MATRIA
HD / color / 21 min. / Spain / 2017
Datasheet
Written, Directed & Produced by Álvaro Gago.
Cinematographer: Lucia C. Pan
Editor: Álvaro Gago.
Country: Spain
Language of the original version: Galician.
Shooting Format: Alexa mini 1.66:1
Location: Galicia, Spain.
Synopsis
Ramona lives with her husband, with whom she barely communicates, and works in a canning factory run by a tyrant manager. Faaced with the challenges presented by her daily routine, Ramona tries to take refuge in the relationship that unites her to her daughter and granddaughter.
Ramona vive co seu marido, con quen apenas se comunica, e traballa nunha fábrica de conservas gobernada por unha encargada tirana. Ante os desafíos que lle presenta a súa rutina diaria, Ramona trata de refuxiarse na relación que lle une á súa filla e a súa neta.
Director's Statement
The local is what nourishes us. I’ve been surrounded by extraordinary women since I was born. Common to all are adjectives like determined, caring, passionate, generous. Simple women with complex lives, which prevents them from being transparent. Sensitive women who, faced with the difficulties of their living environment, have the need to protect themselves. They are, from a cinematographic point of view, very interesting characters. Intricate characters, full of nuances, uncomfortable in their relationship with their context and of difficult emotional access.
Matria is a film about a defective everyday heroine. I didn’t want to portray her from a panegyric point of view. My intention was to document her reality under the illusion of a fiction veil. An adverse reality that doesn’t have an apparent ending in the film, because Matria is a continuous tragedy engraved with fire in the routine.
However, the intention is to leave the audience with the feeling that there is room for possibility and illusion. She’s alone, the circumstances are not favorable, but she doesn’t lose hope, which resides in her own determination and dignity, and in the love that unites her to her family. Matria, if anything, is trying to be a humanist film, and there is no humanity without hope.
Her dignity is given to her, to a great extent, by the work she performs. The film seeks to deepen the notion of work as a source of honor and glorification. All these heroines are hardworking women. Their dedication and effort bring out values such as honesty, ambition, humility and empathy. Work also causes Ramona to lead an intense rhythm of life. She can’t afford to stop. She doesn't have time to think too much. When watching the film we are faced with a torrent of energy and emotions and I tried to convey that as best as I could.
It was my responsibility to make this film. It was my duty to give voice to these silenced women who endure, shut up and pull forward, but who also need to feel cared for and loved. Ramona deals with many things, but above all, it deals with people.
Levo rodeado de mulleres extraordinarias dende que nacín. Comúns a todas, son os adxectivos: determinada, apaixoada, xenerosa. Mulleres sinxelas con vidas complexas, o que impide que se mostren transparentes. Mulleres sensíbeis que diante das dificultades do seu entorno vital, teñen a necesidade de protexerse e esconderse. Son, polo tanto, dende un punto de vista cinematográfico, persoaxes moi interesantes. Persoaxes complexas, con moitos matices, incómodas na relación coa súa cortorna e de díficil acceso emocional.
Matria é un filme sobre unha heroina cotidiana defectuosa. Non quixen retratala dende un punto de vista panexírico. Sempre cos pés na terra, a miña intención foi a de documentar a súa realidade baixo a ilusión da ficción. Unha realidade tráxica que non ten un aparente final no filme, pois Matria é unha traxedia continua grabada con lume na cotianidade e na rutina. A pesar de todo, a intención era a de rematar coa sensación de que hai espazo para a posibilidade e a ilusión. Está soa, o contexto non é favorable, pero non perde a esperanza, que reside na súa determinación e dignidade, e no amor que lle une á sua familia. Matria, se pretende algo, é ser un filme humanista, e non hai humanidade sen esperanza.
A dignidade dálla, en gran medida, o traballo. O filme pretende profundizar na noción do traballo como fonte de honorabilidade e glorificación. Todas estas heroínas son moi traballadoras. A súa dedicación e esforzo traen consigo valores como a honestidade, a ambición, a humildade ou a empatía. O traballo tamén é o causante de que Ramona leve un ritmo de vida intenso. Non se pode permitir parar. Non ten tempo para pensar demasiado. Estamos ante un torrente de enerxía e emocións, e así busquei que se sentise no filme.
As narrativas mais atraíntes veñen dadas polo interés que suscitan as persoaxes. É imposible contar unha boa historia ser persoaxes e situacións críbeis e suxestivas. Aquí, o material cru existía e non estaba moi explorado. Sentía que facer este filme era a miña responsabilidade. Sentía que era o meu deber darlle voz a estas mulleres silenciadas que soportan, calan e tiran para diante, pero que tamén necesitan sentirse coidadas e queridas. O local é o que nos nutre. E do local ao universal, sen deixar indiferente: das alegrías e penas de Ramona ás alegrías e penas de todas as mulleres. Un traballo sobre un material existente para unha mirada honesta dun cine comprometido socialmente.
Ramona trata dunha morea de cousas, pero por riba de todo, trata de persoas.
Festivals
Sundance Film Festival, 2018 - Short Film Grand Jury Prize
IndieLisboa Int. Independent Film Festival, 2018 - Best Fiction Short Film
Valladolid Int. Film Festival (Seminci, 2017) - Best Spanish Short Film
24fps International Short Film Festival, 2018 - Silver Medal & Best Actress
Hollyshorts Film Festival, 2018 - Best International Short Film
Concorto Film Festival, 2018 - Special Mention
Festival Cinéma Méditerranéen Montpellier CINEMED - Special Mention
Maremetraggio Shorts International Film Festival, 2018 - Best Short Film
ALCINE (Festival Int. de Alcalá de Henares, 2017) - Best Film & Best Actress
Festival Int. de Aguilar del Campoo, 2017 - Best Film & Best Actress
Semana de Cine de Medina del Campo, 2018 - Best Short Film (Panorama Section)
Ljubljana International Film Festival, 2018- Best Short Film
Mostra de Cinema Llatinoamericà de Lleida, 2018 - Best Short Film
Sardinia Film Festival, 2018 - Best Short Film & Medaglia del Presidente della Repubblica
Premios Mestre Mateo - Academia Galega do Audiovisual, 2018 - Best Short Film
Festival de Cans, 2018 - Best Film, Best Actress & Audience Award
Pančevo Film Festival, 2018 - Best Short Film & Best Actress
Certamen Internacional de Cortometrajes Ciudad de Soria, 2018 - Best Spanish Short Film
FICBueu - Festival Internacional Cortometrajes, 2018 - Best Galician Short Film & Audience Award
Ikuska, Muestra Internacional de Cortometraje de la Bahía de Pasaia, 2018 - Best Short Film
Festival Primavera do Cine de Vigo, 2018 - Best Short Film
Festival de cine de l'Alfàs del Pi, 2018 - Second Prize, Best Directing & Audience Award
Festival de Curtmetratges de Manlleu, 2018 - Best International Short Film
Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente de Elche, 2018 - Best Short Fiction Film
Festival de Cine Solidario de Guadalajara FESCIGU, 2018 - Best Short Film
Festival de Cine Int. de Cartagena 2017 - Best Director
FASCURT - Festival de curtmetratges del Masnou, 2018 - Best Short Film
Festival Ibérico de Cine de Badajoz, 2018 - Best Short Film & Best Actress
VIA XIV - Festival Int. de Cortometrajes de Verín, 2017 - Best Director
Festival de Cine de Arnedo Octubre en Corto - Best Short Film
Concurso Nacional de Cortometrajes CreatRivas, 2018 - Best Short Film
Festival Internacional de cine de Incuna, 2018 - Best Short Film
Semana de Cine de Melilla, 2018 - Third Prize
Festival de Cortometrajes "Villamayor de Cine", 2018 - Best Film & Best Actress
Festival de Cine de Madrid PNR - Plataforma Nuevos Realizadores, 2018 - Special Mention
Ribadedeva en Corto, 2018 - Best Actress
Curtas Armandiña, 2018 - Best Short Film
Ponferrada International Film Festival, 2018 - Special Mention
Getafe On Air International Film Festival, 2018 - Audience Award
Clermont-Ferrand Int. Short Film Festival, 2018
AFI FEST - Los Angeles
MESSAGE TO MAN International Documentary, Short and Animated Films Festival, 2018
Palm Springs International ShortFest, 2018
Guanajuato International Film Festival, 2018
Encounters - Bristol Short Film and Animation Festival, 2018
Melbourne International Film Festival, 2018
Uppsala International Short Film Festival, 2018
LALIFF - Los Angeles Latino Film Festival, 2018
VIFF - Vancouver International Film Festival, 2018
Leeds International Film Festival, 2018
Traverse City Film Festival, 2018
NALIP Official Selection, 2018
International Eskisehir Film Festival, 2018
Cinema Jove - Festival Internacional de Cine de Valencia, 2018
Short Shorts Film Festival Asia, 2018
Galway Film Fleadh, 2018
Brussels Short Film Festival, 2018
Aspen FilmFest, 2018
TISF - THESS Int. Short Film Festival, 2018
Nashville Film Festival, 2018
Washington West Film Festival, 2018
ABYCINE - Festival de Cine de Albacete, 2018
IKUSKA - Muestra Int. de Cortometraje de Pasaia
DOKUFEST - International Documentary and Short Film Festival, 2018
Seattle Int. Film Festival, 2018
PRINDIE - Princeton Independent Film Festival, 2018
Festival de Málaga, 2018
Tehran International Short Film Festival, 2018
Las Palmas International Film Festival, 2018
Muestra Cinematográfica del Atlántico - ALCANCES, 2018
FIWOM - Film Festival for Women's Rights, 2018
CINESPAÑA Festival du Film Espagnol de Toulouse, 2018
Ljubljana International Film Festival, 2018
Zubroffka Int. Short Film Festival, 2017
Kyiv International Short Film Festival, 2018
International Short Film Festival in Drama, 2018
D'A Film Festival Barcelona, 2018
Cinema Espagnol de Nantes, 2018
MAGMA - Mostra di Cinema Breve, 2018
La Guarimba Film Festival, 2018
Vilnius Int. Film Festival, 2018
Passaggi d'Autore: Intrecci Mediterranei, 2018
Cineuropa, Santiago de Compostela, 2017
SICA Semana Internacional de Cine de Autor de Lugo, 2018
Certame de Curtametraxes Armadiña, 2018
FMK - International Short Film Festival, 2018
Redondela en Curto, 2018
Festival Cinematográfico de Uruguay, 2018
Kortfilmfestivalen - Norwegian Short Film Festival, 2018
Concurso de Cortometrajes K-Lidoscopi, 2018
SACO, Semana del Audiovisual Contemporáneo de Oviedo, 2018
Semana del Cortometraje de la Comunidad de Madrid, 2018
Festival International de Cinema de Menorca, 2018
Corto & Fieno - Rural Film Festival, 2018
Festival du film court "Partie(s) de Campagne", 2018
International Best of Short Films Festival - La Ciotat, 2018
Festival Nacional de Cortometrajes Ciudad de Ávila - AVILACINE, 2018
Festival Resistances, 2018
Almagro International Film Festival, 2018
FestImatge - Festival de la Image de Calella, 2018
Le Court Nous Tient, 2018
Yerevan Short Film festival, 2018
Premio Internacional de Cortometrajes de la Universidad de La Laguna, 2018
Semana de Cine de Cuenca, 2018
Festival de Cortometrajes "Cortada" de Vitoria-Gasteiz, 2018
Other Screenings
Braga – Ciclo Cinema Luso-Galego
Vigo - Cine Clube Lumiere
Vigo – Auditorio do Concello
Vigo – Casa Galega da Cultura
Vigo – Colexio Marcote
Vigo – Teatro AFundanción - Ateneo de Vigo
Pontevedra – Facultade de C.C.S.S. – Augal
Vilagarcía – Cine Clube Adega
Cambados – Centro Socio Cultural
Dena - IES Meaño
Illa de Arousa – Auditorio Municial
Illa de Arousa – IES Illa de Arousa
Vilaxoán – IES Armando Cotarelo Valledor
Ribeira - Casa da Xuventude
Aguiño - CEIP Heroínas de Sálvora
Lalín – Biblioteca Municipal Varela Jácome
Lalin – IES Laxeiro
Santiago de Compostela - Facultade de Filosofía da USC
Santiago de Compostela - Facultade de Ciencias da Comunicación da USC
Santiago de Compostela – Asociación de Veciños de Sar – Curtas na Rúa
Santiago de Compostela – ONDA
Santiago de Compostela – Museo do Pobo Galego
Santiago de Compostela - IES Xelmírez II
Santiago de Compostela – NUMAX
Negreira - Casa da Cultura
Melide – IES Melide
San Sadurniño (Día da Eliminación da Violencia contra a muller)
As Pontes - Casa da Cultura
Baio – Premio Fouciño
A Coruña – CGAI
A Coruña – Centro Ágora
A Coruña – Cubo de Normal
A Coruña – La salita de Juegos (ciclo Ficciónate)
Ferrol – Campus de Esteiro
Lugo – Cine Clube Valle Inclán
Sarria - Escolma de Cinema Galego
Sarria – Casa da Cultura (ciclo Ficciónate)
Ourense - Cine Clube Padre Feijoo
Vilamarín – Vivir Vilamarín
Press