SEPTEMBER 8-12, 2025
OFFICIAL SECTION 2021
The Official Section of the Navarra International Film Festival 2021.
ATRÉVETE
Iratxe Aranguren y Luis Azanza
(2020) 66' SPAIN
Tania, Judit, Eneko, Alizia, and Karlos, all from Navarre, from rural areas, of different ages, feelings, and ways of understanding life. These are their simple, unique, and illuminating stories.
Iratxe Aranguren y Luis Azanza
Film Directors
Iratxe is a director/camera operator who, over the last two years, has directed short documentaries such as Ana, Una necesidad, un trabajo, and Jóvenes Emprendedores, as well as events such as Multiprisma, Derivas feministas, and Cantamañanas.
Luis produces and directs videos and documentaries from the initial idea to the final delivery. He develops and manages teams to carry out projects that require it. He uses the Fuego brand.
MELLEM STEN OG ET HÅRDT STED
Between Rock and a Hard Place
Mads Koudal
(2019) 14' DANISH - DENMARK
A woman's lifelong relationship with her disabled daughter changes forever when she receives an unwanted letter.
Mads Koudal
Film Director
He has written, edited, and directed music videos and short comedy pieces for television (TV2 Zulu and Comedy Central, among others). In 2016, he was nominated for Music Video Director of the Year at CPH PIX. In addition to directing, Mads primarily works as an actor and, most recently, as a hospital clown in public hospitals in Denmark.
BIENVENIDOS A ESPAÑA
Juan Antonio Moreno
(2021) 92' SPANISH - SPAIN
Torreblanca is the last neighborhood in Seville. There, next to the highway, is the former brothel Maravilla, which has just closed to be converted into a refugee shelter.
Juan Antonio Moreno
Film Director
Member of the European Film Academy and the Spanish Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences. He has received the Queen Sofía Award for Social Communication and the Excellence Award from the Carlos III University of Madrid. He produced Walls and Our Life as Refugee Children in Europe, both of which received the Goya Award for Best Documentary Short Film.
CARTAS MOJADAS
(2020) 81' ARABIC - SPAIN
Thousands of people have crossed the Mediterranean in recent years trying to reach Europe. Wet Letters tells, through a mysterious voice from the depths of the sea, the most tragic epic of our contemporary history.
Film Director
Spanish documentary filmmaker working from Madrid and Paris. She has produced and directed more than 25 television documentaries, with Cartas Mojadas being her first feature film. Her work consistently addresses social issues, particularly migration and women.
CRÓNICA DE UNA TORMENTA
Mariana Barassi
(2021) 5' SPANISH - SPAIN
Antonio, the director of a major newspaper, must choose his successor: Maca, a woman who believes in cooperation among company members rather than verticality at work, will compete against the other deputy director, Vargas, a manipulative journalist who knows all the tricks.
Mariana Barassi
Film Director
She holds a degree in Audiovisual Design from the National University of Buenos Aires. Specializing in film writing and development, she has worked for several Ibero-American production companies and institutions for the past twenty years. She is also a programmer and cultural manager.
IO SONO IL SOLE
Ilaria Gambarelli
(2019) 82' ITALIAN - SPAIN
Lorenzo Riva (80) is a fashion designer who can't stand idly by. On the one hand, he considers the Italian fashion world hypocritical. But on the other, he can't live without it. Luigi Valietti (65) has been his romantic partner and professional collaborator for 35 years. Just three years ago, due to an aneurysm, one of his legs was amputated. Suddenly, he's less superficial and more aware of the little things in life.
Ilaria Gambarelli
Film Director
Director, screenwriter, and producer. She earned a degree in Screenwriting and Directing from the Genoa School of Film Arts and subsequently from the Centre d'Estudis Cinematografics de Catalunya. She also holds a degree in Arab and Muslim Studies from the University of Seville. In 2013, she founded the production company Aretusa Films.
ISLANDIA: EL REFUGIO PERFECTO
Borja Lezaun
(2021) 62' SPANISH - ICELAND
Can fate take you to the island you've always wanted to be shipwrecked on? To that end, he decides to become a group guide. He begins in Iceland. After launching his journey with good prospects, the arrival of the global pandemic forces him to stop in his tracks, stranded in an Iceland deserted by tourists. In this situation, he takes advantage of the opportunity to explore and discover unusual, remote, and little-known places.
Borja Lezaun
Film Director
Writer and editor of television programs for Navarra Televisión (Tiramillas, NTQP, Solo o acompañado...etc.). He makes commercials and industrial videos. He also works as a cameraman, editor, and producer for other film and documentary projects.
MONDO DOMINO
Suki
(2021) 6' NO DIALOGUE - FRANCE
Amid the deafening noise of chainsaws, lumberjacks hum happily as they cut down trees to use as props for a fashion show. A contemporary cartoon satire, in the form of a burlesque musical tragicomedy, takes us on a delirious whirlwind of chain reactions as chaotic as they are grotesque...
Grégory Sukiennik
Film Director
He makes short films that combine his cinematic vision and his love of drawing. He co-founded Utopi with Stéphane Debureau and Jean-Philippe Gréau, an artistic cooperative with which he directed and produced The Eal, the Weasel, and the Vulture.
NAVAZANDEH
Mohsen Mehri
(2020) 19' FARSI - IRAN
Mahmoud is a very, very short man, about one meter tall, who wants to play a two-meter-long instrument like a double bass. A young musician crosses his path...
Mohsen Mehri
Film Director
Iranian director selected in various countries such as Greece, Japan, Italy and the USA.
P.I.G.S.
Pablo Sánchez
(2016) 6' SPANISH - SPAIN
P.I.G.S. tells the story of a brief but evocative encounter between a man who decided to end his life and a group of people at the beginning of their new journeys. The darkest moment coexists with joy and the celebration of life for a very brief period of time, enough to alter the destiny of those involved.
Pablo Sánchez
Film Director
Director. He made the short film during the workshop "FILMING IN BARCELONA WITH ABBAS KIAROSTAMI."
RELEVADO
Giuseppe Badalamenti
(2020) 8' SPANISH - GUATEMALA
After months of being locked in an elevator and reconnecting with the most valuable things in his life that he had already put aside, Sergio, after meditating alone for a long time, manages to escape from his confinement.
Giuseppe Badalamenti
Film Director
Based in Central America, specializing in narrative cinema and experimental formats, his most prominent area of work is music videos and advertising, where he has been awarded two Cannes Lions for Creativity and a Clio Award.
REWILD
Nicholas China - Ernst Zacharevic
(2019) 4' NO DIALOGUE - INDONESIA
This piece from the Splash and Burn activist art campaign stems from forest restoration on the edge of the Leuser ecosystem, revealing a rewind symbol carved into a palm oil plantation in Sumatra, Indonesia.
Nicholas Chin y Ernst Zacharevic
Film Director
Nicolas Chin is a filmmaker and director who travels the world shooting music videos and commercials in the most unusual locations, from the center of an active volcano to Siberian landscapes at -40°C.
Ernest Zacharevic is an artist who incorporates the concepts of culture and community into his performance art. His primary interest lies in the relationship between art and the urban landscape, with ideas often evolving as part of a spontaneous response to the immediate environment.
ROBARTE UNA NOCHE
Fernando Vera
(2018) 15' SPANISH - SPAIN
Ana is good with locks, and Teo can't wait for someone to break into his house. About how two strangers come together one night, about how to dance from the floor.
Fernando Vera
Film Director
Audiovisual director with over 15 years of experience in directing and production teams. Trained at the Bigas Luna Film Workshop, the New York Film Academy, and various courses in screenwriting, directing, and production.
SURCOS
Julio Mazarico
(2021) 76' SPANISH – SPAIN
"Surcos" focuses on older adults and how they've experienced the arrival of the Coronavirus. Filmed with a non-professional artistic team, it consists of five episodes loosely inspired by five films that in some way address the topic of older adults and their problems: Cocoon, A True Story, Son of the Bride, Nebraska, and Grandma.
Julio Mazarico
Film Director
He has written and directed more than 20 short films, including Botones, Volver a nacer, and Infiltrados, which have been selected and awarded at national and international festivals. He co-wrote the feature-length documentary El viaje de Unai, by Andoni Canela.
DER ENGEL DER GESCHICHTE
Eric Esser
(2020) 11' GERMAN - GERMANY
A border in Europe. A painting by Paul Klee. A poem by Walter Benjamin. A film about yesterday and today, and how difficult it is to recognize one from the other.
Eric Esser
Film Director
Eric Esser made his first short film in 2003. After completing his studies in media informatics (specializing in "media studies"), he worked for the WZB Center for Social Research in Berlin. In 2005, he began his studies at Filmarche Berlin, an independent film school, where he specialized in directing and making documentary films. He is currently a member of the Filmarche Council of Elders and participates in the AG DOK, a working group for documentary filmmaking.
THE WINTER
Xin Li
(2020) 15' NO DIALOGUE - AUSTRALIA
Created frame by frame with oil paint, Winter depicts a story between a farmer and a mysterious deer in a snowy forest. After searching and chasing this beautiful deer, the farmer finally finds peace when he sees the mountain.
Xin Li
Film Director
Xin specializes in the traditional stop-motion animation method of painting on glass. Through this technique, he explores quiet and often intimate moments in life through abstract narratives.
TÚ ERES YO, Y YO SOY TÚ
Melissa Kirkendall
(2020) 14' SPANISH - UNITED STATES
At a young age, following the devastating loss of her own baby during childbirth and seeing her friends suffer similarly, Carmen Cumba decided to learn the ancient ritual of Pakarina to prevent more mothers and children from dying needlessly during childbirth.
Melissa Kirkendall
Film Director
She began working in film on a variety of television and film productions for networks such as ABC, NBC, LIFETIME, as well as for many independent production companies. It was nominated for a Spirit Award and sold for a profit to Amazon Studios in November 2019. It is now streaming on Amazon Prime after a successful theatrical release. In April of this year, she was accepted into the Producers Guild of America as a theatrical producer.
VILAS Y SUS DOBLES
Germán Roda
(2021) 66' SPANISH - AUSTRALIA
Through the guidance of a writer, Manuel Vilas, and two actors, José Sacristán and Pepe Viyuela, we relive the most important moments of our lives. Literature, movies, our parents, death, art, and love. A journey through memory in a constant struggle against oblivion.
Germán Roda
Film Director
He holds a degree in Communication Sciences and a Higher Technician in Audiovisuals and Entertainment. He has directed, written, and edited documentary films. Vilas y sus dobles is his eighth feature film as a director, following his award-winning documentary Marcelino, el mejor payaso del mundo (2020).
YALLA (Out of competition)
Carlo D´Ursi
(2020) 10' SPANISH - AUSTRALIA
Mufid, a 14-year-old boy, plays soccer with his friends. He misses a shot and makes the ball disappear over a hill. He doesn't want to go looking for it, but he knows he will. When he enters the area, monitored by a military drone, he discovers that Amina has taken his ball. Mufid tries to get it back.
Carlo D´Ursi
Film Director
Producer of feature films, short films, documentaries, and transmedia projects, his work has been selected for some of the world's most prestigious festivals, such as Cannes and Venice. Vice President of Ama (Madrid Audiovisual Association), and an elected member of the production committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
ASÍ SOY-HALAKOA NAIZ (Out of competition)
Casa de Juventud "La Kolasa" Gazte Etxea
(2021) 10' SPANISH - SPAIN
This project arose from the experience of a group of adolescents participating in a sex education program developed at the Tafalla Youth Center "La Kolasa" Gazte Etxea, within the scope of leisure and free time, known as non-formal education. The final result was the production of a short film to participate in the annual competition of the Gozamenez Youth and Sexuality Community Intervention Program.
Casa de la Juventud "La Kolasa"
Film Director
Youth Center "La Kolasa"
D´ARTACAN Y LOS TRES MOSQUEPERROS (Out of competition)
Toni García
(2021) ' SPANISH - SPAIN
Artacán, an impetuous and innocent boy who goes to Paris to fulfill his dream of becoming a Musketeer. There he meets a faithful friend, Pom the mouse; he joins the famous Musketeers.
Toni García
Film Director
Creative Director of Apolo Films, an animated film production company based in Pamplona and Madrid. He is touring the world to major festivals with the film, which will be released in theaters on August 20th.