At 7 pm on Saturday 17 October, the Teatre Zorrilla in Badalona will screen the two winning short films at this year’s BAFTA awards–one of which also won an Oscar–in addition to the six other finalists.
For yet another year, FILMETS and the British Council have joined forces to bring the UK’s finest short films to Badalona
Learning to skateboard in a warzone (If a you’re girl)
The FILMETS Badalona Film Festival will once again be the gateway to Catalonia for the 2020 British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards (BAFTAs), which were announced on 2 February in London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Thanks to its collaboration with the British Council, the UK organisation for cultural relationships and educational opportunities, the FILMETS Festival is due to screen the 8 short films presented at this year’s BAFTA awards. This screening will include the two winning films from the fiction and animation categories. This is the second consecutive year that the British Council and FILMETS have collaborated closely with one another on this initiative.
These short films will be screened during an official competitive session, which is due to take place at 7 pm on Saturday 17 October at the Teatre Zorrilla in Badalona. The 46th edition of the FILMETS Badalona Film Festival is due to take place between 16 and 25 October 2020.
This year, in accordance with the safety protocols established by the health authorities and despite the fact that FILMETS remains a free-to-access festival, people who wish to attend the festival must register in advance at www.festivalfilmets.cat.
The two BAFTA-winning short films
This year’s FILMETS festival is due to include a screening of the two winning entries in the fictional and animated short films categories at this year’s BAFTA awards. These films are:
- Learning to skateboard in a war zone (If a you’re girl): award for the best fictional short film. This 39-minute short was directed by Carol Dysinger and produced by Elena Andreicheva. The film tells the story of an Afghan girl who learns to read, write and skateboard in Kabul. It also won the prize for best short documentary film at this year’s Oscar awards. The film will not compete in any categories at the 2020 FILMETS festival, as its duration (39 minutes) exceeds the maximum duration of 30 minutes as provided for in the festival’s rules.
- Grandad was a romantic: award for the best animated short film. This 4-minute short was directed by Maryam Mohajer. In the film, a boy explains that his grandfather was a romantic. One day, his grandfather saw a photograph of the woman who would later become the boy’s grandmother, and he realised that she was the love of his life. And he decided to go and meet her.
Grandad was a romantic
The six BAFTA finalists in the short film category
The six short films that were also finalists in the 2020 BAFTA awards, which are due to be screened at the Teatre Zorrilla, are:
- Azaar: this 21-minute film was written and directed by Myriam Raja and produced by Nathanael Baring. The film tells the tale of a tribe of women who await the return of their men from war. Azaar, one of the only remaining young people in the village, bonds with her mother, grandmother and the rest of the tribe as she learns the true cost of being a woman.
- Goldfish: this 18-minute film was directed by Hector Dockrill, produced by Harri Kamalanathan and Benedict Turnbull and written by Laura Dockrill. Following the death of her older brother, an 11-year-old girl struggles to overcome her grief. With no company other than her mother and a beautiful goldfish, her life–which had been rose-tinted up until this point–is shattered into pieces. This pain lasts until she finds a letter from a stranger, which changes everything.
- Kamali: this 24-minute film was directed and produced by Sasha Rainbow and co-produced by Rosalind Croad. Kamali is the only girl who rides a skateboard in the fishing village where she lives. Her mother, Suganthi, begins a pilgrimage in an attempt to find herself; to embark on a process of self-discovery. With mother and daughter separated for the first time, they both need to find freedom in a man’s world.
- The trap: this 32-minute film was directed by Lena Headey and produced by Anthony Fitzgerald. When a lonely woman falls in love, it’s easy to share this tender and sensual story of a shocking self-discovery with her.
- In her boots: This animated short film was directed by Kathrin Steinbacher. This 6-minute project explains how Heidi experiences some strange things. While her granddaughter is visiting her, she suddenly embarks on a journey by foot to the most remote parts of the Alps, revealing the reason behind her passion for her walking boots. This is a story of Heidi’s attempt to preserve her identity and autonomy.
- The magic boat: this animated short was directed by Naaman Azhari and produced by Lilia Laurel. The film lasts 6 minutes. It is an intimate insight into the relationship between a mother and her son during the most dangerous trip of their lives.
In the summer of 1940, musician, writer and communicator Walter Starkie opened the first British Council centre in Spain. In October of the same year, the first primary classes were given in the British Council School.
In 2020, the British Council celebrates 80 years since its arrival in Spain with a goal that has remained true over time: to create connections, understanding and trust between British and Spanish citizens through the arts and culture, education and the English language.
Globally, the institution has headquarters in more than 100 countries. During 2019-2020, it connected directly with 80 million people, and indirectly with 791 million people through its online activity, broadcasts and publications.
