Julio Medem, one of the most personal and celebrated directors and screenwriters in Spanish cinema, comes back to our screens with his film 8, which he will present at the Official Section Out of Competition of the 28th Malaga Film Festival, taking place from 14 to 23 March.

8 is produced by Alvaro Longoria, Rodrigo Espinel and Julio Medem himself, who pictures how throughout 90 years Octavio and Adela’s lives weave together in the shape of an 8, through intense agreements and disagreements. This love story is told in eight long takes, with eight decisive periods of time of recent Spanish history as background.
Ana Rujas and Javier Rey lead the film cast, where we will also see Álvaro Morte, Tamar Novas, Loreto Mauleón, Carla Díaz, María Isasi, Mateo Medina, Oriol Riera, Asier Burguete, Patxi Barco, Kandido Uranga, Javier Morgade and Andoni Agirregomezkorta.

The film, which will  premiere in cinemas on 21 March by VerCine, is produced by Barbazul La Película AIE, Eidan Produce and Morena films; and co-produced by Quexito Films. RTVE and Movistar Plus+ have also participated in the project, with Latido Films as its international sales agent.

Julio Medem (San Sebastián, 1958) is one of the most personal and celebrated directors and screenwriters in Spanish today cinema. Praised by both the critics and the audience, his works have been screened in the most important film festivals in the world, including Cannes, Berlin, Venecia, San Sebastián and Sundance; receiving multiple awards.
 
 
 
The Sleeper. El Caravaggio perdido
Morena Films is the producing company behind The Sleeper. El Caravaggio perdido, a documentary by Álvaro Longoria competing in the Official Section of Documentaries of the next edition of the Malaga Film Festival. Estrategia Audiovisual, Mediacrest and Fandango have co-produced this film, in collaboration with the Spanish Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts. It will be distributed by Elástica Films.

This documentary thriller, with Ana Barcos and Marisa Lafuente as screenwriters, immerses the viewer in a thrilling race to get hold of a lost painting by Caravaggio, a so-called ‘sleeper’. A painting that for years hung in the living room of a Madrid family who, unaware that it could be worth 300 million euros, put it up for auction for 1,500 euros. After being recognised by experts and art dealers, an intense race to acquire it was unleashed. The story of this Ecce Homo is worthy of a Hollywood film, a story full of intrigue and entanglements. The film crew followed from the inside, for three years and with exclusive access,  the restoration, attribution and sale of this work of art, which had remained in the shadows until then. The Sleeper. The Lost Caravaggio opens the door to the fascinating art market and all its ins and outs.

Álvaro Longoria is a producer and film director, one of Morena Films founding partners, whose works go from fiction to documentaries. He made his directing debut with Sons of the Cloud (2012), winning the Goya Award for Best Documentary. He has directed influential documentaries such as Esperanza (2016), nominated at the Goya Awards, and Sanctuary (2019). In 2015, he directed The Propaganda Game, a study of propaganda in North Corea. In 2018, he presented Dos Cataluñas and Ni distintos ni diferentes, campeones. Some of his most recent works include Tequila. Sexo, Drogas y Rock & Roll (2022) and La vida de Brianeitor (2023), both of them premiered at the San Sebastián Film Festival.