Marisa Montiel |
Madrid (EFE) Fatih Akin, about the German rapper Xatar and the Spanish horror film “The Communion Girl.”
“The Fabelmans”: Spielberg and the movie of his life
Nominated for seven Oscars, “The Fabelmans” is the chronicle of the childhood of its director, Steven Spielberg, in America in the 50s and 60s, with a cast that includes Michelle Williams and Paul Dano in the shoes of their parents and Gabriel LaBelle as the teenage protagonist.
The director of mythical titles such as “Indiana Jones” or “ET” changes the names but is faithful to his own story, exposes his childhood traumas and the discovery of cinema as a tool to control his own fears.
A scary communion girl
Víctor García, director of sequels to horror franchises such as “Return to House on Haunted Hill” (2007) or “Hellraiser: Revelations” (2011) presents his first feature film in Spanish, “La niña de la comunión”, a disturbing story of evil and possessions.
The plot takes place in Spain at the end of the 80s, in a town in Tarragona where a family arrives after having a bad patch. The nightmare unleashes one night when Sara (Carla Campra) and her best friend Rebe (Aina Quiñones) go to a discotheque, take drugs and on the way home they find a doll dressed for communion.
Gerard Butler, a pilot on a risky mission
On New Year’s Eve, pilot Brodie Torrance (Gerard Butler) makes a risky landing when his plane, packed with passengers, is struck by lightning. Lost in the middle of a war-torn island, Torrance realizes that this has only been the beginning of an adventure fraught with danger.
Directed by Jean-François Richet (“Blood Father”, “Assault on the District”), “The Pilot” also features in the cast Mike Colter, known for playing the Marvel superhero Luke Cage.
Fatih Akin narrates the life of rapper Xater in “Pure Gold: Rheingold”
The German director of Turkish origin Fatih Akin, awarded for films such as “In the Shadow” and “Against the Wall”, tells the true story of rapper Xater, whose real name is Giwar Hajabi, in “Pure Gold: Rheingold”.
Giwar, of Iranian origin but settled and raised in Germany, had a difficult childhood and adolescence that he narrated in an autobiographical novel published in 2015 and that Akin adapts in this film.
“Joyland”, forbidden love in Pakistan
Jury Prize “Un Certain Regard” at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, Saim Sadiq’s debut feature “Joyland” tells the story of a traditional Pakistani family who trusted their young son to secure their lineage, but their ambition she is upset when he signs up for an erotic dance theater and falls in love with a trans member.
This social drama reflects the reality of a society steeped in ancestral traditions linked to patriarchy, misogyny, gender inequality and rejection of the LGTBIQ+ community.
“My dear monster”, a fantastic world
Directed by Jianming Huang, this fantastic animated film takes place in a world called Kunlum, besieged by dark spirits.
In an attempt to cure Hei Ling of a terminal illness, the healer, Bai Zem, accidentally destroys the island and is banished. Seven years later, he returns to seek redemption.
“Anime Supremacy!”, the Japanese animation inside
Directed by Köhei Yoshino, the film is based on the novel “Anime Supremacy!” (2014) by Mizuki Tsujimura, which shows what the Japanese animation industry is like on the inside, with legions of fans around the world.
Hitomi Saito gets her first chance as a series director, but conflicts soon appear within the production team.
