The Som Cinema festival arrives this month in the city of Lleida with a program of 57 films, of which 31 are in competition and include two absolute premieres: the fiction feature film Cos de Vidre by Marc Comabella, and the documentary Ángela by David Casals-Roma. The 17th edition of the Catalan Audiovisual Festival will take place from October 21st to 25th with the classic official sections of Feature Films and Fiction Shorts, Documentary Feature Films and Shorts, and Som Secundària. Films from the official section can be seen at Screenbox Lleida, and free screenings are also scheduled at the Ilerna center and the Rectorat Hall of the UdL.
The festival director, Judith Vives, highlighted the broad representation of productions from the Catalan Countries and the presence of 6 works with Lleida participation. She also noted the screening of half a dozen films on social themes with a gender perspective or on topics such as immigration or historical memory. The presence of directors, actors, and producers of the films will allow for Q&A sessions with the audience.
The Councilor for Culture of the Lleida City Council, Pilar Bosch, emphasized that the festival promotes the city's audiovisual industry and places Lleida on the map of Catalan audiovisuals. She added that the City Council encourages local companies to adhere to the Patronage Law and works with the Generalitat to consolidate the audiovisual production triangle in Catalonia.
The vice-president of the Provincial Council of Lleida, Sandra Castro, highlighted the collaboration of the network of cultural and social entities in the city, starting with educational centers, and the commitment of the IEI to the festival.
The vice-rector of the UdL, Núria Casado, emphasized the festival's social role in engaging young people and offering proposals with critical thinking and social awareness.
The opening will be on October 21st at 7 PM in the Auditorium of the Cappont Campus of the UdL, with the screening of Apuntes para una ficción consentida, the fiction debut of Ana Serret. The ceremony will be attended by director Ana Serret, producer Francesc Cabot, and actress Violeta Rodríguez.
The closing will take place on October 25th at 12:30 PM at Screenbox Lleida, with the awards ceremony and the screening of shorts made by students from the Institut Caparrella de Lleida and the short film Patrimoni emocional by Martina Simarro.
The fiction feature section includes 6 works, the fiction shorts section has 14, the documentary features section has 6, and the documentary shorts section has 5. The Som Secundària section will screen 7 shorts. The SomUdL call premieres with 4 works. Shorts from ILERNA, the Escola Catalana de Cinema i Televisió, and the Institut Caparrella de Lleida have also been programmed.
The festival hosts the second edition of the Som Cinema Lab/Pro, aimed at promoting Lleida's talent in the audiovisual field. This year, four projects have been selected: La matrona dels corbs by Berta Torné and Alejandro Martí; 10 minuts by Daniel Sarramona; On neixen els camins by Alexandra Subias Chimeno, and Too match by Mayra Teixidó.
Som Cinema is organized by Suggeriments, with the support of the Lleida City Council, the Institut d’Estudis Ilerdencs, the ICEC-Generalitat de Catalunya, the Universitat de Lleida, and the Fundació Horitzons 2050.
