The Spain of the young

Magically realistic tale of sun-hungry British teenagers. Driven by their lust for light and warmth, they head to a holiday island in Spain to absorb the sun and store it in their bodies - if they then survive the ritualised leap from the hotel balcony to the swimming pool. The film is directed by Spanish Christian Avilés and had its world premiere at the Berlinale.

Poetic documentary about the relationship between humans and galgos (hunting dogs) in Almería. The thin and lightning-fast galgos are often used for both racing and hunting in Spain, and in 'The Wonderful Pain of the Wild Broom' the focus is also on the people who train the dogs, as well as those who try to save them from a life on the streets. Directed by Swiss Olivia Calcaterra, the film had its world premiere at the Visions du Réel documentary film festival.

Documentary film ballet from the Andalusian village of Marinaleda, in which women sweep and wash the facades of their houses as part of everyday life. With the accompaniment of music from the ballet 'The Sleeping Beauty', 'Sweeping Beauty' casts warm light on the expressive movements of women - and on their unpaid work. The film is directed by Danish Adam Paaska and had its world premiere at the Odense International Film Festival.

Humorous tale set in a world where the relationship between the sexual act and spoken language has been turned upside down: people have sex on streets and alleys, while those who want to talk to each other must search into private or shady spaces. In the film, we follow a young man who arrives in a Spanish village and must choose between a loveless marriage and the promise of true togetherness with a like-minded stranger. The film is directed by Spanish Joecar Hanna and had its world premiere in Cannes.

Autobiographical documentary about the confusing and vulnerable transition from girl to teenager in Spanish, male-dominated society. Weaving together playful home videos and concise voice-overs, the director recalls her summer at 13, when she began to be sexualised by the male gaze. The film is directed by Spanish Mireia Vilapuig and has been shown at IDFA, among others.

Director: Christian Avilés
Starring: Sam Zeitlin, Julia Fossi, Dina Serra, Clara Sans, Lily Roberts
Country/year: Spain, 2022
Running time: 24 min.
Formato: DCP
Language: English subtitles
Age limit: Allowed for children over 15
Original title: La herida luminosa

Part of the series: Spanish Film Weeks
Documentary about forest fires in Galicia, miniseries about the 1981 coup attempt in the Spanish parliament, youth films about rap in Barcelona, a comedy about a celebratory dinner for Franco and a cleaning opera from Andalusia. Spanish film lovers are widely distributed in the Iberian Peninsula - both geographically, historically and in terms of genre.