AudioVisual451
Marco Sánchez Sequera
The Tabernas Desert is preparing to host the 14th edition
of the Almería Western Film Festival (AWFF), an event dedicated exclusively to
the western genre that will be held from October 10 to 13 in the municipality
of Tabernas. The festival comprises four days of activities that will revolve
around the leitmotif of this edition: water, train, immigration and Sergio
Leone.
The organization has presented the contents of its next
event. The event, held at the Almeria Provincial Council, was attended by the
Deputy for Culture, Cinema and Identity of Almeria, Almudena Morales; the mayor
of Tabernas, José Díaz; and the director of the festival, Juan Francisco
Viruega; as well as the illustrator of the poster of this edition, Celia Coe.
[José Díaz, Juan
Francisco Viruega and Almudena Morales.]
Almudena Morales highlighted that the festival
"celebrates one of the most exciting chapters of our extensive
cinematographic history, such as the close relationship of our land with the
western genre. In addition, it reaffirms once again that the province is the
best set for film projects, and this is demonstrated by the numerous shootings
and the great artists who have worked here."
"This festival is a great commitment to the seventh
art that enriches the cultural panorama of the province, becomes a powerful
tourist incentive and reinforces the actions that we promote in favor of the
audiovisual with the Almeria International Film Festival, FICAL and Filming
Almeria as emblems. From the Provincial Council of Almeria, we reaffirm our
commitment to culture and we will continue to support events like this that
make the history of the province greater," added the vice president of the
Provincial Council.
"This edition the Tabernas Film Award will be
awarded to Fabio Testi, who has left an indelible mark on the Western.
He receives this award on the fiftieth anniversary of the filming of 'The Four
of the Apocalypse', largely in the Tabernas Desert. The Italian actor will be
with us and, like other winners in this category, he will have his chair on the
town's Paseo del Cine, an initiative to keep alive the memory of great legends
of the genre," announced José Díaz.
AWFF will pay tribute to prominent figures in western
cinema in other of its awards. The Spirit of the West Award will go to
Argentine director Lisandro Alonso, in recognition of his innovative
contribution to the genre. The legendary Italian director Sergio Leone
(1929-1989) will receive, posthumously, the In Memoriam Award, a tribute
to the creator of spaghetti western, while the Italian editor Eugenio
Alabiso will be awarded the Desierto de Tabernas Award for his work
in the edition of western classics, and the writer and film historian from
Almeria José Enrique Martínez will receive the Award for the Dissemination
of the Western Genre.
"The Spirit of the West Award once again goes to an
international filmmaker, the Argentinean Lisandro Alonso, who despite his youth
has a career of more than 20 years and has achieved success at festivals around
the world. He is the contemporary western director pampered by the Cannes Film
Festival, where all his films have competed. Together with other contemporary
filmmakers such as Chloe Zhao, Carlos Reygadas or Oliver Laxe, he is probably
the best exponent of international neo-western, focusing on the coexistence of
indigenous tribes with capitalist societies, migrations or the exploration of
territory from an existential perspective," explained Juan Francisco
Viruega.
On the other hand, in this edition a journalistic or
essayistic award has been created, to recognize the work of those professionals
who investigate the legacy of the western genre. "We wanted the first
winner to be José Enrique Martínez Moya from Almeria, who has dedicated his
life to the recovery of the historical cinematographic memory of the
province," adds the director of the festival.
Main Sections
The festival's Official Feature Film Section presents a
selection of films that will compete for the jury and audience awards.
Attendees will be able to see 'Escanyapobres', by Ibai Abad (Spain); 'Eureka',
by Lisandro Alonso (Argentina); and 'Until the End of the World', by Viggo
Mortensen (USA). USA-Mexico-Canada). The opening film will be 'Paradise',
directed by Max Isaacson (USA), while the competition is completed with titles
such as 'Nina', by Andrea Jaurrieta (Spain); 'Los de abajo', by Alejandro Quiroga
(Bolivia); and 'Ride', by Jake Allyn (USA). USA).
In the Panorama Special Documentary Section, the public
will be able to enjoy works such as 'Sergio Leone, the Italian who invented
America', by Francesco Zippel (Italy), which explores the life and work of the
master of spaghetti western, and which will have its premiere in Spanish
commercial theaters at the festival. Also part of this section are 'Territory',
by Alex Galán (Spain); and 'The Magnificent Stranger', by Iván Karras and
Miguel Ángel Guerra (Spain), which will have its world premiere at the festival.
The festival will feature a selection of 30 short films
in four sections, such as the International Short Film Section and the Outlaw
International Short Film Section, where a variety of innovative works will be
presented. The RTVA Short Film Section will offer a look at local talent, while
the Outlaw Section of Made in Almeria Short Films will highlight the creativity
of the region. In addition, this edition will have a Film Schools Section that
will be evaluated by a young jury.
The jury of the Official Feature Film Section will be
made up of renowned figures, such as the English director Alex Cox, the
director and screenwriter Elena López Riera, the RTVE journalist Cristina
Delgado, the screenwriter and writer Fernando Navarro, and the director of
photography Pepe de la Rosa. For its part, the jury of the Official Short Film
Section is chaired by the director and screenwriter Rubin Stein, accompanied by
the actress and producer Eva Almaya, the writer Juan Manuel Gil, the composer Pilares
Onares and the director of advertising and video clips Willy Rodríguez. The
jury of the RTVA Short Film Section is chaired by the screenwriter and director
Sandra Romero, the film writer José Enrique Martínez Moya, the presenter of
Canal Sur Manuel Carretero and the head of locations and president of the
Association of Audiovisual Technicians of Almería (TESA), Sofía Rodríguez.
Other activities
The festival will offer a Western Classic Section, which
includes screenings of classics such as 'The Iron Horse', by John Ford (USA).
USA, 1924); 'A Fistful of Dollars', by Sergio Leone (Italy, 1964); and 'The
End', (Spain, 2009), allowing attendees to relive the magic of the traditional
western on the big screen.
In addition, literary works related to the genre will be
presented, such as 'Malaventura', by Fernando Navarro; 'Carlo Simi, designer of
dreams', by Andrea B. Nardi and Giuditta Simi; and a selection of novels and
western essays by Carlos Aguilar. There will also be the exhibition '60 years
of Sergio Leone in Tabernas', which will highlight the impact of the director
on the environment.
Attendees will be able to enjoy a series of parallel
activities, such as the X Western Characterization Contest, the VII Window
Decoration Contest and the XI Tapa Route. And the workshops and master classes
will include topics such as 'New archetypes of the western', taught by Fernando
Navarro; 'The magic hour of the desert', with the photographer Pepe de la Rosa;
'Collage western', with Celia Coe; and the round table 'Of railways and ghost
birds', on trains, western and Almeria. Likewise, the highlights include the
dramatized reading of the script 'Dead Mexicans' with director Alex Cox, and
the talk 'Rabios@', with Eva Almaya and Willy Rodríguez.
The cultural offer is completed with music, theatre and
children's shows, such as the concerts of Leone Band and Peligro Ciervos, the
performance of the San Indalecio de La Cañada Musical Group, the presentation
of the official tunes of the Almería Western Film Festival by the composer
Javier Arnal, and the play 'A Hollivud 2 kilometres', of the Theatre Classroom
of the University of Almeria.
