El Documental del Mes is an initiative run by Parallel 40 and was born as a CinemaNet Europe’s project in 2004. Its main aim is to make documentary films available to a wider audience while at the same time increasing the presence of European documentaries on film screens, regardless of their quality, subject matter or country of origin. The programme consists in the simultaneous screening of the same documentary film in around 45 Spanish cities and, since 2009, in Chile and Argentina as well.
All screenings will begin at 8:30 p.m. Entrance is free until filled to capacity.
22 December
The visit (2014)
Directed by: Michael Madsen. Cinematography: Heikki Färm. Edited by: Nathan Nugent, Stefan Sundlöf. Produced by: Lise Lense-Møller. Producer assistant: Carsten Aanonsen, Andrew Freedman, Nikolaus Geyrhalter, Markus Glaser, Sami Jahnukainen, Michael Kitzberger, Wolfgang Widerhofer. Producer Company: Magic Hour Films
Denmark. 83 minutes.
Original-language version (English) with Spanish subtitles.
Entrance is free until filled to capacity.
Synopsis: Earth may not have been visited by aliens, but ever since the invention of radio and television, humans have been sending signals into outer space, announcing their existence to other civilizations, so the probability of receiving an answer is considerably higher. Therefore, the question is not ‘what if’ it happens, but rather ‘when.’
The film builds up a chillingly believable scenario of first contact on Earth. This documentary takes viewers on a journey beyond their terrestrial perspective and into the unknown, revealing not only the fears, hopes, and rituals of a species forced to confront alien life forms that may or may not view us as a threat, but also its own self image and the most difficult questions of all: ‘Who are we?’
Director: Michael Madsen is a conceptual artist and director of the multiple award-winning Into Eternity (2010). Recent films include Halden Prison, in 3D and part of Cathedrals of Culture initiated by Wim Wenders. In addition, Michael has been guest lecturer at several higher education institutions such as the Royal Danish Academy of Art, the Danish Film School and the University of California.
24 November
Game Over (2015)
Directed by: Alba Sotorra. Screenplay: Isa Campo. Cinematographer: Jimmy Gimferrer. Edited by: Cristóbal Fernández. Sound: Alejandro Fernández. Music: Michael Fakesch. Executive producers: Carles Pastor, Marta Figueras, Dirk Manthey
Germany, Spain. 78 minutes.
Original-language version (Catalan, Spanish, Farsi) with Spanish subtitles.
Entrance is free until filled to capacity.
Synopsis: Djalal was obsessed with war games before he even started walking. Growing up as a single child in a Catalan working-class family, his parents indulged his every whim. He had all sorts of toy weapons to play soldier, and as he grew older his games became increasingly sophisticated. He started recording himself on videotapes, recreating military operations and uploading his videos on Youtube, where he created a cyber-identity—Lord Sex—with thousands of followers. Following his dream to the limit, he went to the Afghanistan front as a sniper. But there isn’t as much action in war as there is in the movies. Djalal returns home to his parents disenchanted, and finds that everything has changed. The economic crisis has hit the family and he’s forced to make decisions.The game is over and Djalal will have to find his own place in the real world.
Director: Alba Sotorra is a film director and video artist based in Berlin. She has directed the documentaries Qatar the Race (2011) and Unveiled Views (2008). She is currently developing a transmedia project on climate engineering and a documentary on subversive motherhoods.
27 October
The Mulberry House (2013)
Directed by: Sara Ishaq; Cinematography: Sara Ishaq; Sreenplay: Sara Ishaq; Editor: Doaa Fadel, Sara Ishaq; Executive producer: Diana El Jeiroudi; Sound: Sara Ishaq; Music by: Ahmed Al-Shaiba;
Producers: Proaction Film, Seen Films, Setara Films, Dubai Film Market / Enjaaz Film Fund; Distribution: Proaction Film GmbH
Egypt, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Syrian Arab Republic, Yemen. 64 min.
Original-language version with Spanish subtitles.
Entrance is free until filled to capacity.
Synopsis: Sara grew up in Yemen to a Yemeni father and a Scottish mother. As a teenager, she became increasingly suffocated by the constraints of her surroundings, and at age 17, finally decided to move to Scotland, where her mother now resides. Her father, however, would only approve under the condition that she would not forsake her Yemeni roots—a promise she made, but could not keep. Ten years later—in 2011—Sara returns to Yemen as a different person, geared up to face the home of her past and reconnect with her long-severed roots. But against all personal expectations, she returns to find her family and country teetering on the brink of a revolution.
Director: Sara Ishaq was born in Yemen in 1984. She holds an MFA in film directing at the Edinburgh College of Art. She has been involved in several BBC productions set in the Middle East. In 2012, Sara released her first short documentary film about the Yemeni revolution, Karama Has No Walls, which was nominated for a BAFTA New Talent Award and won several international prizes. The Mulberry House is Ishaq’s first full-length documentary film.
29 September
The Forecaster (2014)
Directed by: Marcus Vetter; Executive Producers: Ulli Pfau, Marcus Vetter, Michael Heiks; Cinematography by: Georg Zengerlin; Edited by: Marcus Vetter; Sound: Aljoscha Haupt; Music by: Sven Kaiser; Produced by: Filmperspektive GmbH.
Germany. 100 min.
Director: Marcus Vetter was born in Germany in 1967. He graduated in Economics and Media Theory and Practice. Since 1994 he has been working as a TV editor, producer and director. He has won several international awards in film festivals around the world. He has directed The Tunnel (1999), My father the Turk (2006), Heart of Jenin (2008), Hunger (2009), Cinema Jenin (2011) and The Court (2012).