Lance Rutkin
THE best independent films from around the world have been showcased in Madrid at the Hell Chess Film Festival.
Organised by a Campo de Gibraltar film society called the Hell Chess group, the festival was held in the capital to grant lesser known films greater exposure.
French film Carpe Diem won best picture, while Australian director David King, of Exit, won best director.
Speaking to the Olive Press, festival director Jorge Blanco sang high praises for the two films.
“Carpe Diem is a very interesting film about loneliness. It was made by a young French filmmaker [Gregoire von Rakowski]. It’s a very original experimental film, with a good soundtrack using an opera singer and a mix of classical and contemporary music,” Blanco said.
“Exit is a very experimental film in a very risky edition. It’s inside a person in a catatonic state. All [David King’s] life is devoted to making something different. This is really the spirit of the festival.”
Blanco added that the festival’s aim is to find ‘somebody who has a vision of commitment with society and cinema’.
I was there in the Hell Chess Festival. It was really delicious!
I was there in The Hell Chess Festival. It was a superb quality show.