This post comes a little late, but I must write
about last month when the 49th Sitges - Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de
Catalunya was held. The festival took place from October 7th
through October 16th. Again, autumn in Sitges wouldn't be complete
without it.
This years’ theme celebrated Star
Trek, the American science fiction and entertainment franchise based on
the original television series created by Gene Roddenberry back in 1966. The
first television series, simply called Star
Trek and now referred to as “The Original Series”, only aired for three years;
and by the late 1970s the series had aired in over 60 international markets, in
addition to 150 US markets.
Five decades later, the franchise is still boldly going strong, with a sixth
incarnation coming this coming May 2017* (Star Trek Discovery) and a
14th movie is planned—following this past summers' blockbuster, “Star Trek Beyond”.
Considering the festival itself started just
two years after the series debuted, in September of 1968, it was wonderful to
honour the iconic television series, by screening the first feature film based
on the series called, Star Trek: The
Motion Picture (1980).
Furthermore to the screening, there were two
exhibitions running concurrently:
At the Edifici Miramar, which exhibited posters,
games and Star Trek character figurines and other memorabilia—from the films
and all the television Trek series.
While at the Blue Sala in the Palau Maricel,
artwork was displayed depicting mainly (but, not solely) caricatures of the
Federation Holy Trinity of Captain Kirk, Spock and McCoy…
Another screening at the festival, one that I
wasn't able to get tickets to see due to it being sold out was Arrival (La Llegada). The film had a
surprise screening at this years film festival. And after seeing it only this
week [jarring me into finally writing this post], I now know why it was so very
popular, and can recommend it highly.
It is a science-fiction film served just how I
like it - great story, great effects, good acting and paced just right, without
the need for extreme violence (albeit a lingering threat) and the world's most
famous landmarks blown to bits!
Film Synopsis: Arrival
(La Llegada)
"A Linguistics professor, Louise
Banks (Amy Adams) leads an elite team of investigators when gigantic spaceships
touch down in 12 locations around the world. As nations teeter on the verge of
global war, Banks and her crew must race against time to find a way to
communicate with the extraterrestrial visitors. Hoping to unravel the mystery,
she takes a chance that could threaten her life and quite possibly all of
mankind." (Google)
The film is primarily about trust, language and
communication. And personally, after trying for years to unravel the marvels of
the Spanish language, it was eye-opening to see such a linguistic struggle
depicted on screen. Especially as over the years I’ve searched and searched for
commonalities between my native language (English) and Castellano, and looked
for formulas to conquer the challenge and finally arrive at a comfortable level
of fluency… it is a work in progress.
In terms of suspense or mystery, one such film
stands out for me at the festival, Without
Name. This film was perfect to be screened at the Sitges festival; as an
indie film it ticks all the boxes of what a film in this genre should
accomplish—to be thought inspiring, atmospheric, dark and shows how enjoyable a
film can be having been made with a low budget. SQ assistant editor Gloria
Gannaway and I got the chance to speak with director, Lorcan Finnegan to tell
him how much we enjoyed his film!
Film Synopsis: Without
Name
“There’s
something bizarre and nightmarish waiting in the woods, and its sights are set
on Eric (Alan McKenna), a land surveyor who’s tasked with assessing the woodland
area in question just as his marriage is about to crumble. Stressed out by his
fractured home life, Eric is tragically susceptible to the woods’ powerful
ability to enter the emotionally wounded man’s mind and wreak both physical and
mental havoc on him. Incorporating disorienting and inventive visual tricks to
bring the film’s scenic forest to life, first-time Irish director Lorcan
Finnegan taps into an effective psychological dread to create a psychedelic and
one-of-a-kind descent into madness”. (Brooklyn Horror Film Festival)
Cast: Alan McKenna, Niamh Algar, James Browne
Director: Lorcan Finnegan
Screenwriter: Garret Shanley
Producers: Brunella Cocchiglia, Rory Gilmartin
Cinematography: Piers McGrail
Overall our autumn so far this year has been a mild
and memorable season. The time of harvesting grapes, the films of the festival;
and as the first day of winter grows near (Winter Solstice, Dec.21st)
we quickly approach our highly anticipated Christmas season with even more
festivities…
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