Film&Wine opens its sixth edition by presenting Bodegas Protos with an Honorary Spike

10/23 /2019.- The sixth edition of Film&Wine opened this Wednesday, 23 October, at Valladolid’s Arts Lab (LAVA), with a gala in which actress Ana Arias took over from José Corbacho as the event’s presenter. Her first words were to express that “wine is in our roots”.

During the gala, the Málaga-born actor Salva Reina hosted the presentation of awards to the short films that won the “Rueda con Rueda” competition. With a cash endowment of €5,000, the first prize of the contest’s 4th edition went to Trekkies, a film by Kiko Prada, who declared that for him “Seminci is a very special festival”. The short film’s actress Ángela Chica received a special mention for her work.

The best short shot in the winery, and the winner of a €3,000 cash prize, was Médium, by Román Reyes, who also received a special mention as best actor. The prize for best short film made by film students went to La tinta oculta, by Javier Gómez and Francisco Cabañas, who bagged the corresponding €2,000 cash award. The directors pointed out that “it is very difficult to get started in the world of cinema without resources”.

Finally, the short film La fiesta de la democracia by Puri Méndez was distinguished with the jury’s special mention and a second mention for best cinematography.

An Honorary Spike for Protos Wineries

One of the most exciting moments in the gala was the collection of an Honorary Golden Spike by Bodegas Protos in recognition of the winery’s trajectory and leadership in the wine industry. The winemakers were pioneers in the sector since they started operating back in 1927, “with eleven winegrowers who understood the wine potential of this part of the country,” claimed the winery’s director Edmundo Bayón. We are currently present in more than 100 countries around the world.”

“Bodegas Protos has always been true to its origins: both avant-garde and conservative,” said the president of Valladolid’s Provincial Council Conrado Íscar, who handed over the award to Edmundo Bayón. The latter had kind words for the Valladolid Festival’s director Javier Angulo: “Although we are not in Casablanca, and I am not Humphrey Bogart, on behalf of Bodegas Protos I can tell you that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

Hang Time, first screening

Following the award-giving ceremony, the winning short film of the “Rueda con Rueda” competition and the long feature Hang Time by Casey Zilbert were screened. The latter was shot on location in the director’s family vineyards in New Zealand. Zilbert attended the screening and explained to the audience that “due to climate change, the French vineyards are dead, so that Spain is now the future.”

Her family owns the first vineyards in New Zealand to grow Spanish grape varieties, so that she felt privileged to present her film here. In a more jocular tone, she mentioned that digging a straight tunnel from New Zealand you would emerge in Spain, before highlighting that people told her family that they were crazy for trying to develop those grape varieties. However they answered “that there is hope because somehow they are is this connection between both places.”

After the opening gala, the event’s attendees enjoyed a wine tasting of DOs Cigales, Ribera del Duero and Rueda accompanied by an assortment of products from Castile and Leon presented by food artisans from the region by courtesy of the quality seal Tierra de Sabor.