The Spanish films La furia, by Gemma Blasco; Los Tortuga, by Belén Funes; Sorda, by Eva Libertad; La buena suerte, by Gracia Querejeta, and La buena letra, by Celia Rico, make up the preview of the Official Competition Section of the 28th Malaga Film Festival (14th-23rd of March), which will be dominated by female directors on this occasion.
 
La furia
Gemma Blasco presents her first feature-length fiction film, La furia, in Malaga, with which she will also go to the SXSW Film & TV Festival in Austin, Texas (United States). The director from Barcelona and Eva Pauné are the authors of the script for this film, starring Ángela Cervantes, Àlex Monner, Eli Iranzo, Carla Linares, Victoria Rivero, Salim Daprincee, Pau Escobar, Victoria Rivero Falo and Ana Torrent.
 
La furia is produced by Ringo Media and RM Pelicula A.I.E and is financed by ICAA, the European Union - NextGenerationEU, ICEC, RTVE, 3CAT, Aragón TV, Filmin and FITE Funds. Filmax will be in charge of its international distribution and sales.
 
After being raped at the end of the year, Alex seeks refuge with her brother Adrián. But he, consumed by rage, takes an increasingly dark path. Her reaction drives them apart and she channels her pain through theatre, playing the vengeful character of Medea.
 
Gemma Blasco (1993) graduated in 2014 with a degree in film direction and screenwriting from Bande à Part, Barcelona Film School. She has written and directed short films, commercials and audiovisuals for theatre. In 2017 she directed her first short film, Jauría, which premiered in the Official Section of the 2018 Malaga Film Festival and was selected at prestigious national and international festivals such as Gijón, ALCINE, Almería and Bogoshorts. In 2018 she directed her experimental film El zoo, which premiered at the Gijón-FICX 2018 Film Festival.
 
Los Tortuga
Co-produced by Spain and Chile, Los Tortuga is the latest film by Belén Funes, produced by Oberon Media, La Claqueta PC, La Cruda Realidad, Los Tortuga La Película AIE and Quijote Films. It is in collaboration with RTVE, Canal Sur Radio and Television, Movistar Plus+, 3Cat, ICAA, Andalusian Agency of Cultural Institutions (Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Regional Government of Andalusia) Catalan Institute of Cultural Companies (Generalitat de Catalunya) Media - Creative Europe, Ibermedia, Provincial Council of Jaén, Crea SGR and Fiare Bancaética.
 
With a script produced by Belén Funes and Marçal Cebrian (GAC), Los Tortuga premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and stars Antonia Zegers, Elvira Lara, Mamen Camacho, Pedro Romero, Lorena Aceituno, Mercedes Toledano and Sergio Yerpes. It is distributed by A Contracorriente Films and sold internationally by Film Factory.
 
After Julián's death, his wife Delia and daughter Anabel face a life without him. A threat of eviction will put their fragile livelihood at risk, banishing care to the background. Together they must find a way to support themselves and go through that painful but necessary process that is mourning.
 
Barcelona native Belén Funes studied directing at ESCAC and took a master's degree in fiction writing at EICTV in Cuba. In 2015 she made her debut as a director with the short film Sara a la fuga, which premiered at the Malaga Film Festival, where it won the Silver Biznaga for Best Director and Best Short Film. Her second short film, La inútil (2017), was nominated for Best Short Film at the Gaudí Awards. In 2018, she was selected for the TIFF Talent Lab, where she developed the script for her first feature film, La hija de un ladrón, which premiered at the San Sebastián Film Festival and won several awards, including three Gaudí Awards and the Goya for Best New Director.
 
Sorda
Eva Libertad premieres her first feature film, Sorda, at the Malaga Film Festival, starring Miriam Garlo, Álvaro Cervantes, Elena Irureta and Joaquín Notario. It is produced by Distinto Films, Nexus CreaFilms and A Contracorriente Films, in participation with RTVE, Movistar Plus+, La 7, with funding from the ICAA and with the support of the ICEC, the Region of Murcia and the City Council of Molina de Segura. It will be distributed by A Contracorriente Films, with international sales by Latido Films.
 
Ángela, a deaf woman, is due to have a child with Héctor, her hearing partner. The arrival of the baby girl creates a crisis for the couple, which leads Ángela to face raising her daughter in a world that is not made for her.
 
Eva Libertad is a screenwriter, director and sociologist with a degree from the Complutense University of Madrid. Her short film Sorda, co-directed with Nuria Muñoz, was nominated for the 2023 Goya Awards and selected for numerous national and international festivals. Her portfolio also includes Mentiste, Amanda, co-directed with Nuria Muñoz, winner of the award for best short film in Medina del Campo and candidate for the 2025 Goya Awards. As a playwright, she has written and directed plays for independent companies and institutions such as the Complutense University of Madrid, the Autonomous University of Querétaro (Mexico) or the National Institute and the Secretariat of Social Development of Mexico linked to gender violence, human trafficking and the sexual rights of people.
 
La buena suerte
Gracia Querejeta returns to the Malaga Film Festival with La buena suerte, written by the herself as the director and María Ruiz, starring Hugo Silva and Megan Montaner, with Miguel Rellán, Eva Ugarte, Ismael Martínez, Paqui Horcajo, Álvaro Rico, Chani Martín, Josean Bengoetxea and Daniel Vitallé.
 
La buena suerte is produced by Tornasol Media, Arlas Producciones Cinematográficas A.I.E. and Trianera Producciones Cinematográficas A.I.E, in participation with RTVE and Movistar Plus+, subsidised by the Government of Navarra and financed by the ICAA and ICO. Karma Films is in charge of the distribution and Latido Films, of international sales.
 
Pablo decides to get off the train at the station of a seedy town, buy an old, run-down apartment facing the tracks and start living as if he were not the well-known architect that he really is. It could be that he is running away from someone, or something or even himself. Only Raluca can bring light to his darkness, an optimistic woman with faith in her luck even if life does not always deal her a good hand.
 
Film and television director, with a degree in Geography and History from the Complutense University and with studies in Dance, Gracia Querejeta was precocious in her vocation and debuted as an actress at the age of 13 in Las palabras de Max by Emilio Martínez Lázaro. She began working as an assistant director and, in 1987, directed her first short film, Tres en la marca. Among her extensive filmography, films such as Una estación de paso (1992), El último viaje de Robert Rylands (1995), Héctor (2004) Siete mesas de billar Francés (2007), 15 años y un día (2012), Felices 140 (2014), Ola de crímenes (2017) and Invisibles (2020) stand out. Regarding television, she has worked on series such as Cuéntame cómo pasó, Madres and Amor y vida.
 
La buena letra
Celia Rico is also returning to the Malaga Film Festival with her third feature film, La buena letra, for which she also wrote the script, and which stars Loreto Mauleón, Enric Auquer, Roger Casamajor, Ana Rujas and the Valencian actresses Teresa Lozano, Gloria March and Sofía Puerta.
 
La buena letra is produced by Mod Producciones S.L., Misent Producciones S.L. and Arcadia Motion Pictures S.L. and is financed by the ICAA, which is then financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan; with the support of the Institut Català de les Empreses Culturals; in collaboration with the Institut Valencià de Cultura; with the financing of Arcano Financiación Audiovisual; and with the participation of CREA SGR, RTVE, Movistar Plus+, Televisió de Catalunya and À Punt Mèdia. It is distributed by Caramel Films S.L. with international sales by Film Constellation SAS.
 
In a post-war Valencian village, Ana tries to get ahead with her family; the civil war has opened a deep wound for all of them, especially for her brother-in-law, Antonio. Ana tries to heal that wound with stews, secrets and silences, but when Isabel, recently married to Antonio, becomes part of the family, Ana's attention and care will be of little or no use: sacrifice does not always reap reward.
 
Celia Rico began her career with the multi-award-winning short film Luisa no está en casa (2013). Her successful debut film, Viaje al cuarto de una madre (2018), premiered at the San Sebastian Festival, won her countless awards and nominations, including the Goya for best new director. Los pequeñas amores (2024) premiered at the Malaga Festival, where it received two important awards, including the Biznaga de Plata - special jury prize. It currently has a nomination for the Goya Awards (Best Editing) and three nominations for the Gaudí Awards (Best Film in a non-Catalan language, Best Supporting Actress for Adriana Ozores and Best New Performance for Aimar Vega).