Last Saturday, only one of the nominated films won more than one Forqué Award: 20,000 species of beeswhich won in the category “Cinema in Education and Values” and Best feature film. The film is already nominated as one of Goya’s favorite offerings, although it already had the advantage of being the most nominated with 15 statuette options.

But this has nothing to do with the film’s director, who used Forke to speak out against the discourse of competition between members of the film industry. “I don’t think the other finalists are competitors. we can’t talk about the logic of winners and losers. The system has been exposed and we must invent a way to celebrate cinema in which there is a place for everyone,” Estibalis Urresola said from the stage in his second speech of the evening.

But before receiving her awards, the Alava woman spoke to Independent from the long red carpet of the event, held on the third floor of the Ifema Convention Center, about what all this recognition meant to her and about everything that has happened since she received another award at Forqué a year ago, in that case for his short film ropes.

In it, the women’s choir, to which Rita belongs, is about to disband because they have loss of municipal subsidy allowing them to keep their rehearsal space, the band must decide whether or not to accept sponsorship from one of the valley’s worst polluting companies.

“It’s been a year, but it feels like three because it’s been intense. We’ve been here for several years now. ropesbut we still had to go to Goya, we had to go to Berlin for the film… the processes the short film and the film were running simultaneously permanently from the fall of 2021,” he recalled.

As for hosting 20,000 species of bees, he called it a “dream” and something “exceptional.” “I feel very privileged the visibility that these two achieved and for the opportunity to be here,” he added.

The 31-year-old from Alava does not believe that this year will be particularly fruitful for social cinema and mentions Alcarras or five little wolves, from 2022. In addition, he rejects the division between social and personal cinema. “I don’t understand the difference between social and personal cinema. you are included in society and at a certain time. Even intimate experience is also an expression of the social; cinema is always social,” he asserted.

When 20,000 species of beesThe film tells the story of how eight-year-old Coco does not meet the expectations of others and he doesn’t understand why. Everyone around him insists on calling him Aitor, but he does not recognize himself either in this name or in the eyes of others.

To find out its origins, we need to go back to 2016, when Estibalis Urresola was knocked out by news ofsuicide of a young man who was seeking hormonal treatment to complete her transition. The director explained how Feedback received by the trans community was his real prize, although the media event that occurs every time the competition is held may result in new people seeing his film for the first time:

“I got a lot of feedback from people in the community and it was very emotional. I started at the documentation stage and they always expressed gratitude to me for what I gave them a tool that allowed them to go further than they could only by your testimony. Cinema has this – the ability to communicate across the planet. At some of the screenings that I was able to attend in cinemas, they also expressed gratitude to me… and for me these are awards,” he noted.

Filmed over seven weeks in the summer of 2022 in different locations in the Basque Country such as Llodio and AndaiThe film’s script originates from the Artistic Residencies. Your own room organized by Gariza Films.

Shot at Spanish, Basque and French lasting 125 minutes.20,000 Species of Bees is written and directed by Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren. Lara Izaguirre and Valerie Delpierre are the producers of the film, which has cinematography by Gina Ferrer Garcia and art direction by Isaskun Urquieo Alijo.

Eva Valigno is in charge of soundand Koldo Correll of sound design. Raul Barreras signs the meeting; Noma Acting will take care of the casting; Silvina Guglielmotti – assistant director; and Pablo Vidal – production director. Nerea Torrijos is the costume designer, and Ainoa Esquizabel is in charge of makeup and hair.

Urresola was one of many in attendance wearing a sign of solidarity with Gaza that read Cease fire immediately about his suitin blue tones and with plant motifs.

“I wholeheartedly wish and demand as a citizen that measures be taken to put an end to the barbarity taking place in Palestine. It doesn’t occur to anyone that they attacks on institutions such as schools, hospitals, civilians…he is a speaker like any other, because the personal is political. And I cannot get rid of that vision of the world or the pain that I feel every day when I see the humiliation of journalists who are prevented from freely doing their work,” he said firmly.