Begin Again-Sold ‘Girlfriends and Girlfriends’ Head to Rotterdam

Zaida Carmona’s feature debut comedy “Girlfriends and Girlfriends,” making its international premiere this week at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, competes in the Bright Future category.

Produced by JaJaJa Industrias and Fdez & Vera, with international sales rights handled by Begin Again Films, it follows buzz from its world premiere at Spain’s D’A Festival, as well as forming part of the Made in Spain panorama in San Sebastian last September. festival. diversity Exclusive access to a clip from the film has been given.

The movie presents “a five-way lesbian sitcom. A moral tale that takes place in the bathrooms, beds and streets of Barcelona. Lots of pop, love and auto-fiction, according to a statement from Begin Again Films.

Being auto-fictional in nature, writer-director Zaida Carmona casts the main character as Zaida and sets the story unfolding in her hometown of Barcelona.

In this clip, Zaida chats with her friend, played by Rocio Saiz, about her love problems and Eric Rohmer, which leads to a falling out; While vaguely playing tennis. The film is vignette-driven and wears its references on its sleeve, with Rohmer’s work appearing in various guises. The theme of desire, for example, echoes those explored in Rohmer’s “A Good Marriage,” but has a very different setting within the lesbian social circle of Barcelona.

Carmona previously starred in fellow Barcelona filmmaker Marc Ferrer’s crowd-pleasing “Cut!”, which won audience awards at LGBT festivals in Toulouse and Madrid. Ferrar takes co-writing credit with Carmona here.

There is generally growing excitement around Spanish film, with recent successes in Spain such as the Sundance hit “Piggy,” from Carlota Perda, Rodrigo Soroguen’s “The Beasts,” a breakout box office hit in France, and Carla Simon’s Berlin Golden Bear winner “Alcaras,”

Also, local pockets of filmmakers like Carmona and Ferrer support and produce each other’s work, leading to a potentially niche period that could in turn lead to more opportunities.