by Ediciones CINEASIA.

Freaks en acción, Álex de la Iglesia o el cine como fuga, by Jordi Sánchez-Navarro. Edited by Calamar Ediciones.

Diez años de terror asiático 1995-2005 (Hong Kong, Japan, Corea del Sur) by Domingo López, Eduard Terrades, Eduardo Serradilla, Quim Crusellas, Ryan Law, Enrique Garcelán, Gloria Fernández and Mario Herrera. Edited by Ediciones CINEASIA.

Organization

DIRECTOR
Ángel Sala

GERENT
Caroline Meyden

SOTS - DIRECTOR
Mike Hostench

COMITÈ DE PROGRAMACIÓ
Ángel Sala
Mike Hostench
Antonio José Navarro
Ricardo Reparaz
Jordi Sánchez-Navarro

Juanma Pastor
P.P.P.

ANIMAT
Ángel Sala
Jordi Sánchez-Navarro

CURTMETRATGES SECCIÓ OFICIAL FANTÀSTIC
Ángel Sala
Antonio José Navarro

BRIGADOON
Juanma Pastor

SITGES FÒRUM
Antonio José Navarro

SECRETÀRIA DEL FESTIVAL
Maria Roig

ADMINISTRACIÓ
Natàlia Rey-Joly
Maria Roig

COORDINACIÓ DE PEL·LÍCULES
Responsables: Lídia Gilabert i Pepa Cordero
Adjunt: Fric López

MÀRKETING, COMUNICACIÓ I PREMSA
Cap: Eva “Caruso” Herrero
Responsable Marketing i Comunicació: Marina “Caruso” Queraltó
Responsable Premsa: Maria “Caruso” Castells
Adjunts: Isa "Caruso" Castells, Juan Pablo "Caruso" Oviedo, Pau "Caruso" Teixidor
Auxiliar: Júlia "Caruso" de Balle
Meritori: Alberto "Caruso" Jordán

COORDINADORA D'ENTREVISTES I TRADUCTORS
Mila "Caruso" Rodríguez
Traductors: Gorka Ortiz de Zárate, Bricio Segovia, Paula Garuz, Estefanía Sort, Jiyoune Yun

SALA DE VISIONATS
Tere Vallbona

LOGÍSTICA I RELACIONS PÚBLIQUES
Cap Logística: Imma Serra
Cap RR.PP. i Protocol: Beatriu Solivellas
Adjuntes: Maria Alcázar, Anna Ibáñez, Anna Petrus

COORDINACIÓ CONVIDATS
Alicia Reginato
Adjunt: Aram Garriga

SECRETÀRIA JURAT
Natalie Mierop

ATENCIÓ CONVIDATS
Po Yen Chang, Salvador Colom, Maria Fàtima Lópes, Jane Mason, Clara Matas, Marta Rodríguez, Haritz Zubía

COORDINADOR DE TRANSPORTS CONVIDATS
Dani Arbonés
Adjunt: Adrià Villar
Conductors: Nigel Bjornberg, David Cordero, Oriol Franquesa, Dani Guerrero, Joan Marc Matas, Francesc Massaguer, Federico Peñalver, David Ramírez, Santiago Rodríguez i Raúl Soriano
Coordinador Voluntaris: Vicente Campillo
Adjunta: Patricia Luna

ATENCIÓ INDÚSTRIA I COORDINACIÓ CERIMÒNIES
Ricardo Gil

MUNTATGES AUDIOVISUALS
 Moviola Produccions
La Chula Productions

PRODUCCIÓ I INFRAESTRUCTURES
Cap: Josep "Gari" Gràcia
Adjunt: Pere Milán

CAP DE MANTENIMENT
Joan Carles Alegre
Adjunt: Axel Neumann

RESPONSABLE DE MAGATZEM
Guille García
Auxiliar: Hamid Al-Meshhedani

TRANSPORTISTA
Xavier Montaner

REGIDORS D'ESPAIS
Auditori: Ciscu Santgenís
El Prado: Arnau Orobitg
Adjunt Prado: Toni Tudela
El Retiro: Inmaculada Lanuza
Adjunt Retiro: Genís Hernández
Sala Tramuntana: Ramon Artigas
Brigadoon: Sonia Pérez

PORTERS
Auditori: Ignacio Fernández, Diego Giménez, Adrián Gómez
El Prado :Francesc Piqué
El Retiro: Mercè Garcia
Sala Tramuntana: Cesare Aceti

PUBLICACIONS
Cap: Ricardo Reparaz
Adjunta: Violeta Kovacsics
Documentació: Lídia Thomas
Redactors: Héctor Castells, Lídia Thomas, Manuel Yáñez
Il·lustrador: Guillem Dols

DISSENY GRÀFIC CATÀLEG I PORTADA
Art&Maña

Disseny Gràfic Especial "El Periódico" i Diari del Festival
Estudio Fénix

FOTÒGRAFS
Miguel Ángel Chazo, Jesús Paris

COORDINACIÓ PUBLICACIONS EXTERNES
Antonio José Navarro

ENTRADES
Cap: Natàlia Rey-Joly

RESPONSABLE TAQUILLA MIRAMAR
Armaine Ichón
Auxiliars de Taquilles: Sònia Armengol, Laia Fíguls, Laura Guerrero, Laura Jorge, Maider Luna, Camilla Mantovani, María Villanueva, Edel Muda, Mª Lluïsa Olea, Manuel Rubies

RESPONSABLE D'INVITACIONS
Josune Osa
Adjunts: Raquel Dalmau, Alexandra Martín, Marta Millet
Auxiliars – Recepció Convidats: Marc Aguyé, Ana Hernández, Paris O'Donnell, Meritxell Vidal, Riwaa Irfaeya

News

SITGES 2006 will be dedicated to the universe of David Lynch

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Awards Sitges 05

2005 Festival's winner was HARD CANDY, by David Slade (United States) which won awards for Best Motion Picture and Best Script. One year later, Johnnie To had once again received the Maria award for Best Director with his latest film ELECTION. Below you'll find the complete list of awards: OFICIA...

Jodie Foster to receive Sitges? Grand Honorary Award

The North American actress will be accepting the award in recognition of her artistic career, which includes movies like Taxi Driver or The Silence of the Lambs. Foster's latest film, Flightplan, will also be presented at the gala, included in the Festival's Official Premiere Section (out-of-competi...

Tarantino is back in Sitges

The acclaimed director of movies like Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs or Kill Bill has arrived in Sitges to present Hostel, his latest piece of work as a producer. Along with the film's director, Eli Roth (Cabin Fever), actress Barbara Nedeljakova , and the creator of its special effects, Greg Nicoter...

Honorary Maria Award for Julio Fernández

Before the screening of Fragile, the President of Filmax will be receiving an Honorary María Award for his career as a producer. A great defender of genre film, Julio Fernández has had the know-how to create one of the best trademarks in new Spanish horror movies. Tuesday 11, at 22.30...

Sally Potter, Simon Abkarian and Christopher Sheppard present Yes

Versatile Sally Potter presents Yes, her latest film, accompanied by part of the artistic crew: Simon Abkarian and Christopher Sheppard. Wednesday 12, at 23.15 in the Retiro Theater

Isidro Ortiz and Goya Toledo arrive in Sitges with Somne

Isidro Ortiz and actress Goya Toledo arrive at the Festival to present Somne. Wednesday 12, at 18.00 in the Auditori.

The creator of the thai film Shutter will be presenting the film

Thais Banjom Pisanthanakun and Parkpoom Wongpoom will be presenting the new Thai horror hit tonight, part of the Official Fantàstic Selection. Tuesday 11, at 20.30 in the Auditori.

Park Chan-Wook presents Sympathy For Lady Vengance

After sweeping to victory at last year's Festival with Old Boy, Park Chan-Wook returns to Sitges with this extraordinary episode from the trilogy he began with OLD BOY and Sympathy for Mr. vengance. The director will be presenting the film. Wednesday 12, at 22:15 in the Auditori.

Balagueró and Anaya present Fragiles

After The Nameless and Darkness, Jaume Balagueró brings us his new ghost story, Fragile, to Sitges, starring Calista Flockhart (Ally McBeal) y Elena Anaya. Anaya and Balagueró will be attending to present the film. Tuesday 11, at 22.30 in the Auditori.

Chiaki Kuriyama presents Takashi Miike?s latest work

Chiaki Kuriyama, one of the biggest Asian stars of the moment, known worldwide for her role as Go Go Yubari in Kill Bill vol. 1, will be landing in Sitges to present Takashi Miike's latest movie, The Great Yokai War (Yokai Daisenso). Tuesday 11, at 18:00 in the Auditori.

The Jim Henson Company introduces MirrorMask

The Jim Henson Company projects their new film of a delirant imagination, MirrorMask. The director Dave McKean and Henson's daugther,Lisa Henson, introduce the film. The festival award the work of Jim Henson with the Màquina del Temps. Monday the 10th, at 6pm at the Auditori

Álex de la Iglesia receives the Màquina del Temps Award

This Bilbao-born, compulsive movie-lover who began his professional career as a comic book artist, is responsible for some of the biggest, most-talked-about box office hits in Spanish cinema. His movies, hilarious genre incursions, have always reached the bottom of our hearts. This year, the Sitges...

Serenity?s crew to attend the Opening of Sitges'05

Director Joss Whedon and actors Nathan Fillion and Summer Glau attend Sitges 05' opening film, Serenity. Whedon, nominated for Academy and Emmy Awards as a screenwriter, creator of the popular TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and co-writer of Toy Story, debuts as a director with this sci-fi movie...

Rosa Mª Sardá and Tristán Ulloa receive the Aisge Foundation Award to two generations at the Sitges 05 Opening Gala

Actress Rosa Mª Sardá and actor Tristán Ulloa receive the 'Aisge Foundation Award to Two Generations', that this Foundation grants 'for the second year straight- to two outstanding figures in Spanish cinema: a well-known performer whose dedication to cinema, television and theater...

Sitges Sales Office together with Catalan Focus

The Sitges Sales Office 05 participants will have the chance to see some of the most recent Catalan productions. Together with the festival's Catalan Focus section, premiere documentaries like The Sketcher or Professionals or Who Killed Walter Benjamin' or TV Movies like Family Book among others wil...

Sitges with the best European fantasy

Once again this year, the Festival is proud to be able to present, in its Official Fantàstic Section, a highly interesting and diversified selection of European films that have made a place for themselves among the cinematographies that normally exert their hegemony in the genre. Europe, alwa...

Festival Official Presentation

With the attendance of Caterina Mieras, Minister of Culture for the Generalitat, Àngel Sala, Festival Director, Xavier Marcé, director of the Catalan Institute of Cultural Industries and Jordi Baijet, Mayor of Sitges. SITGES 05's most outstanding features: QUENTIN TARANTINO RETURN...

The Shark is still working out of the program

The movie The Shark is still working will not be a part of this year's program as announced at the first press conference in June.

Members of the Jury 05

The OFFICIAL FANTÀSTIC SELECTION jury of this year is formed by: -Bill Plympton (Animation Director) -Àngel Quintana (Journalist and film critic) -Nieve de Medina (Actress) -Blanca Li (Dancer and choreographer) -Elvis Mitchell (New York Times journalist) The jury of the other sections...

Tarantino returns to the festival with Hostel, by Eli Roth

Attending the Festival for the third time will be one of the most influential directors in recent year, Quentin Tarantino. This time he'll be here as a producer to present the film HOSTEL, by Eli Roth (Cabin Fever). The director will be attending the festival from October 11th to the 14th. HOSTEL wi...

Tickets on sale: Friday, September 30th

Starting Friday, September 30th, tickets will be on sale for the 38th edition of the Sitges International Film Festival of Catalonia. Here at our web site you'll find all the information on the movies that make up this year's program. To purchase tickets, visit Caixa Catalunya's site www.telentrada....

Serenity to open Sitges'05

Director, Joss Whedon, actor Nathan Fillion and actress Summer Glau will be opening Sitges'05 with Serenity, on October 9th. Academy and Emmy Award nominee scriptwriter, Joss Whedon, creator of the popular Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show and co-writer of Toy Story, debuts as a director with this...

Viggo Mortensen & David Cronenberg present in the festival

Viggo Mortensen and the director of A History of violence, David Cronenberg, will be in Sitges at the festival October 17th to present the Premiere Oficial film that will be closing SITGES '05.

Jodie Foster to receive the Honorific Grand Prize

Jodie Foster to receive award October 13th at the Official Premiere of Flightplan Jodie Foster will be one of the many celebrities present in Sitges '05 - Festival Internacional de Cinema de Catalunya, and she will receive the top honorific prize in recognition of her outstanding career in the film...

Rosa Mª Sardá and Tristán Ulloa, Aisge Award two Generations

They will receive it October 9th, at the SITGES 05 Opening Gala. Actress Rosa Mª Sardá and actor Tristán Ulloa will receive the Aisge Foundation Award to Two Generations, that this Foundation grants 'for the second year straight- to two outstanding figures in Spanish cinema: a wel...

Anima't: the language of the future

Sitges' animation section, ANIMA'T, will be composed this year of 29 in-competition short films and 5 feature films that will be competing for Best Animated Short Film and Best Animated Motion Picture, respectively. Among the in-competition short films we would highlight 4 Spanish productions: La l...

Tribute to Jim Henson

Sitges 05 will be paying tribute to Jim Henson, creator of fantasy films like The Dark Crystal or Labyrinth. Lisa Henson, Jim Henson's daughter and producer of the company's latest creations, will receive the honorary 'Màquina del Temps' Award on behalf of her father, who passed away in 1990....

Registration and material

We remind those interested in participating in the Festival Sales Office that registration is still open until September 16th 2005. Any form received after this date will not be included in the catalogue. On the other hand, DVD or VHS and promotional material for the video library must be sent to...

Outstanding oriental films

SITGES 05 will be offering the latest movies by distinguished Asian filmmakers like Tsui Hark, Johnnie To, Park Chan-wook or Takashi Miike. Chiaki Kuriyama and Park Chan-wook have confirmed their assistance in Sitges. All sections of the SITGES 2005- International Film Festival of Catalonia will h...

Corpse Bride, A History of Violence and Flightplan will be screened

Three of this season's most eagerly awaited movies, CORPSE BRIDE (photo) by Tim Burton, A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE by David Cronenberg and FLIGHTPLAN, directed by Robert Schwentke and starring Jodie Foster, will be screened in SITGES 05. These movies will be three of the Festival's out-of-competition big...

New Carnet Jove Jury

Sitges 05 ' International Film Festival of Catalonia will have a youth jury for the first time since its creation, organized in collaboration with the Secretaria General de Joventut de la Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalonian Government's Youth Department). The Carnet Jove Jury, made up exclusively...

Other confirmed titles

Official Fantàstic Selection LEMMING, by Dominik Moll; THE DARK, by John Fawcett MIRRORMASK (photo), by Dave Mackean; YOKAI DAISENSO (THE BIG SPOOK WAR), by Takashi Miike and FRAGILE, by Jaume Balagueró. The movie LA TEMPESTAD,by Tim Disney, with Spanish participation, will be shown...

Tribute to Álex de la Iglesia and Johnnie To

Álex de la Iglesia will recieve the prestigious La Màquina del Temps award. Also Sitges 2005, in its Official Selection, will be showing the latest film by Johnnie To (photo), Election, selected at the last Cannes Festival and that has received unanimous praise from international criti...

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