The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, who has declared the State of Alarm for the whole country, ended his speech last Sunday, 25 October, with the following request to the citizens: "Let us reduce mobility as much as possible and limit our social contacts to stop the transmission of the virus". The President of Asturias and the Mayoress of Gijón, whose administrations have also approved restrictive health measures, have spoken out in the same direction.
In line with the statements made by the competent authorities and with just over twenty days to go before the opening, the Gijón/Xixón International Film Festival, which in 2019 sold over 50 000 tickets and mobilised hundreds of people from outside Asturias, has decided, in an exercise of responsibility, that its 58th edition will be held online. It will, however, maintain some occasional face-to-face activities with a high symbolic content and designed with all the security measures, which will be announced in the coming days.
These are difficult times, as shown by some of the photos of Xixón by Manu Brabo with which we greet each day on our social networks.
Statements by the Festival Director
The Director of the Festival, Alejandro Díaz Castaño, said at the press conference this Thursday that "from FICX we assume the recommendations of the authorities, and we believe that responsibility and solidarity are fundamental to help reduce the impact of the pandemic on the health of citizens and to recover our normal activity as soon as possible. We therefore prioritise the health of our workers, filmmakers, jurors, journalists and other participants in our 58th edition over any other circumstance".
This situation is neither new nor comes as a surprise. Díaz Castaño added that "since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, the FICX has been prepared to guarantee that it could be held in any scenario, even the current one, which is much worse than what we all expected just a month ago when we presented the image and a preview of the programming. A complete and well worked out online festival that will allow the public to enjoy in their homes a selection of the best contemporary independent cinema and even access to meetings with creators, debates and parallel activities".
He also recalled that "the social, economic and cultural dynamism that accompanies each edition of FICX is unquestionable, and we are fully aware that the online celebration will not be positive for its impact. For this reason, we are firmly committed to doing everything possible to continue linking this online edition to economic sectors in the city, as well as to collaborating entities in Gijón, the Principality of Asturias and the rest of Spain".
Finally, he added that "from FICX we consider it increasingly important to vindicate our project not only as a set of activities that take place during a week, but as a plan for audiovisual dissemination and learning that is developed throughout the year. In fact, we are one of the few festivals in our country that, under normal conditions, carries out initiatives during each and every month of the year. It also includes screenings in Gijón and the rest of Asturias, as well as collaborations with prestigious national and international festivals. Our supporters can be sure that, as soon as the circumstances derived from the pandemic are sufficiently favourable, the FICX will return to the presence whatever the time of year".
New programming Advance
In addition to the first films in the Official Section that FICX presented last month, this year's edition already has a second preview that was explained at the press conference by the director of Programming, Fran Gayo. The announced titles that will also compete in the three official sections (Retueyos, Albar and Tierres en Trance) are as follows:
The opening film of the Festival will be A l'Abordage!, by Guillaume Brac (France, 2020). The story of a journey in search of romance through the south of France. A couple, a friend, a driver, and an unexpected holiday where chance disrupts all plans.
The other films announced this thursday are as follows:
Uppercase Print. Radu Jude (Romania, 2020).
A 16-year-old boy confronts Ceausescu's communist government by telling a different story about life in the country than the one being built by the state television. Thirty years after the fall of communism, the film reveals the figure of an unknown hero.
First Cow. Kelly Reichardt (USA, 2019).
A cook joins a group of fur trappers in the Oregon Territory, although he only finds a real connection with a Chinese immigrant, who is also seeking his fortune. The encounter leads to a joint venture, which needs a prized dairy cow owned by a wealthy local landowner.
9 Fugas. Fon Cortizo (Spain, 2020).
Three forgotten stories that emerge in a story starring a young worker in a fish market, a silent boat and a group of improvisers who investigate the sounds of the past.
Implosión. Javier van de Couter (Argentina, 2020).
Between the desire for revenge and the need to overcome a trauma, two friends launch an investigation to find the comrade who fifteen years ago triggered a massacre at their institute, which they survived.
The Castle. Lina Luzyte (Lithuania, 2020).
A young Lithuanian immigrant in Dublin with a remarkable talent for singing struggles with a critical family situation, with a depressed mother and a grandmother suffering from dementia. The opportunity of a lifetime, a concert at the exclusive The Castle, precipitates her situation.
During the next few days we will keep you informed of the rest of the programme and the activities we are preparing.
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