‘Solos en la noche’ (Alone in the Night) is a historical comedy that addresses the fears of a group of friends during the 1981 coup d’état.
‘Mil leyendas un grial’ (A Thousand Legends, One Grail), which premieres today in Spain, was filmed in the regions of Jacetania and Alto Gállego, the Aljafería Palace, and Valencia.
The Aragonese documentary Los fugaces párpados (The Fleeting Eyelids) by Marta Horno opened the section dedicated to regional productions outside of the competition.
Manuel Cabo, director of the documentary on legends linked to the Holy Grail, and Guillermo Rojas and Beatriz Arjona, director and actress of the feature film, have revealed the key points of these audiovisuals, which can be seen today (at 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.) at the Ibercaja Patio de la Infanta Foundation and the Cervantes cinema.
A group of politically significant labor lawyers hide in a house when the coup d’état of February 23, 1981, takes place in Spain. Not knowing what to do, they debate whether to flee the country, remain in hiding and wait for events to unfold, or try to do something to defend Spain’s young democracy. This is the plot of the historical comedy Solos en la noche, a Spanish film that will open the screenings of the feature films competing in this fifth edition of the Saraqusta Film Festival tonight at 9:00 p.m. at the Cervantes cinema.
Its director, Guillermo Rojas from Cordoba, and Seville actress Beatriz Arjona, who is part of the cast, presented the film at a press conference this morning. Rojas explained that “the film is a tribute to those young people who had lived through the dictatorship and who, with their newly acquired freedom and everything that comes with youth, saw how in a matter of hours all that could come to an end. It is narrated in a comedic tone, but with a great deal of respect and a touch of tenderness inspired by the films of Campanella and Billy Wilder.“ For Arjona, being part of the film has been a very enriching experience: ”All of the actors did extensive research because many of us had not lived through it. It has been a very respectful experience, in which the script is very delicately crafted to combine drama and comedy. Furthermore, it is a totally contemporary film, in constant dialogue with current events, because through the characters, young people of that time are asked about how they want to live, women’s freedom, etc.”
As for the documentaries in competition, the Spanish film Mil leyendas, un grial (A Thousand Legends, One Grail) by Manuel Cabo Sánchez (at the Ibercaja Patio de la Infanta Foundation at 7:00 p.m.) will open the festival, marking its premiere in Spain. The Valencian director wanted to delve into the legends linked to the Holy Grail and the reality behind them, tracing the presumed path taken by the sacred object: “I wanted to reflect the known history in contrast to the legend, choosing the Roman route, which begins in locations in the regions of Jacetania and Alto Gállego (Siresa, San Adrián de Sásabe, San Juan de la Peña, Yebra de Basa…), passing through the Aljafería Palace in Zaragoza, among other places reflected in the film, and arriving at Valencia Cathedral.”
The morning session continued after the press conference at the Caesaraugusta Theater Museum at 12:00 p.m. with the screening of Los fugaces párpados (The Fleeting Eyelids), a documentary by Marta Horno that opened the section dedicated to Aragonese audiovisuals outside of the competition. In it, Horno takes a look at the life of artist Jorge Gay, from his different creative stages to the influences of all kinds that have inspired the Zaragoza-born painter.
The director said that “it all started with ‘let’s film this exhibition’ (referring to ‘Los fugaces párpados’) and it ended up becoming this documentary.” Gay was present at the screening and emphasized that it was a true experience of abandoning the “loneliness of the artist” for him: “Leaving the studio, my hours of work and silence, to share my work with other professionals from other arts, such as Marta, María José Moreno, Joaquín Pardinilla… and everyone who helped create this visual poem was really rewarding. Bringing the world of the arts together and making it shine is not easy, but I think it has been achieved with flying colors.”
The morning session concluded at 12:30 p.m. with a round table discussion open to the public entitled “Wikipedia, Cinema, and History.” During the discussion, Carlos Rodrigo and Ana Asión analyzed how a tool such as Wikipedia can serve as a source of documentation for cinematic events and audiovisual works.
Today’s screenings (at 5:00 p.m. in the Patio de la Infanta) will be rounded off with the film “El gigante de Es Vedrá y otras leyendas” (The Giant of Es Vedrá and Other Legends), part of the non-competitive Panorama Saraqusta section. The film, directed by Héctor Escandell, intertwines several stories from Ibizan mythology. The plot follows a young woman named Agnès who, during a visit to an apartment her parents are planning to rent, encounters the ghost of writer Joan Castelló Guasch. This peculiar encounter leads Agnès to discover three fascinating legends of the island.
Saraqusta Film Festival is co-organized by the Zaragoza City Council and Cosmos Fan, with the support of the Government of Aragon as an institutional partner, the Ibercaja Foundation as the main partner, and Ibercaja, Carné Joven de Aragón, Aragón Alimentos, and Arafilmfest as collaborators.
MONDAY 28 AGENDA
Tomorrow, Monday 28, Chilean Cristóbal Vargas, director of the documentary in competition ‘El recuerdo’, and Jaak Kilmi, director of the feature film in competition ‘Vari’, from Estonia, will arrive in Zaragoza. The two will take part in a press conference at 10:00 a.m. at the Caesaraugusta Theater Museum, alongside Isabel and Jorge Aparicio, director and producer of the Aragonese documentary ‘Tamarite mágicoh!’, which will be screened at the museum at 12:00 p.m.
The round table discussion of the day (at 12:30 p.m., at the Caesaraugusta Theater Museum) will be ‘Descubriendo Pompeya y Herculano’ (Discovering Pompeii and Herculaneum), which will reveal the ins and outs of the festival’s opening documentary about the Zaragoza archaeologist Roque Joaquín de Alcubierre, led by the director of ‘Roque Joaquín de Alcubierre. Descubriendo Pompeya y Herculano’ (Discovering Pompeii and Herculaneum) , Silvia Pradas, producer Javier Llovería, and archaeologist Antonio Mostalac.
As for the evening screenings, as an exception, they will all take place at the Cervantes cinema. At 5:00 p.m., it will be the turn of ‘Valle salvaje’ (Panorama Saraqusta), and at 7:00 p.m., the documentary ‘El recuerdo’, by Cristóbal Vargas and Antonia González, will be screened. At 9:00 p.m., the feature film ‘Vari’ will be screened. It will be presented by actress Ruth Gabriel.