08/10/2020.- The 65thSeminci will keep its commitment to raise awareness among film lovers about environmental issues through a new edition of the Climate Change section, whose aim is to help viewers understand the need to protect the planet from climate change. The Climate Change section has been going on for six years with support from Greenpeace, the National Film Association (AEC, Asociación Estatal de Cine), Ecologists in Action (Ecologistas en Acción) and the City Council of Valladolid through Aquavall.
For the third consecutive year, the Green Spike will be awarded to a film championing environmental values. Three feature-length documentaries and two short films will compete for the award at this year’s edition.
Los últimos de La Mejana, rebeldía y esperanza, by Patxi Uriz, devoted to the work which Santi Cordón, a cook from Tudela and son of a truck gardener, carried out through his foundation Mascotas Verdes. Mascotas Verdes aims to recover vegetable gardens in Tudela and teaches children how to farm the land in a fun way. This educational institution highlights the importance of eating a sustainable diet and keeping our planet healthy. It teaches young people how to cook using local products and helps rays of hope shine again over the vegetable gardens of La Mejana.
The other two feature-length films are also included in the DOC. Spain section. Éxodo climático (Climate Exodus), by David Baute, deals with the tragedy of three women who have lost everything to climate change and decide to emigrate to start a new life. The Land of Azaba, by Greta Schiller, is a meticulous cinematographic exercise exploring the topic of ecological restoration, a global movement aiming to turn back the tide of mass extinction and restore ecological balance on planet Earth.
The section also features two short films. Abuelo Fuego (Grandpa Fire), by Alfonso O’Donnell, tells the story of a girl of Peruvian descent born in the Western world who shows us the importance of oral tradition, culture, stories and her people’s roots through the memory and teachings of her Peruvian grandfather. Omelia contadina, by JR and Alice Rohrwacher, is an Italian-French co-production about a peasant community that gathers in the mountains lining three regions to hold a funeral for traditional agriculture. It is also featured in the Meeting Point section.
The Green Spike’s jury will include sound technician Carlos de Hita, who works in production and post-production and specializes in the sounds of nature; Miguel López Cabanas, general administrator of the Greenpeace Board of Directors, who holds a doctorate in Psychology and is an expert in social policy and social services; and José Manuel Rodríguez Fernández, a partner at Ecologistas en Acción since 1985 who was a coordinator of the Platform for a Healthy Douro Valley (Plataforma por un Valle del Duero Saludable) in 2000 and 2001.
