Elena Martín Gimeno’s “Creaturas” Wins Europa Cinemas Best European Film at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight

Elena Martín Gimeno is celebrating a special recognition…

The Spanish director’s film Creatura won the Europa Cinemas prize as Best European Film at Directors’ Fortnight on Thursday.

Elena Martín GimenoThe prize was announced ahead of the evening closing ceremony for the non-competitive parallel Directors Fortnight section.

The Europa Cinema is one of the key collateral prizes awarded to films world premiering in the section.

Under the Europa Cinema prize, the release of Creatura will receive the support of cinemas belonging to the independent exhibitor network representing 3,060 screens in 38 countries.

The jury consists of four exhibitor members of the network.

Creatura centers on a seemingly perfect couple who no longer manage to have sex, prompting one partner to probe her past and her sexual awakening, from adolescence back to early childhood.

Directors Fortnights’ final day hosted a special event with Quentin Tarantino and closes with Hong Sangsoo’s In Our Day, in the presence of the Korean director.

“Elena Martin Gimeno’s Creatura is a really well-written and impressive portrayal of a woman as she tries to come to terms with her sexuality and intimacy while reflecting on her childhood and teenage experiences. This is a subject that has been covered before, but each character is so multi-layered and believable that the film is easy to relate to – both the female and the male characters,” the Europa Cinema Jury said in a statement.

“There are challenging moments but there is humor too. It is dynamic and beautifully shot. We are sure that this is a film that will touch people all around Europe, and we welcome the opportunity of encouraging the career of a very talented director, writer and actress.”

The cast includes Gimeno (Mila), Clàudia Dalmau (Mila), Clàudia Borràs (Mila), Oriol Pla (Marcel), Alex Brendemühl (Gerard), Clara Segura (Diana), Marc Cartanyà (Gerard) and Carla Linares (Diana).

Elena Martín is an actress, screenwriter and director from Barcelona. Her debut as a director for which she also took the leading role, Júlia ist, was praised by the festival circuit. As an actress, she starred in Watermelon JuiceFacing the Wind or Agatha’s Friends. On TV for HBO, she was in the writer’s room of Veneno, directed two episodes of Perfect Life and created an episode of En casa.

The Cannes Europa Cinemas Label Jury this year comprised Laurent Callonnec (Cinéma l’Ecran, Saint-Denis, France), Sofie Mercier (Sphinx Cinema, Ghent, Belgium), Viviane Thill (Ciné Starlight, Dudelange, Luxembourg) and Justė Vyšniauskaitė (Kaunas cinema centre Romuva, Kaunas, Lithuania).

Peacock Launches Irene Escolar’s Drama Series “Dime Quién Soy: Mistress of War”

It’s War Time for Irene Escolar.

Peacock has launched international drama series Dime Quién Soy: Mistress of War, starring the 32-year-old Spanish actress.

Irene Escolar.

The project is based on Julia Navarro’s bestselling novel.

The streamer has released all nine episodes, in celebration of International Women’s Day. The series is streaming in both English and Spanish.

Created by José Manuel Lorenzo and written by Piti Español, Dime Quién Soy: Mistress of War tells the story of Amelia Garayoa, a Spanish socialite who is suddenly plunged into the world of international espionage. Set in 1934 amid a turbulent Europe, Amelia leaves behind her family to join the fight for freedom. When Amelia is enlisted as an international spy, intrigue, war, love and espionage quickly become the center of her life placing her in the middle of the most important events in the history of 20th century Europe.

In addition to Escolar, the series stars also stars Pablo Derqui, Oriol Plá, Will Keen, Pierre Kiwitt, and Maria Pia Calzone.

Dime Quién Soy: Mistress of War
 is produced by Movistar+ and Telemundo International Studios in collaboration with DLO Productions. The series premiered December 4 on Spain’s Movistar+, Telefónica’s digital subscription platform.

Eduard Cortés serves as the series director.