11 minutos / 2020 / Galicia
[Galician Premiere]
Directed by Eloy Domínguez Serén
Produced by Beli Martínez & Eloy Domínguez Serén
Cinematography by Eloy Domínguez Serén
Edited by Eloy Domínguez Serén
Sound by Alba Domínguez Serén
Sound design by Eloy Domínguez Serén & Juan Carlos Blancas
Sound mix by Juan Carlos Blancas
Color grading by Pablo Cayuela
Synopsis: In Galicia, Spain’s most northwestern region, one of the oldest forms of Carnival takes place every year. Spread over several days are parades with felos and peliqueiros, characters who wear spectacular outfits, including a striking mask and a belt strung with large cowbells. Another tradition is the farrapada, in which participants pelt each other with rags covered in mud. There is also a fight in which flour and ants are thrown on the participants, and a huge model ant towers above the crowd. The peculiar celebrations, lit by torches and accompanied by drums, are compellingly filmed in this short documentary—it is as if you were standing among the revelers yourself, immersed in an age-old pagan ritual. The nighttime scenes of a partying crowd, often packed tightly together, gain extra significance in the knowledge that this celebration took place in late February, just ten days before the first confirmed case of Covid-19 in the region.
Festivals
IDFA (Netherlands) – World Premiere – International Competition
Clermont-Ferrand (France) – International Competition
Bafici (Argentina) – International Competition
FIC Xixón (Spain) – International Competition
Tempo (Sweden) – Tempo Short Award