CHORDS

A shortfilm by Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren

WITH THE SUPPORT OF

FACTSHEET:

WORLDWIDE PREMIERE: Semaine de la Critique de Cannes
ORIGINAL TITLE: Cuerdas
COUNTRIES: Spain
YEAR: 2022
LENGTH: 30 min
LANGUAGE: Spanish
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: SIRIMIRI FILMS, GARIZA FILMS, KATZ ESTUDIO
DISTRIBUTION: MARVIN & WAYNE

SYNOPSIS

Rita belongs to a women’s choir which is in danger of breaking up because they’ve lost the municipal subsidy that allowed them renting their rehearsal room. Now the group has to decide whether or not to accept sponsorship by one of the companies causing the most pollution in the valley.

DIRECTOR’S NOTES

From the beginning, this was a short film with a very experimental appeal, due to my approach to filming, working with twenty local women and then making them meet with professional actors. I wasn’t entirely sure if it would work, or if we would find the right balance between the more acted and the more naturalistic elements. I just wanted to do it. It was also about how I wanted to tell this story, which involved showing and feeling the full truth behind these women, without the constructed artifice being perceived. To achieve this, I had to strip away a lot of equipment and filming gear, opting for an agile and versatile team that was almost more documentary-like. Ultimately, it’s not a typical fiction film where everything is meticulously planned and takes are repeated as many times as necessary; rather, there was a sense of guiding that truth.

CAST:
Begoña Suárez
Miguél Garcés
Xanti Agirrezabalaga
Jone Laspiur
Oier Zuñiga,
Ainhoa Jauregui
Grupo Coral de Mujeres de San Fuentes
Grupo de Teatro Juego de Damas de Muskiz

CREW:
SCREENPLAY: Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Sirimiri Films, Katz Estudio, Gariza Films
PRODUCERS: Estibaliz Urresola, Ana Angulo, Itxaso Frau, Lara Izagirre
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Lara Vilanova
EDITION: Maialen Sarasua
SOUND: Luca Rullo, Koldo Corella
ARTISTIC DIRECTION: Corina Herran
FX: Guillermo Sevillano

FESTIVALS & AWARDS:

Semaine de la Critique – Festival de Cannes | France, May 2022 Rails d’Or Award
Goya Awards – Nominated for Best Fiction Short Film
Premio Cinematográfico José María Forqué | Spain, Dec 2022 Forqué Award for Best Short Film
San Sebastian Film Festival – Zabaltegi Tabakalera Sep 2022
Clermont-Ferrand – International Short Film Festival | France, Jan 2023 Special Jury Mention
Curtas Vila do Conde – International Film Festival | Portugal, Jul 2022 Best Fiction Film
Festival Cinéma Méditerranéen Montpellier – CINEMED | France, Oct 2022 Grand Prix du court métrage
Guanajuato International Film Festival | Mexico, Jul 2022 SIGNIS Award for Best International Fiction Short Film
Short Film Festival Nijmegen | Netherlands, Apr 2023 Short Film Candidate for the European Film Awards
ABYCINE – Festival de Cine de Albacete- First Award