EMIFF announces full line-up for 12th edition

The Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival announced its 2023 programme, for what will be the 12th Edition of the independent, international event – the longest-running physical film festival in the region.

The entire 2023 programme will feature a total of 140 projects across all categories. This year boasts the largest Feature Film selection programmed to date at EMIFF, including eight films in the International Feature Film Competition. Additional categories for long-form projects include the Debut Feature Film Competition, the Made in Baleares (MIB) Feature Film Competition, Spotlight Screenings, and the Drive In Cinema strand. Six international documentaries round-out the full Features line-up this year.

Festival highlights will include three prominent Spanish premieres – Nicole Paone’s THE KILL ROOM, starring Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson; YOU SING LOUD, I SING LOUDER, by Emma Westenberg, starring Clara McGregor and Ewan McGregor as father and daughter; and Sophie Barthes’ THE POD GENERATION, with Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Amongst the varied international selection that makes up EMIFF’s 2023 line-up, EMIFF will also screen German auteur Wim Wenders’ PERFECT DAYS (Balearic Premiere) and Danish filmmaker Nikolaj Arcel’s THE PROMISED LAND, starring Mads Mikkelsen (Balearic Premiere). Additionally, there will be a special spotlight screening of David Fincher’s THE KILLER, in collaboration with Netflix.

Also announced today, acclaimed actor and producer Daniel Brühl will receive the Evolution ICON Award at EMIFF’s Opening Night Ceremony on October 18th in Palma. The award celebrates Daniel’s storied acting career in international cinema to date, and the festival will close with a screening of his most recent film, Lone Scherfig’s THE MOVIE TELLER.

Additionally, writer/director Susanne Bier has been unveiled as the recipient of the Evolution ICON Award for direction, which she will receive during the festival’s Closing Night Gala on Oct 24th.  As previously announced, acclaimed Catalan auteur Isabel Coixet, will receive this year’s Evolution VISION Award, on Opening Night. Her most recent film, UN AMOR will kick-off the festival on October 18th.

Following its inaugural year in 2022, 2023 welcomes back the hugely successful Cinematography Focus at EMIFF, supported by media partners British Cinematographer and Camera & Light Magazine, whereby Directors of Photography from across the world will be invited to participate in panels and networking events at the festival. Acclaimed DoP Erik Messerschmidt, ASC (MANK, FERRARI, THE KILLER) will receive the festival’s 2nd annual Evolution Cinematography ICON Award as the centerpiece to these events.

For 2023, the festival has notably amplified its short film line up, presenting 74 titles in total, of which 41 short films will compete for the Best International Short Film prize. The Made in Baleares short film category will premiere 13 projects by local filmmakers – MIB is proudly celebrating its 10th anniversary at EMIFF this year. The short film section is rounded-out with a special selection of 9 Experimental and Animation short films, plus a global mix of 15 music videos, making a total number of 98 projects in the line-up that are under 30 minutes in length. A new collaboration for 2023, EMIFF has joined forces with the US streaming platform BitPix, to host a special selection of short films on their platform, throughout the festival period.

EMIFF is a long-standing supporter of the next generation of regional, national and international filmmaking talent, and has therefore further developed its Student Films category, changing the name for the new edition to “New Talents” and presenting 21 extraordinary student works, as a continued commitment to championing new voices in film.

At this year’s Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival, screenings will take place across 7 venues in Palma, including the Teatro Principal (Opening Night) and the Palau de Congressos de Palma (Closing Night). EMIFF once again runs for a total of seven days and six nights, showcasing a culturally diverse, inclusive, and provocative mix of international and home-grown feature films, documentaries and short-form content. The Opening Night ceremony this year, on October 18th, is expected to be attended by over 300 filmmakers – a record number for the festival – alongside industry guests and residents of the island.

Now in its 12th year, Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival is recognized as one of the fastest-growing film festivals in Europe and the longest-running physical film festival in Palma de Mallorca. Founded by filmmaker, actress and Mallorca-raised Sandra Lipski, EMIFF has been proudly supported by the Fundació Mallorca Turisme and the Consell the Mallorca since its inception in 2012.

Previous guests of the festival and awards honorees at EMIFF over the last decade, have included acclaimed international filmmakers Ruben Östlund, Asif Kapadia, Fernando Trueba, Lone Scherfig, Marjane Satrapi, Tobias Lindholm and Wim Wenders; as well as actors Mads Mikkelsen, Danny Devito, Ana de Armas, Angela Molina, Laia Costa, Nastassja Kinski and Melissa Leo.

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International Feature Films  

Un Amor, Spain, 127 min, Spanish with English subtitles 

Balearic Premiere, Director: Isabel Coixet 

Based on the eponymous best-selling novel by Sara Mesa, UN AMOR is a striking account of existential doubt and the transformative power of carnal desire, exploring the subversive nature of gender roles. 

The Movie Teller, France, Spain, Chile, 116 min, Spanish with English subtitles 

Balearic Premiere, Director: Lone Scherfig 

A young woman uses her storytelling gifts to share the magic of the pictures she has seen in the cinema with the poor inhabitants of a desert mining community, in director Lone Scherfig’s inspirational drama. 

The Kill Room, USA, 98 min, English with Spanish subtitles 

Spanish Premiere, Director: Nicole Paone 

A hitman, his boss, an art dealer and a money-laundering scheme that accidentally turns the assassin into an overnight avant-garde sensation, one that forces her to play the art world against the underworld. With actors Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson.  

You Sing Loud, I Sing Louder, USA, 95 min, English with Spanish subtitles  

Spanish Premiere, Director: Emma Westenberg 

A father takes his estranged daughter on a road trip to get her out of trouble. Along the way they meet all types of strangers, as their strained relationship is put to the test. With Actors Clara McGregor and Ewan McGregor 

LaRoy, USA, 111 min, English with Spanish subtitles  

Spanish Premiere, Director: Shane Atkinson 

When Ray discovers that his wife is cheating on him, he decides he’s going to kill himself. His plans suddenly change when a stranger mistake him for a low-rent hitman. 

Perfect Days, Japan, Germany, 123 min, Japanese with Spanish subtitles 

Balearic Premiere, Director: Wim Wenders 

A janitor in Japan drives between jobs listening to rock music. 

El Bastardo (The Promised Land), Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, 127 min,  

Danish with Spanish & English subtitles 

Balearic Premiere, Director: Nikolaj Arcel 

The story of Ludvig Kahlen who pursued his lifelong dream: To make the heath bring him wealth and honor. Starring Actor Mads Mikkelsen.  

The Pod Generation UK, 110 min, English without subtitles 

Spanish Premiere, Director: Sophie Barthes 

In a not-so-distant future, tech giant Pegazus offers couples the opportunity to share their pregnancies via detachable artificial wombs or pods. And so begins Rachel and Alvy’s wild ride to parenthood in this brave new world. With actors Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor. 

Debut Feature Films  

The First Two, Hungary, 82 min, Hungarian with English subtitles 

European Premiere, Director:  Balázs Szövényi-Lux 

After an unsuccessful marriage attempt Sasha needs to leave Budapest and her Hungarian boyfriend to continue her studies in the USA. As the day progresses, their special bond makes separating in the morning a difficult choice. 

Six Weeks, Hungary, 95 min, Hungarian with English subtitles 

World Premiere, Director: Noémi Veronika Szakonyi 

Zsófi, a defiant teenager, gives up her newborn daughter through open adoption, then doubts begin to arise within her body and soul. According to Hungarian law, she has six weeks to change her mind. 

The Young Arsonists, Canada, 97 min, English with Spanish subtitles 

Spanish Premiere, Director: Sheila Pye 

Four girls form an intense and obsessive bond while reclaiming an abandoned farmhouse in an isolated farming community. 

Made in Baleares Feature Film Competition

Tomorrow Somewhere by The Sea, Germany, 80 min, German with Spanish subtitles  

World Premiere, Director: Patrick Büchting 

Four fundamentally different teenagers set off to Portugal together to find themselves, their own lives and the great freedom after school. 

Beach House, Spain, 76 min, Spanish, Catalan, Russian with English subtitles 

Mallorca Premiere, Director: Hèctor Hernández Vicens 

Three friends travel to Mallorca on a holiday bender and to try to get laid. When two Russian girls arrive at the next-door condo, they decide to install hidden cameras in each room, but things will soon go south. 

Spotlight Screenings 

The Killer, USA, 118 min, English with Spanish subtitles 

Mallorca Premiere, Director: David Fincher 

After a fateful near-miss, an assassin battles his employers, and himself, on an international manhunt he insists isn’t personal. Q&A with Cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt, ASC presented by NETFLIX. 

In a Better World Denmark, Sweden, 118 min, Danish, Swedish, Arab, English with Spanish subtitles  

Retrospective Screening (Susanne Bier), Director: Susanne Bier  

The lives of two Danish families cross each other, and an extraordinary but risky friendship comes into bud. But loneliness, frailty and sorrow lie in wait. 

Rush, 2013, UK, USA, 123 min Dubbed in Spanish (Drive in Cinema) 

Retrospective Screening (Daniel Brühl), Director: Ron Howard 

The merciless 1970s rivalry between Formula One rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda. 

Documentary Feature Films 

Sloane: A Jazz Singer, USA, 86 min, English with Spanish subtitles  

Spanish Premiere, Director: Michael Lippert 

Explore jazz legend Carol Sloane’s captivating career, from her meteoric rise in the 1960s to her struggles during the British Invasion. This documentary delves into her unwavering passion, using intimate moments, archival footage, and insightful commentary to confront the reality of success in an art that “don’t pay”. 

I am Not, Israel, 98 min, Hebrew, English with English subtitles  

Spanish Premiere, Director: Tomer Heymann 

Follow Oren, an adopted Guatemalan teenager in Israel, as he confronts communication challenges and misdiagnoses while searching for his biological family in Guatemala, aiming to discover his true identity. This emotional documentary explores his journey of self-discovery and belonging. 

Earthbound: Nzambi Matee, Japan, 48 min English with Spanish subtitles  

Spanish Premiere, Director: Farhoud Meybodi 

Amidst a catastrophic plastic waste crisis in her hometown of Nairobi, Nzambi Matee risks everything to pioneer revolutionary technology that transforms plastic waste into sustainable paving bricks. 

Oceans Oblivion, France, Monaco, Spain, 70 min, Spanish with English subtitles 

World Premiere, Director: Mirella R. Abrisqueta 

Odón de Buen (Spain, 1863-Mexico 1945) is the father of Spanish Oceanography, an extraordinary character; Darwinist, oceanographer, pioneer of environmentalism…His friendship with Albert I, prince of Monaco, was fundamental in creating the Spanish Institute of Oceanography. The actor Carmelo Gómez narrates this documentary in the first person. 

Made In Baleares Documentary Features (World Premieres) 

I Punk, Spain, 100 min, Spanish, Catalan with English subtitles  

World premiere, Director: Dani Cuesta 

In 1983 Mallorca Eskoria was born in Mallorca, the first punk band. A discordant note on an island transformed by tourism and seen just as the paradise for ‘sun and beach’. The story would never be the same again. 

Maria and the Lost Movie, Spain, 60 min, Catalan, Spanish with English subtitles  

Spanish Premiere, Directors: Núria Abad Rivas, Marta Hierro Bravo 

Until now, Rosario Pi has been recognized as the first woman to direct a sound film in Spain: “El gato salvaje” (1936). But, an investigation initiated by Filmoteca Española raises the possibility that there was still another previous title. It is about “Mallorca”, a short film created recently, and signed by María Forteza. 

THE PRODUCERS CLUB – Industry Events 

THURSDAY 19.10 

12:00 – 13:30 Estudi General Lul·lià, Film Talk with Isabel Coixet (Director) and Bet Rourich (DoP)
Career Talk 

16:00 – 17:00 Rívoli Aficine, Masterclass with Erik Messerschmidt, ASC (DoP)
Career Talk 

FRIDAY 20.10 

CINEMATOGRAPHY FOCUS 

10:00 – 11:30 Rívoli Aficine 

Panel #1: Intro to Virtual Production, presented by British Cinematographer magazine 

• Erik Messerschmidt, ASC (USA)
• Ed Moore BSC (UK)

Panel #2: Creative Storytelling, Composition, and Creating a Mood with Light, presented by Camera & Light magazine, moderated in Spanish. 

• Bet Rourich (Spain)
• Edu Biurrun (Spain)

SATURDAY 21.10  

11:00 – 12:30 Estudi General Lul·lià 

Women in Leadership Panel, presented by Girls on Film Podcast 

Moderated by Anna Smith 

• Nurhan Sekerci-Porst, Producer (Germany/Turkey)
• Rosie Fellner, Actress, Producer (Ireland)
• Nicol Paone, Writer/Director (The Kill Room), (USA)
• Nicole Weis, Head of Distribution at IFC Films (USA)

SUNDAY 22.10 

11:00 – 12:30 Rívoli Aficine 

Panel #1:  Green Film Talk – Sustainable Filmmaking in Mallorca  

• Diana de La Cuadra, Representative of the Mallorca Film Commission (Spain)
• Fabian Passamonte, International Producer at Mallorca Special Production (Germany, Spain)
• Kristyna Podolska, International Producer at Palma Pictures (Spain)

13:00 – 14:30 Rívoli Aficine 

Panel #2: Casting and Producing: Love Affair or Fight?, presented by The Actors Home 

• Luci Lenox, Casting Director, The Actors Home (UK, Spain)
• Rosie Fellner, Actress & Producer (Ireland)
• Iris Baumüller, Casting Director Die Besetzer (Germany)
• Louise Vesth, Producer (Denmark)

MONDAY 23.10 

13:00 – 14:30 Estudi General Lul·lià, Film Talk with Susanne Bier (Director)
Career Talk 

TUESDAY 24.11 

10:00 – 16:00 Mallorca Go! 

Island location tour in collaboration with Palma Pictures