The 68th Valladolid International Film Festival (Seminci) took place from 21 to 28 October 2023, in Valladolid, Spain. The Movie Teller, an adaptation of Hernán Rivera Letelier's novel, directed by Lone Scherfig, opened the festival.
Background The festival was directed by José Luis Cienfuegos for the first time, taking over after Javier Angulo, who served as the festival's director from 2009 to 2022. Cienfuegos had previously taken the same role for the Seville European Film Festival and the Gijón International Film Festival.
A new competitive section named Alquimias was introduced, destined to "welcome stories set in distant latitudes, tales that define a time and a place, while portraying the passions inherent in the human condition and highlighting the possibilities of cinema as a shared mirror of world events". A €10,000 award will be presented to the winner, sponsored by Grupo Recoletas Red Hospitalaria.
Later in October, actresses Charlotte Rampling, Nathalie Baye, and Kiti Mánver were announced as the recipients of Honorary Spikes. Actress Blanca Portillo and the European Film Academy completed the set of recipients of Honorary Spikes. Meritxell Colell, Mike Goodridge, Pan Nalin, Jara Yáñez, and Iván Granovsky were announced as jury members of the official selection.
Sections The films selected for each section are as follows:
Official competition The following films were selected to compete for the Golden Spike: Feature-Length Films English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) All of Us Strangers Andrew Haigh United Kingdom Andrea's Love El amor de Andrea Manuel Martín Cuenca Spain, Mexico Kidnapped Rapito Marco Bellocchio Italy, France, Germany The Old Oak Ken Loach United Kingdom, France, Belgium Green Border Zielona granica Agnieszka Holland Poland, United States, France, Czequia, Belgium How to Have Sex Molly Manning Walker United Kingdom, Greece, Belgium The Permanent Picture La imatge permanent Spain, France La chimera Alice Rohrwacher Italy, France, Switzerland Four Daughters بنات ألفة / Les Filles d'Olfa Kaouther Ben Hania Tunisia, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia Music Angela Schanelec Germany, France, Serbia Something Is About to Happen Que nadie duerma Antonio Méndez Esparza Spain, Romania The Teachers' Lounge Das Lehrerzimmer İlker Çatak Germany Spain Foremost by Night Sobre todo de noche Spain, France, Portugal The Beast La Bête Bertrand Bonello France, Canada The Shadowless Tower 白塔之光 Zhang Lü China The Sweet East Sean Price Williams United States Out of Competition Cristina García Rodero - La Mirada Oculta Carlota Nelson Spain Dear Jassi Tarsem Singh Dhandwar India The Teacher Who Promised the Sea El maestro que prometió el mar Spain The Movie Teller La contadora de películas Lone Scherfig Spain, France, Chile Mamacruz Patricia Ortega Spain, Venezuela Teresa Paula Ortiz Spain Special Screenings Blue Giant Yuzuru Tachikawa Japan Concierto Plena Pausa Iván Zulueta Spain Sultana's Dream El sueño de la sultana Isabel Herguera Spain, Germany In Praise of the Horizon Elogio del horizonte Rafa Alberola Spain Juniper Matthew J. Saville New Zealand The Green Room La Chambre verte François Truffaut France The Night My Dad Saved Christmas La navidad en sus manos Joaquín Mazón Spain, Mexico Memento Mori Marco A. Castillo, Fran Parra Spain, Portugal No, I Don't Want To No, No Quiero Belén Santos Spain Seed of the Son Semilla del son JuanMa V. Betancourt Spain The Kid Brother Ted Wilde, J.A. Howe United States Highlighted title indicates Golden Spike winner. Short Films English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) 27 Flóra Anna Buda France, Hungary Aitana Marina Alberti Spain Ardent Other Le mal des ardents Alice Brygo France Crocodile Krokodyl Dawid Bodzak Poland Eeva Morten Tšinakov, Lucija Mrzljak, Lucija Mrzljak Croatia, Estonia Howling 遠吠え Aya Kawazoe Japan Jill, Uncredited Anthony Ing United Kingdom Lemon Tree Rachel Walden United States None of That Nada de todo eso Francisco Cantón, Patricio Martínez Argentina, Spain Sonido: Ivans & Tobis Diogo Baldaia Portugal Wander to Wonder Nina Ganz, Nina Gantz Netherlands, Belgium, France, United Kingdom
Punto de Encuentro The following films were selected for the Punto de Encuentro section: Feature-Length Films English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Animal Sofia Exarchou Greece, Austria, Romania Arthur&Diana Sara Summa Germany Gasoline Rainbow Bill Ross IV, Turner Ross United States Hello Darkness Soda Jerk Australia Hoard Luna Carmoon United Kingdom Muyeres Spain Cercano Invierno Negu Hurbilak Colectivo Negu: Ekain Albite, Adrià Roca, Nicolau Mallofré, Mikel Ibarguren Spain On the Go María Giséle Royo, Julia De Castro Spain One Last Evening Letzer Abend Lukas Nathrath Germany Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds Sirocco et le royaume des courants d'air France, Belgium Stepne Степне Maryna Vroda Ukraine, Germany, Poland, Slovakia Sweet Dreams Ena Sendijarević Netherlands, Sweden, Indonesia, France The Cage is Looking for a Bird Kletka ishet ptitsu Malika Musaeva Monaco, Russia The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed Joanna Arnow United States The Quiet Migration Stille Liv Malene Choi Denmark
Short Films English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Almost Forgotten Quase me lembro Dimitri Mihajlovic, Miguel Lima Portugal Heartbreak Hotel Coeurs Brisés Hôtel Emma Axelroud Bernard France Last Days of Summer Stenzin Tankong India, France Nocturnal Burger Nishachar Burger Reema Sengupta France Z.O. Loris G. Nese Italy La Noche del Corto Español (Spanish Short Films) The Last Mouflon El último muflón Omar Razzak, Shira Ukrainitz Spain The Danube Rivers Los Danubios Jaume Claret Muxart Lost at Sea Andrés Bartos, Lucija Stojevic Spain, United Kingdom Meteor Meteoro Víctor Moreno Spain Crack of Dawn Trench D'Alba Anna Llargués
Tiempo de Historia The following films were selected for the Tiempo de Historia section, dedicated to non-fiction films: Feature-Length Films English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Aresenie. An Amazing Afterlife Arsenie. Viața de apoi Alexandru Solomon Romania, Luxembourg Between Revolutions Între Revoluții Vlad Petri Romania, Croatia, Qatar, Iran Romance Scam La estafa del amor Spain Malqueridas Tana Gilbert Chile, Germany My Worst Enemy Mon pire ennemi Mehran Tamadon France, Switzerland Our Body Notre Corps Claire Simon France Pictures of Ghosts Relatos fantasmas Kleber Mendonça Filho Brazil The Mother of All Lies كذب أبيض Asmae El Moudir Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt An Inhabited Volcano Un volcán habitado David Pantaleón, Jose Víctor Fuentes Spain Where God Is Not Jaii keh khoda nist Mehran Tamadon France, Switzerland Youth (Spring) 青春 / Jeunesse (Le Printemps) Wang Bing France, Luxembourg, Netherlands Zinzindurrunkarratz Oskar Alegria Spain
Short Films English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Alpha Kings Enrique Pedráza-Botero, Faye Tsakas United States Bleu Silico Eloïse Le Gallo, Julia Borderie France The Open House La casa oberta Julieta Lasarte Pigrau Spain Bear Ours Morgane Frund Switzerland Future Ruins Ruinas futuras Carolina Sánchez, Elvira Arbós, Francisco Armenteros, Ran Chen Spain
Alquimias The following films were selected for the Alquimias section: English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) The Battle A Batalha da Rua Maria Antônia Vera Gito Brazil Critical Zone Mantagheye bohrani Ali Ahmadzadeh Iran, Germany The Peasants Chłopi DK Welchman, Hugh Welchman Poland Essential Truths of the Lake Lav Diaz Philippines, France, Portugal, Singapore, Italy, Switzerland, United Kingdom Femme Sam H. Freeman, Ng Choon Ping United Kingdom The Beast in the Jungle La Bête dans la jungle Patric Chiha France The Siren La Sirène Sepideh Farsi France, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, Qatar Three Brothers Tres hermanos Francisco J. Paparella Argentina, Chile
Memoria y Utopía The following films were selected for the Memoria y Utopía section, dedicated to restored films: English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Noir et Blanc (1986) Claire Devers France Black Head (1979) Kara Kafa Korhan Yurtsever Turkey Boat People (1982) 投奔怒海 Ann Hui Hong Kong Conscience (1968) Volodymyr Denysenko Soviet Union Dark Spring (1970) Germany Diario íntimo (1962) Manuel López Yubero Spain Drylongso (1998) Cauleen Smith United States Furia española (1974) Francesc Betriu Spain L'Amour fou (1969) Jacques Rivette France The Captive (2000) La Captive Chantal Akerman Belgium The First Look (2023) La primera mirada Luis E. Parés Spain Lucha de corazones (1912) Spain Maybe Tomorrow (1980) Majd holnap Judit Elek Hungary Millennium Mambo (2001) 千禧曼波 Hou Hsiao-hsien Taiwan Return to Reason (1923) Man Ray France Sweet Dreams (1981) Sogni d'oro Nanni Moretti Italy Sor Angélica Virgen (1962) Francisco Regueiro Spain
EFA (European Film Academy) The following films were selected for the EFA section, for European films chosen by the European Film Academy: English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Anatomy of a Fall Anatomie d'une chute Justine Triet France Afire Roter Himmel Christian Petzold Germany Fallen Leaves Kuolleet lehdet Aki Kaurismäki Finland The Universal Theory Die Theorie von Allem Timm Kröger Germany The Promised Land Bastarden Nikolaj Arcel Denmark The Zone of Interest Jonathan Glazer United Kingdom, Poland Io capitano Matteo Garrone Italy, Belgium, France
Educación The following films were selected for the Educación section, consisting of Miniminci and Seminci Joven, for films intended for young audiences: English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Miniminci Foxtale Alexandra Allen Portugal Impurrfection Chiang Yao Taiwan Les Inséparables Jérémie Degruson Belgium, Spain, France A Greyhound of a Girl Enzo D'Alò Estonia, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, United Kingdom Nina and the Hedgehog's Secret Nina et le secret du hérisson Alain Gagnol, Jean-Loup Felicioli France, Luxembourg Operación Frankenstein José María Fernández de Vega Spain Robot Dreams Pablo Berger Spain, France The Girl with the Red Beret Janet Perlman Canada Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light Tonda, Slávka a kouzelné světlo Filip Pošivač Hungary, Czech Republic What's in That Crate? Wat zit er in die kist? Bram Algoed Belgium Witchfairy Cédric Igodt, David Van de Weyer Belgium, Bulgaria Seminci Joven And the King Said, What a Fantastic Machine Axel Danielson, Maximilien Van Aertryck Sweden, Denmark Bulbul Can Sing Rima Das India Croma Kid Pablo Chea Dominican Republic
Cine Gourmet The following films were selected for the Cine Gourmet section, consisting of films that see gastronomy through the eyes of cinema: English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) The Pot-au-Feu La Passion de Dodin Bouffant Trần Anh Hùng France, Belgium I Will Not Starve Non morirò di fame Umberto Spinazzola Italy, Canada
Cine de Castilla y León The following films are productions made in Castile and León: English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Feature-Length Films Red Rooster Gallo rojo Enrique García-Vázquez Spain Rioja, Land of the Thousand Wines Rioja, la tierra de los mil vinos José Luis López-Linares Supporting Actresses Secundarias Arturo Dueñas Short Films A Song for Lena Alehre y olé Clara Santaolaya Spain Caso Dativo Juan Rodríguez-Briso The Dad Jokes Are Killing Me El cuñao Javier Canal Diez The King of the Week El rey de la semana Knot Nudo Herminio Cardiel Blonde Cooper Rubio cobrizo Trigues tistres Lucía Lobato Light Leak Velado Carlos C. Insuela, Carla Voces Quercus Anticlimax Néstor López, Óscar Romero Spain, Portugal Train to Oblivion El tren del olvido Spain Sour Milk Leche agria Sergio Muñoz Cano, José Ángel Lorente Pavón Good T'See Ya Malegro verte Magistrates Señorías María Guerra Vermú Nestor Lopez
Awards