The WomanInFan & Fan Pitch initiatives, which seek to give better visibility to fantastic genre film projects made by women, have announced their beneficiaries.
The programs are proposed by the Sitges – International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia, with the intention of making genre cinema grow even more and positioning interested female filmmakers.
For starters, the winner of Girls Just Wanna Have Fan II WomanInFan Sitges FanLab Teaser Short Film Competition was Samantha Aldana, who takes us on a journey that will be part fantasy, horror and magical realism, all within Mayan mythology with Little Lying Wild. The synopsis is below:
When the moon falls from the sky in Belize, 13-year-old Carmen finds the body of a murdered girl in the jungle. When no one believes her, she decides to set out on her own to solve the crime and stop the monster from killing again.
The official prizes for the winner are as follows:
1 Industry Pass.
A 10,000 euro budget (VAT included), which will be allocated entirely to producing the winning teaser short film.
Support from the Sitges – International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia during the project’s production stages.
Presentation of the project as part of the corresponding edition of the Sitges – International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia in the Industry section and/or at those venues that the Festival considers most convenient.
Now, the winners of the Sitges FanLab WomanInFan Fantastic Residency
Anna Kasińska – Poland
Screenwriter and director of Hiss, which combines animal and human on a body-horror film.
Elisa Puerto Aubel – Belgium
With The Mound, the Belgian filmmaker of French-Spanish descent, presents a man haunted by all kinds of vicissitudes, to the point of the search of isolation in a haunted house, and an introspection that could reveal the darkness within him.
Gigi Romero – Venezuela-Spain
The Cure (La Cura) will explore how toxic dependency can be for relationships, with the search for a cure against a disease, even across spiritual-based therapies.
The official prizes are as follow:
1 Industry Pass.
A 10,000 euro budget (VAT included), which will be allocated entirely to producing the winning teaser short film.
Support from the Sitges – International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia during the project’s production stages.
Presentation of the project as part of the corresponding edition of the Sitges – International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia in the Industry section and/or at those venues that the Festival considers most convenient.
WomanInFan also announces the finalists of their respective contests. Elizabeth Schuch, Nerea Úbeda Segura, Norma Vila, Natacha Thomas, Nikki Bohm, Rioghnach Ní Ghrioghair, Coral Amiga, Lucía Forner and Haizea Giménez Viana, who will each receive an Industry accreditation for the 56th edition of the Festival.
Sitges FanPitch 2023 is also announcing its particular starting grid, which includes 13 feature films and 3 series.
Feature films
Kevin Kopacka
All the World Drops Dead
Terrifying road movie with a female touch
Coral Amiga and Nicole Hartley
Daddy’s Little Girl
Story of an infernal crisis between a couple in the middle of an idyllic getaway
Guillermo Carbonell
El destello
A story of supernatural encounters in the antechamber of death
Jordi López Navarro
El día después
Dealing with a disconcerting return after a supposed abduction
Jordi Jimeno and Ignacio Malagón
Horrordomo
A chilling pact with the Devil that will bring us face to face with our worst fears
Sean Wainstein
Idaho Winter
An adaptation of Tony Burgess’ hilarious novel of the same name
Lucía Nieto Salazar
El visitante
A horror story about the death of loved ones, and the menacing desolation that remains in its wake
Caye Casas
Malamuerte
A reflection on human miseries in the form of a black comedy with surrealistic touches
Gabriela Serrano
Please Bear With Me
It will take us to a futuristic Philippines where people have lost the ability to dream
Jorge Leyva
Ruta al Sol
An intense drama featuring religious sects and deep crises of faith as its main ingredients
Areito Echevarria and Raqi Syed
Shadow Work
A psychological thriller fueled by the distressing threat of doppelgängers
Rioghnach Ní Grioghair
The Hive
A journey through the moral turpitude of a streamer broadcast live
Quarxx
This Thing Inside Me
A romantic drama struggling to break out of the overprotective captivity of maternal bonds.
Honorable Mentions
Safet Ayhan
Aytasi
A surreal story suspended in Purgatory
Fidel Ruiz-Healy and Tyler Walker
Dead Enders
Dealing with the difficulties of growing up and cultivating the artistic spirit
Paul Ertl
Durst
A vampire road movie
Desiré Sobrino Gutiérrez
Eucharistia
With the explosive catalyst of neighborhood tensions in a small town in Extremadura
Edgar Burgo
L.A. Calor
A stifling and hallucinogenic urban-night odyssey.
Series
Jon-Carlos Evans
The Lost Gods of Memphis
A mythological neo-noir set in the lands bathed by the Mississippi River
Martin Echevarria
Martes de misterio
Based on the popular podcast compilation of real paranormal events told by their own protagonists
Tamara Scherbak
White Noise
A body-horror anthology.
Special Mentions
Silvia Espín and Ainhoa Bolaños
Huellas
A ghost story with a youthful spirit
J.P. Bouix
Malebeste
A modern fantasy based on different points of view
Tomás Lazarowski
Miasma
The shocking investigation of an unspeakable crime.
SITGES FANPITCH is the international pitch competition event focused on feature films and series productions in development with horror, science fiction and/or fantastic themes.
This initiative continues with its goal of discovering the best genre projects and hooking them up with leading companies in the industry. The event will take place in hybrid format on October 8th and 9th, 2023, as part of the Sitges Film Festival.