‘Saturn Return,’ ‘Radical,’ ‘Little Loves’ Top Spain’s Malaga Festival

The Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival is coming off a successful — and at times turbulent — 26th edition, wrapping “amidst an explosive ambiance with episodes of violence and intolerance.”

Anna Marie de la Fuente Macu Machín’s “La Hojarasca” (“The Undergrowth”) took home the top MiradaCanaria prize at the 17thMiradasDoc, which ran March 15-22 in Tenerife, Spain. Produced by El Viaje Films, Machin’s debut feature has been picking up accolades since its world premiere at Berlinale’s Forum, snagging Best Spanish Picture and director at the Malaga Film Festival’s Zonazine, a sidebar for edgier and sometimes smaller pics.

Thania Garcia Ariana Grande claims the No. 1 album and single in the United States this week following the highly-anticipated release of her seventh studio effort, “Eternal Sunshine.” The pop singer’s latest full-length easily debuted atop the Billboard 200 with the largest starting sum of the year so far. The set earned a total of 227,000 units in the latest tracking week (ending March 14), with 195 million on-demand official streams and 77,000 album sales, according to data provided by Luminate.

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UK holidaymakers in tourist hotspots such as Majorca, Malaga and Tenerife have been warned to "get out" as a crackdown sparks protests across Spain.

Christopher Vourlias Palestinian director Hana Elias’ “If These Stones Could Talk,” which follows a Palestinian man’s return to his homeland to restore his family’s ancestral garden, and Argentine filmmaker María Silvia Esteve’s “Mailin,” about a woman’s painful struggle to overcome her childhood trauma, took the top prizes at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival’s industry award ceremony Wednesday night. During an emotionally charged conclusion to the festival’s Agora strand, in which several filmmakers voiced their strident support for Palestine and called for a ceasefire to the more than five-month-old Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, a tearful Elias took the stage alongside producer Asmahan Bkerat to receive the top prize in the Agora’s pitching forum, a €10,000 ($10,900) cash prize from the International Emerging Film Talents Assn. (IEFTA).

Molly-Mae Hague has explained the clever mum hack she used that enabled her daughter Bambi to achieve a huge new milestone, as she documented her little girl standing up without holding on for the first time. The reality TV star, 24, who shares the adorable little girl with her fiancé Tommy Fury, shared a snippet inside her proud mum moment as she filmed Bambi standing - unaided - on her two feet with fans. The mum-of-one, who rose to fame after starring on Love Island in 2019, posted the adorable clip with her 7.9 million followers on her Instagram Story where she opened up about the 'wooden spoon' trick.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor The 44th edition of genre film festival Fantasporto, which runs in Portugal’s second city Porto from March 1-10, has bestowed its best film award on Japanese sci-fi fantasy pic “From the End of the World,” directed by Kaz I Kiriya. The movie follows 10-year-old Hana, whose dreams transport her across various eras in Japanese history, and have the ability to save humanity. The jury’s special award went to “The Complex Forms,” Italian director Fabio D’Orta’s debut feature.

Malaga Film Festival‘s MAFIZ-Spanish Screenings Content industry section, in its third edition once again put the spotlight on Spain’s impressive cinematic output, presenting a total of 222 Spanish productions. They included four market premieres, four titles in the fest’s official selection, 21 that have sold internationally as remakes, 38 in market screenings and 11 works in progress, of which five were presented in the Animation Hub. In addition, 65 shorts screened as part of the Malaga Short Center — an eclectic selection of works from established and up-and-coming filmmakers that are set to make their mark on Spain’s already muscular film sector.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent “Los caminantes de la calle,” directed by Argentina’s Juan Martín Hsu, Chilean Ignacio Pávez’s docu-fiction drama “An Amputee” and Uruguayan Lorenzo Tocco’s “For God’s Sake” proved the biggest winners at the Malaga Festival’s MAFIZ industry area awards, announced at a ceremony on Friday night. Covering Malaga’s Work in Progress showcase, its Málaga Festival Fund Co-Production forum (MAFF) and the Spanish Screenings Content – Málaga Short Corner, prizes were divvied up among a slew of titles, with ‘Sometimes,’ by Sara Fantova and Enrique Buleo’s ‘Still Life With Ghosts,’ both scoring multiple awards. From his first feature, 2015’s “La Salada,” a patchwork narrative tale of immigrants’ lives, dreams and suffering in Argentina, to 2021’s “La Luna Reprenta Mi Corazon,” a docu feature record of the rencounter with his mother in Taiwan, Hsu has carved out a niche depicting the immigrant experience in Argentina.

Holly Jones Simmering inner turmoil, regret and a relationship on the mend feature as themes in “Little Loves” (“Los Pequeños Amores”), Spanish filmmaker Celia Rico‘s anticipated second feature, which premiered in competition this week at the Málaga Film Festival. Rico’s 2018 feature debut, “Journey to a Mother’s Room,” won the Youth Jury Award at San Sebastian Film Festival, and received a Special Mention in the New Directors competition.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief This month’s Hong Kong International Film Festival will showcase over 190 films from 62 countries and regions, including five world premieres, and 64 Asian premieres. Running 12 days (March 28 – April 8), the festival will open with the Asian premiere of local director Ray Yeung’s “All Shall Be Well,” which won the Teddy Award at the recent Berlin festival.

Ed Meza @edmezavar Isaki Lacuesta has returned to the Malaga Film Festival with his highly anticipated rock band drama “Saturn Return” (“Segundo Premio”), a fabled account of iconic Spanish group Los Planetas and their struggle to make their legendary third album,“Una semana en un motor de un autobús.” The film, which the award-winning filmmaker directed with Pol Rodríguez and wrote with Fernando Navarro, stars Daniel Ibáñez, Stéphanie Magnin and musician-turned-actor Cristalino. “Saturn Returns” screened in competition in Malaga, where Lacuesta and Isa Campo, double San Sebastian Golden Shell winners, won the best director Silver Biznaga for their 2016 mystery drama “The Next Skin.” Speaking to Variety, Lacuesta explains how the film is not about Los Planetas but rather about the legend of the band and the mystique they themselves have cultivated over the years. Indeed, the story of “Saturn Return” is largely based on the band’s songs.

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Emiliano De Pablos Sideral, the Madrid-based integrated production-distribution-sales label, has acquired Spanish distribution rights to Enrique Buleo’s black comedy film “Bodegón con fantasmas” (“Still Life with Ghosts”), one of the six films playing at Málaga’s WIP España sidebar. Buleo’s first feature, “Still Life with Ghosts” has been produced by Alejandra Mora at Valencia’s Quatre Films (“Tehran Blues,” “An Elephant on a Spider Web”) and Juan Cavestany’s Cuidado con el Perro, the production house behind Movistar Plus’ series “Sentimos las molestias” and feature “Un efecto óptico.” “Still Life with Ghosts” narrates with absurdist humor and magical realism five different intertwined stories about ghosts and living inhabitants in a small town in Spain’s Castilla-La Mancha region.

Film Constellation, transports us to the 9th century where Emma, a newly appointed abbess, is tasked with the formidable challenge of repopulating and revitalizing frontier lands on the edge of Muslim territorie,s at the bequest of her powerful family. The film was set up at Chavarrias’ Barcelona-based Oberon Cinematográfica with Wanda Visión, Icono 2020 AIE, and Saga Film. At the story’s center is Daniela Brown’s (“Días Mejores,”) portrayal of Emma, a young abbess whose divine conviction is matched only by her unyielding resolve.

Holly Jones A myriad of sentiments converge when estranged siblings meet to unpack the weight of their father’s recent death in Spain’s Álex Montoya’s third feature “La Casa,” adapted from the Eisner-winning graphic novel by Paco Roca and sold by Latido Films. The film, which bowed last night, figures in the official competition selection at this year’s Málaga Film Festival, his project “Lucas” having previously swept the fest’s Zonazine sidebar in 2020 – snagging best film, actor (Jorge Motos) and Audience Award plaudits. Written by Montoya and Joana M.

Mad Cool has announced a series of improvements to the festival site in time for the 2024 edition.The festival is set to return to the Spanish city of Madrid for the seventh time later this summer, running between July 10 and July 13.Now, before the 2024 instalment kicks off – with artists including Dua Lipa, Pearl Jam and Bring Me The Horizon leading the line-up – the festival organisers have announced a list of improvements made to the site.Taking place at the Iberdrola Music venue, the enhancements come following audience feedback, and include a reduction of capacity going forward. Unlike previous years, Mad Cool 2024 will now have a reduced capacity, to improve the flow of people both inside and outside the venue and reduce the queues across the site.Additionally, 2024 will also see the number of stages at the festival site reduced from eight to six – an adjustment to once again aid the flow of people, as well as minimise schedule clashes and prevent noise bleed across stages.Elsewhere, more bathroom facilities and water supply points will be added, as well as an increased number of wristband charging points and more relaxing areas across the space.More food options will also be added to the restaurant area, as will more bar spaces.

Emiliano De Pablos Madrid-based Begin Again Films has picked up Spanish distribution and international sales rights to Juan Gautier’s psychological thriller “El aspirante” (“The Aspirant”), about initiation into a masculine universe revolving around hazing of a university residence. “El aspirante” plays at this year’s Málaga Work in Progress’ WIP España sidebar, an industry centerpiece at the Málaga Film Festival, now in its 27th edition. The film toplines Jorge Motos, star of 2021’s “Lucas,” a film which earned him a Málaga Silver Biznaga for best actor and a Goya best new actor nomination; Lucas Nabor (“All the Names of God”), Eduardo Rosa (“La casa de las flores”) and Catalina Sopelana (“Sky Rojo”) complete the main cast.

Callum McLennan Featuring famed directors such as Argentina’s Ariel Rotter and Spain’s Benito Zambrano, who have not only played but won at Berlin and San Sebastian respectively, Malaga’s 19-pic out of competition strand is a testament to the buyer-driven pulling power of Malaga , thanks to its significant market. Multiple other name auteurs pack out the selection, which also includes a far stronger line is broad audience comedies than most festivals would risk.