The summer film season of the Universitat de València will be held from July 5th to July 21st with 15 night screenings at the Cloister of La Nau. This years’ edition will have three seasons: ‘Noves Direccions’, ‘Al·lu(cine): Entre la raó i la desraó’ and ‘Mirades sobre Europa’, in conjunction with the Interact Programme of the European Union and the Valencian Government.
The Universitat de València, through the Cinema Club, organises the series ‘Nits de Cinema’ that will take place at the Cloister of La Nau Cultural Centre from July 5th to July 21st. A total of 15 films will be shown in original version with subtitles and all of them will be presented and discussed by Valencian filmmakers and cinema experts. The films will be screened at 10 PM, and previous registration will be needed in https://www.latenda.es/va/events. This registration will be free. The presentation was made by the Vice-Principal for Culture and Society, Ester Alba, and the academic director of the Cinema Club, Áurea Ortiz.
This year, ‘Nits de Cinema’ will have three seasons: ‘Noves Direccions’, from July 5th to July 10th; ‘Al·lu(cine): Entre la raó i la desraó’, from July 11th to July 14th, and ‘Mirades sobre Europa’, from July 17th to July 21st. This last season is organised by the Cinema Club and the European Interact Programme of the Universitat de València, and the Valencian Government. Its main aim is to promote cooperation between European regions and countries.
The season will be opened by the award-winner Alcarràs, by Carla Simón, which won the Golden Bear on the last edition of the Berlinale. The season ‘Noves Direccions’ will allow people to discover a new generation of filmmakers and producers of Spanish cinema and will serve as a context to discuss the current challenges experienced by independent Spanish productions with producers María Zamora (Elastica Films), Ariadna Dot (Lastor Media), Rafael Molés (Suica Films) and Alejandra Mora (Cuatro Films). They will be participating in a round table open to public on Tuesday, July 5th, at 7 PM at the Aula Magna of La Nau.
‘Al·lu(cine): Entre la raó i la desraó’ is part of the exhibition ‘La Nau dels Bojos’, presented on May at La Nau Cultural Centre. The season will show how mental health has been represented throughout the history of cinema with the coordinators of the exhibition Cándido Polo and Ana Hernández.
This season will also include the conference Terroríficas: el papel de la mujer en el cine de terror on Thursday, July 14th, at 7 PM at the Aula Magna of La Nau. The conference will be offered by Bloody Girls, two experts who disseminate and analyse the representation of women in the history of horror films.
Finally, ‘Nits de Cinema’ will finish with the ‘Mirades sobre Europa’ season, where five films will be screened to make us reflect on what does Europe mean, the European reality, multiculturalism and cooperation between countries and regions.
This season is part of the educational activities carried out throughout Europe on the occasion of the European Cooperation Day to promote the social benefits of cooperation beyond borders among citizens and to reduce economical and social inequalities among countries.
Through the selection of five films, various aspects of the European cooperation and its achievements are planned to be disseminated to the audience, from intercultural understanding and multilingualism, to migration, knowledge of other countries or the ability to put ourselves in the place of those who are not or do not speak like us. In this context, cooperation between regions and the removal of borders become two essential backbones to consolidate a true feeling of ‘world citizens’.
According to the Vice-Principal for Culture and Society of the Universitat de València, Ester Alba, “we want ‘Nits de Cinema’ to be a training tool to reflect, through cinema, on the future we want. We give voice to young talent through the ‘Noves Direccions’ season, but we also study mental health, specially that of the younger generations, who have suffered so much during the pandemic. We do this without forgetting the moment Europe is living right now, located in a social and geopolitical crossroads we want to reflect on.”
For his part, the counsellor of Finance and Economic Model, Arcadi España, responsible of managing the Interact Programme of the European Union, stressed “the importance of disseminating the European values among all citizens, as well as the open, inclusive, multicultural and welcoming spirit of a solidary Europe without borders, which is the essential characteristic of this political project.” Therefore, Arcadi España invited all citizens to participate in this cinema season “that has an open view, multilingual language and solidary vocation and that will talk about the values of living, now more than ever, in a peaceful world.”
Full programme
‘Nits de Cinema’ will start on Tuesday, July 5th, with the screening of Alcarràs (2022) as part of the ‘Noves Direccions’ season. Awarded with the Golden Bear on the 72th edition of the Berlinale, Alcarràs follows the life story of the Solé family who come together to harvest their last crop after eighty years farming the same land. According to its director, Carla Simón, “it is a story about belonging to a land, to a place. A drama about the perpetual generational tensions, the overcoming of old traditions and the importance of the family unit in times of crisis.” The presentation and discussion will be led by María Zamora.
The season will continue on Wednesday, July 6th, with Libertad (2021), awarded at the last Goya Awards with the Best New Director (Clara Roquet) and Best Supporting Actress (Nora Navas). Presented by Ariadna Dot, who will be in charge of the discussion, Libertad follows the story of the Vidal family, who spends the last holidays with grandmother Ángela, who suffers an advanced state of Alzheimer's disease. For the first time in her life, Nora feels she does not find her place. But everything changes when Libertad arrives.
On Thursday, July 7th, will be the turn of My Emptiness and I (2022) by Adrián Silvestre, who will present and conduct the discussion. In this documentary, we follow Raphi, a trans woman who is transitioning, in her daily life. She talks frankly with her colleagues, her queer friends and the men she meets through social applications. Despite all advices she receives, time and experience will be the main factors that will help her accept her place in the world.
The ‘Noves Direccions’ season will continue with Las Niñas (2019), which won the Best Movie, Best Original Screenplay, Best New Director (Pilar Palomero) and Best Cinematography at the 2019 Goya Awards. We get into the Spain of the Seville Expo ‘92 and the 1992 Summer Olympics and we follow Celia, a 11-year-old girl who studies in a nun’s school in Zaragoza and lives with her mother. Brisa, a classmate recently arrived from Barcelona, pushes her towards a new stage in his life: adolescence. The presentation and discussion will be led by Las Entendidas.
The director of La amiga de mi amiga (2022), Zaida Carmona, and Alba Cros will present and conduct the discussion of said film. It is a five-way lesbian love comedy drama. With pop music and autofiction as background and the appearance of a well-known singer who we never know if is entirely real, we witness a game that starts when Zaida goes back to the city after a breakup.
Finally, A Thief's Daughter (2019) will be the last screening of the ‘Noves Direccions’ season. Presented and conducted by Nuria Castellote, it follows the story of Sara, a 22-year-old girl who has been alone all her life and whose wish is to start a normal family after having had a baby. Her father, Manuel, decides to reappear in her life after years of absence and after getting out of prison. Sara knows he is the main obstacle in her plans and makes a hard choice: get him away from her and her little brother.
‘Nits de Cinema’ will continue with the ‘Al·lu (cine): Entre la raó i la desraó’ season. It will be opened by the screening of Gaslight (1944) on Thursday, July 11th. Cándido Polo and Ana Hernández will present and conduct the discussion. In Victorian England, a well-known opera singer is murdered. Her young niece, who lived with her, is sent to Italy and the case remains unsolved. There, she marries the pianist who accompanies her professor. After the honeymoon, the couple settle in the former house of the murdered singer, where the girl starts hearing weird and inexplicable noises while the gaslight dims.
Eloisa Is Under an Almond Tree (1943) is the film that will move the ‘Al·lu (cine): Entre la raó i la desraó’ season forward. Áurea Ortiz will present and moderate the following discussion to talk about one of the best post-war comedies, an adaptation of Jardiel Poncela directed by Rafael Gil and starring the best actors of the 50s: Amparo Rivelles, Rafael Durán, Guadalupe Muñoz Sampedro and Alberto Romea. After studying abroad, Fernando returns home. There he will have to take charge of a mysterious mission entrusted to him by his late father through a letter: finding the culprit of the death of his lover. During his investigation, Fernando will discover all kinds of strange characters closer to madness than he could ever have imagined.
Cándido Polo and Ana Hernández will be in charge of the presentation and later discussion of Zauria(k) (2019). This documentary aims to generate a critical and feminist reflection around the hegemonic model of mental health and psychiatric practices, and to expand a framework where vulnerability can be addressed as a place of resistance where we can talk about health.
The ‘Al·lu (cine): Entre la raó i la desraó’ season will finish on Thursday, July 14th, with American Psycho (2000), presented and moderated by Bloody Girls. Patrick Bateman is a wealthy yuppie who works at his father’s firm on Wall Street during the day while engaging in inconceivable activities at night. As the years pass by, his hatred for the world grows more and more.
The Danish film Italian for beginners (2000) will be the first screening of the ‘Mirades sobre Europa’ season on Sunday, July 17th. The presentation and discussion will be led by Paola Franco. It is a warm comedy about six singular characters. All of them sign up for an Italian language course, where the Latin atmosphere quickly spreads and trouble evolves into a funny and emotional experience.
Babette's Feast (1987) tells the story of a remote fishing village on the Danish coast in 1871, ruled by Puritan tradition, where two single sisters nostalgically recall their distant youth. The arrival of Babette, who comes form Paris escaping from terror, will change their lives. Nacho Ruipérez will present and moderate the discussion.
The reinterpretation of the classic Les Misérables (2019) will continue the ‘Mirades sobre Europa’ season. Inspired by the 2005 riots, director Ladj Ly, nominated to the César Awards and member of the Kourtrajmé school, explores today’s Montfermeil, the same place Victor Hugo used as scenery for part of the 1862 Les Misérables. More than 150 years have passed, but the similarities between the angry hooded youth and Gavroche cannot be clearer. Stéphane has just joined the Anti-Crime Brigade of Montfermeil, a suburb at the East of Paris. There he meets his new teammates, Chris and Gwada, two agents experienced in the huge tensions existing between the various organised groups for the control of the neighbourhood. The presentation and discussion will be led by Laura García Andreu.
On Wednesday, July 20th, it will be the turn of Le Havre (2011), which will have Clara Gorria as presenter and moderator of the discussion. This Finnish drama depicts the life of Marcel Marx, a famous bohemian writer who voluntarily exiled himself and settled in the port city of Le Havre (France), where he lives contentedly working as shoe shiner because that way he feels closer to people. After abandoning his literary ambitions, he lives peacefully between his favourite bar, his work and his wife Arletty until suddenly fate brings an immigrant boy from Sub-Saharan Africa into his life.
‘Nits de Cinema’ will finish on Wednesday, July 21st, with Faces Places (2017). Faces Places is a French documentary that will be presented and moderated by Áurea Ortiz. Agnès chose cinema. JP, photography. They get together in an extraordinary and surprising trip through the villages of France based on chance and creativity. In magic van that prints out large-format photographs, the two of them experience contact with people and forge a friendship based on their differences and their sense of humour. Experience and youth in a human and unforgettable journey.
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