On Wednesday 19 March, the Festival de Málaga welcomed new projects in the production phase as part of the 5 Minutos section, a window that aims to present previews and images of films to the public that will soon be released.
 
Having reached the halfway point, this section has had the opportunity to present three new projects at the UMA Rectorate, where various members of the teams of 'La gran fiesta del cine', 'El hombre normal' and 'La vida por detrás' gathered to talk about their audiovisual pieces.
 
'La gran fiesta del cine', a film based on improvisation
 
The first turn went to 'La gran fiesta del cine', a feature film directed and produced by María S. Torregrosa and Toni Agustí, who also act in it. Created as a result of 'La última cena', their first project, which was screened at several national festivals and distributed on various digital platforms, this new film tries to rescue the narrative and make a kind of continuation.
 
After a brief teaser showing a little of how the feature film will be made, the directors and producer Hugo Serra Andueza were present, reflecting on the peculiarity of a project whose common thread is improvisation.
 
"We have done this for the pure pleasure of experimenting," said María S. Torregrosa, who wanted to "make a profitable film", since the budget was minimal, while offering "an opportunity to play that escapes from commercial cinema." For his part, Toni Agustí recalled the moment when his partner proposed that he "make a cinematographic experiment based on improvisation." To do this, not only did it require a pre-production process adapted to it, but, as he recalled, "a cast of actors willing to act".
 
Drama intertwines with comedy in 'El hombre normal'
 
In the second session of 5 Minutos on Wednesday 19 March, 'El hombre normal' was presented; a project of which a small teaser was shown, made up of various images, as well as a rough scene with some hints of what it will be like once its creation and development process has been completed.
 
A film that tells the story of a guy in his thirties who continues to live with his mother, with whom he has a tense relationship due to her failure to understand certain behaviours of her son, until a turn of events leads the protagonist on a journey of searching for and developing his identity.
 
The session was attended by its director and screenwriter, Miguel A. Almanza from Malaga; the leading actor and co-screenwriter of the story, Víctor Castilla; as well as several of the actors from the cast: Virginia Nölting, Sara Santos and Álvaro Díaz.
 
"The idea was to make a set of loose sketches without sense, although the final purpose has a story," acknowledged the director about a piece that "adds a surrealist touch from a realistic version." He also highlighted the metamorphosis that the protagonist of the story undergoes, based on Friedrich Nietzsche's three transformations of the spirit. Víctor Castilla, who plays the main character, has shown his enthusiasm to present this project that revolves around "a guy who is looking for his identity and who escapes from the schemes."
 
'La vida por detrás', Javier Rodríguez Espinosa's debut film
 
The final session that concluded the day was 'La vida por detrás', Javier Rodríguez Espinosa's debut film. The director was accompanied by the producers Igor Ibeas and the recent winner of a Goya, the actor Salva Reina.
 
This project, which is still in the pre-production and cast search phase, is scheduled to be shot in 2026. As for the name, the director wants to "refer to that life that is not seen or told".
 
"Authenticity is something basic, so we have cast people from the street who offer us freshness and enrich us during the filming," Javier Rodríguez admitted about his first film. "Not being from here, I wanted to see if I understood the concept and I quickly did," said Igor Ibeas about a feature film based in the context of Malaga.
 
Asked about the opportunity to have someone as renowned as Salva Reina in the production, the producer declared that the luck was his, as Rodríguez Espinosa has given them "the opportunity to be able to work with him". The actor, who has produced four feature films with his La Cochera Cabaret platform, hopes to be able to continue developing in this cinematographic field. He also wanted to highlight the existence of events such as the Festival de Málaga, where his project received its first boost last year thanks to the Development Grants.