North American Premiere
Amparo lives in an old abandoned haberdashery in the centre of Madrid. Her only companion is Carmela, a plastic bag whom she considers her daughter. This is a truly black comedy, a delightful combination of absurdity and satire with a dash of slapstick violence thrown in for good measure, and a witty subtext about the use of plastics in our society. Terrific performances highlight this original tale where a woman’s life is suddenly turned into a clash of ideologies. The film is set up as a drama, which only enhances the comedy—just twisted and over-the-top enough to make the humour really work without being ridiculous, while hitting on important themes like environmentalism, loneliness, and mental health.
Community Partner
Jose Mota, Laura Gómez-Lacueva, Elisabet Terri
Andorra/Spain
2022
In Spanish with English subtitles
Featured in:
International Shorts: Having a Bad Day
Misadventures, bad choices, and a series of unfortunate events are all present in this program of short films. There is some serious drama and a bit of comedy on display in these exhilarating, thoughtful, and unpredictable tales.
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No Other Land
Deemed by many critics one of the essential films of 2024, a multiple festival award winner and Academy Award winner for Best Documentary, No Other Land is a reminder that mass expulsion is by no means a new reality for Palestinians.
The Way, My Way
All manner of pilgrims flock to France and Spain to walk the 800 km Camino de Santiago. One such is Bill, a stroppy sexagenarian Australian filmmaker who's determined to do the Camino with minimal prep, a dickey leg, and no firm idea why.
Resident Orca
Captured in Puget Sound in 1970, killer whale Lolita spent the next half century in a cramped tank in Seaquarium, Miami. The film follows a coalition of Lummi elders, animal lovers and philanthropists on a rescue mission to return her to the ocean.
Misericordia
Edgy, eccentric, and unapologetically queer, this film goes from drama to comedy without putting a foot wrong. Sex and murder are the subjects, and writer-director Alain Guiraudie (Stranger by the Lake) mines them for suspense and outrageous laughs.
The Stand
This rousing doc explores a 1985 dispute over logging in the Haida Gwaii. Taking us from canny retrospective commentary to the thick of the action, director Chris Auchter employs animation and a wealth of archival footage to riveting effect.
Credits
Producer
David Ortiz, Jose Pozo
Screenwriter
Jose Pozo
Cinematography
Luis Ángel Pérez
Editor
Pep Carrique
Original Music
Óscar Araujo
Director
Jose Pozo
A producer, screenwriter, and director of animated films, Jose Pozo won awards for the feature film El Cid, La leyenda (2004). He wrote and directed the feature film Nick (2017), which won 14 international awards. He is preparing his fifth feature film, Unusual Cowboys (2022). The script was a finalist in the drama category of the 2020 Big Break Festival’s Final Draft.
Filmography: El Cid, La leyenda (2004); Donkey Xote (2007); Nick (2017)