The sixth edition of Saraqusta Film Festival has passed the halfway point after three days of screenings of historical films, both in the official and non-competitive sections, with a positive response from the audience, as noted by Saraqusta’s director, José Ángel Delgado. “We’re seeing very good attendance at the screenings, especially in the official sections, with numbers exceeding last year’s.”
Films in Competition
Nazism is the central theme of the two films competing today at the Saraqusta Film Festival. One is the French documentary ‘La nuit de cristal’, which chronicles the violence unleashed by the Nazis in November 1938 throughout the German Reich, and the other is the American-Lithuanian feature film ‘Truth and Treason‘, about a young man who organizes an underground network to expose the lies of the Nazi regime. Both films will be screened at the Cervantes Cinema; the first at 7 p.m. and the second at 9 p.m.
Marie-Pierre Camus, co-director of ‘La nuit de cristal‘, took part in the festival’s press conference this morning. As she explained, “It was very important for Guillaume Vincent, the other co-director, and for me to tell this story in order to deconstruct the idea that Kristallnacht was an insignificant event and to demonstrate that it was a long process that had been brewing among the German people since Hitler came to power in 1933.”
Regarding the importance of how audiovisual works can help people understand history, the director added that “making works like these is very important because they avoid oversimplifications and allow us to show that the destruction of democracies occurs in several stages, gradually.” Regarding the current situation with the rise of the far right, she added that “the parallels between those events and current developments—such as border closures and the exclusion of certain individuals from political and administrative spheres, especially in the United States—are evident.”
‘Truth and Treason’
‘Truth and Treason’ is directed by American filmmaker Matt Whitaker, who has also directed other war-themed feature films such as “Saints and Soldiers.” The cast includes British actor Rupert Evans, who has appeared in historical films such as Alejandro Amenábar’s ‘Agora’ and the series ‘The Man in the High Castle,’ and Ewan Horrocks, who has also played historical roles in ‘Domina’ and ‘The Last Kingdom,’ among others.
The film is set during World War II. German teenager Helmuth Hübener becomes a symbol of resistance by organizing an underground network in the hope of exposing the Nazi regime’s lies. But in a nation gripped by fear, having the courage to speak the truth comes at a price.
Aragonese Section and Panorama Saraqusta
As part of ‘Panorama Saraqusta‘, ‘Que el último día sea para nosotros‘ will be screened this afternoon at 5 p.m. at the Fundación Ibercaja Patio de la Infanta. This film by Argentine director Mariano Pozzi is set in 1982. A group of soldiers awaits the end of the war between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands. Cut off from the main base and facing possible death, they spend their final days in a trench reflecting on the meaning of war, death, and their identities.
Pozzi directed the award-winning short series “Historias Migrantes” (2020), which was nominated for the 2021 Condor de Plata for Best Series. His productions have been featured at festivals such as BAFICI (Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival), Cannes, Canneseries, Buenos Aires Series, Málaga, and San Diego Latino, among others.
The documentary ‘Memoria de los olvidados‘, by Luis Buñuel specialist Javier Espada, was screened today in the Aragonese documentaries section at the Caesaraugusta Theater Museum. The film delves into “Los Olvidados” (1950), Luis Buñuel’s UNESCO-recognized masterpiece, to rediscover its power and relevance.
Somewhere between reality and fiction, Buñuel’s film portrayed the harsh lives of marginalized youth in Mexico, exposing the poverty and violence that surrounded them. Through fresh perspectives from filmmakers and researchers, Javier Espada’s documentary explores the impact of Los Olvidados on the history of cinema, the influence of Francisco de Goya on its aesthetics, and the commitment of a filmmaker who turned his work into a powerful cry against injustice.
About Saraqusta Film Festival
Saraqusta Film Festival is co-organized by the Zaragoza City Council and Cosmos Fan, with support from the Government of Aragon as an institutional partner, the Ibercaja Foundation as the main partner, and Carné Joven de Aragón, Aragón Alimentos, and Ara Film Fest as collaborators.