October 11, 2023.- The sixth edition of the National Cycle of Cinema and Rural Women will start this afternoon at the Madrid Cine Doré, of the Spanish Film Archive, with the screening of the film Secadero. Its director, the Grenadian Rocío Mesa, will present the feature film at the inaugural session of an exhibition that, this year, has 22 titles and that will be presided over by the Secretary General of Agriculture and Food, Fernando Miranda.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food launched the cycle in 2018 with the intention of supporting the celebration of the International Day of Rural Women, on October 15, and boosting the work of the new generations of directors and film directors and their vision of the contemporary rural world and of the women who now populate it.
Of the feature films and short films selected for this exhibition, 13 will be screened between October 11 and November 18 in film libraries, cinemas, houses of culture, theaters and halls of town halls in 70 Spanish localities distributed by the 17 autonomous communities.
In parallel, the official website of the cycle www.cineymujeresrurales.es It will allow the viewing of a dozen films through the Internet, between October 14 and 28, until the scheduled capacity is completed. Viewers can register now to access the titles from Spain and also from eight countries in Central America and the Caribbean: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic.
The great novelty of this sixth edition is the inclusion, as a pilot experience, of an Educational Section aimed at students of Secondary Education (ESO), Baccalaureate and Vocational Training (FP) of 12 public centers located in municipalities of less than 20,000 inhabitants of 12 autonomous communities.
This section is designed so that the centres can show their students, free of charge, two feature films carefully selected for their cultural and pedagogical value: El Agua, by Elena López Riera, and Voyage to a Mother’s Room, by Celia Rico. These are two recent films that address the reality of women in rural settings from different angles.
The participating teachers will have didactic guides and suggestions of educational activities to work with each title before and after the projection. One of the planned activities is the holding of inter-centre meetings, online, in which students will participate in colloquiums guided by the cultural mediation team, which has been in charge of the elaboration of the didactic guides. The program is designed to facilitate the reflection of young people and awaken a critical look at the representation of women in film and other audiovisual content.
The exhibition joins other events for the International Day of Rural Women such as the award of the fourteenth edition of the Awards of Excellence for Innovation for Rural Women, which is also held today, October 11.
The cycle aims to make visible the work of women living in rural areas and to value their contribution to our society. A selection of films that offers viewers a broad and updated view of the reality of the Spanish rural environment and, in particular, of the role that women play in it.
Another of the novelties of this edition is the collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Ministry of Culture and Sport, according to which the film El día de volaron la montaña (Alba Bresolí) has been part of the respective online programs of the recent film exhibition Europe and ruralities and the VI National Cycle of cinema and rural women.
In addition to the screenings, the face-to-face project includes numerous parallel activities - meetings, colloquiums, presentations, exhibitions and informative actions, among others - that will take place in various localities of the route.
The National Cycle of Cinema and Rural Women thus continues its growth and its effort to incorporate in each edition new projections and activities with the aim of highlighting the importance of the role played by women in the rural world. It is a pioneering project, fully consolidated, which has been growing year after year to reach 28,769 spectators (face-to-face and online) in 2022.
Relation of the films of the face-to-face section of the IV Film and Rural Women Cycle
- 20,000 SPECIES OF BEES (2023), by Estibaliz Urresola. Silver Bear for the best leading performance at the Berlinale and Biznaga de Oro and Best Supporting Actress at the Malaga Film Festival.
- AINARAK (GOLONDRINAS) (2022), by Juan San Martín and Ritxi Lizartza. Premiered with very good reception last November.
- AS BESTAS (2022), by Rodrigo Sorogoyen. Winner of 9 Goya Awards, including Best Film, Direction, Screenplay and Actor; 3 Feroz Awards (Best Drama Film, Supporting Actor and Music); 4 Platinum Awards, including Best Direction; and César Award for Best Foreign Film.
- CINCO LOBITOS (2022), by Alauda Ruiz de Azúa. Winner of 3 Goya Awards for Best Actress, Secondary Actress and Novel Direction; Feroz Award for Best Screenplay, Best Actress and Best Secondary Actress; 5 awards at the Malaga Film Festival, including Best Film and Screenplay; and 2 Platinum Awards for Best Actress and Best Secondary Actress.
- EL AGUA (2022), by Elena López Riera, premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival, and nominated for Best Novel Direction and Best Revealing Actress at the Goya Awards.
- AMONG THE FIG TREES (2022), by Erige Sehiri. Awarded at the International Francophone Film Festival Namur.
- MAQUIS (2020), by Rubén Burén. Film very well received in its premiere.
- KILLING CRABS (2022), by Omar A. Razzak. The Malaga Festival was awarded with the Silver Biznagas for Best Spanish Film and Best Female Performance.
- MATRIA (2023), by Álvaro Gago Díaz. Silver Biznaga for the Best Actress and Asecan Award at the Malaga Festival.
- DRYERS (2022), by Rocío Mesa. Awarded with the Dunia Ayaso New Directors Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival, the DCP Deluxe Award at the Gijón International Film Festival and the Audience Award in the Visions section of the SXSW.
- SURO (2022), by Mikel Gurrea. FIPRESCI Award and Irizar Award for Basque Cinema at the San Sebastian Film Festival; winner of 3 Gaudí Awards for Best Novel Direction, Actress and Actor; and nominated for Best Actress and Novel Direction at the Goya Awards.
- LAND OF OUR MOTHERS (2023), by Liz Lobato. Silver Biznaga for the best male interpretation, Audience Award and Film Schools Award for the best feature film in the Official Zonacine Section of the Malaga Film Festival.
- AN ELEPHANT ON THE FABRIC OF A SPIDER (2022), by Rolando Díaz, who received an excellent reception in its premiere.