The International Documentary Film Festival of Madrid holds its twentieth edition from 3 to 7 May 2023. It is an event devoted exclusively to documentary film, in which feature films and short films participate in its International Competition.
The International Documentary Film Festival, backed by Madrid City Council with the collaboration of cultural spaces around the city and organised by Cineteca Madrid, aims to showcase the best films from all over the world, focusing on contemporary films and placing special emphasis on new aesthetic approaches. Films that draw their inspiration from the myriad forms of non-fiction and explore audiovisual forms regardless of their definition, duration, genre or category.
As usual, the latest edition will include three major competitive sections: the International Competition which includes films with national or international production or co-production which have not been screened in Madrid; the National Competition, with films whose production or co-production is Spanish, as well as works by Spanish directors; and the Final Cut, the section for Spanish films in the final phase of production or co-production
The 13 titles that are participating in the International Competition include 45th Parallel, by Lawrence Abu Hamdan, a moving monologue in a building straddling the U.S.-Canadian border; Against Time, by Ben Russell, a poem that celebrates the moment and calls for total immersion; And the king said… what a fantastic machine, by Axel Danielson, a provocative and fun film that follows the rise of the image culture; and The Secret Garden, by Nour Ouayda, about a compelling and necessary utopia: the existence of furtive oases that are hidden in cities like Beirut.
The National Competition will include 12 films, such as To Books and Women I Sing, by María Elorza, a portrait of a hidden genealogy of women and their relationship with literature; Aqueronte, by Manuel Muñoz Rivas, a sensory reflection on the transitory condition of the human being; Bloom, by Helena Girón, reconstruction of the landscapes and the mythical dimension of the legendary island of San Borondón; Karpeta urdinaki (Blue Files) by Ander Iriarte, investigating torture by the National Security Forces; Laberint Sequences, by Blake Williams, an exploration of the false paths and infinite loops of the Laberint d’Horta, in Barcelona.
In the Final Cut, the section for Spanish films in the final phase of production or co-production, four projects have been selected for 2023: Infinite Adolescence, by Vítor Soho; Natsu no uta (Summer Songs), by Jorge Suárez-Quiñones; Dystopias Achieved, by Nayra Sanz Fuentes; and War Tourism, by Kikol Grau.
Throughout its twenty years of life, the festival has maintained its commitment to an open and plural way of understanding the documentary genre, accompanying and fostering new models and authors, in line with the promotion of discovery that characterises this film genre, and rewarding innovation and doing things properly.
Each section awards two prizes, the Jury Prize for the Best Film and the Special Jury Prize. There will also be up to two special mentions for two films in the competitive sections, which will be awarded a diploma and Cineteca Madrid (Matadero) Audience Prizes, which are decided through spectator voting (at the cinema and on-line).
Retrospectives and special screenings
From 3 to 13 May, the It is Better to Be than to Obey. The Film Work of Narimane Mari cycle has been organised, which Documenta Madrid and the Reina Sofía Museum have devoted to the Algerian creator. It is a cycle that offers a journey through the films of one of the essential cult authors of international film. Her work is characterised for crossing the limits between documentary, experimental and fiction film. The five films that will be screened are El fuerte de los locos, Alubias Rojas, Tuvimos el día, buenas noches, Si alguna vez and Holy Days.
From 3 to7 May, Documenta Madrid and the Spanish Filmoteca have organised the Zanzibar Group's Ethical and Aesthetic Rebellion retrospective on the film production of this group of young creators that made 15 films in just two years (1968-1970).
Furthermore, Cineteca will screen the Kill the Spiders: John Smith Retrospective, a film-maker who is internationally renowned for his avant-garde works and for challenging genre barriers. John Smith will attend the presentations of his films and will give a masterclass, The Boundaries Between Fiction and Non-Fiction. The International Educational Film Festival MICE also presents a selection of films developed collectively in the classroom, For a Collective Cinema: Camera, Action, Wake Up!
The festival will also host the special screening of Crossroads. Boa Mistura’s Full Circular Journey, by Dan Barreri, an inspiring journey through the work of Boa Mistura, an international artistic group with its roots in graffiti and Urban Art.
