The Zonazine section of the Festival de Málaga ended today with the screening of Cuántica Rave, the new film by Spanish director Paco L. Campano, a proposal that mixes science fiction, music and punk spirit in a cosmic adventure that is as irreverent as it is imaginative.

After the screening, the film crew took part in a press conference attended by the director Paco Campano, the actresses África de la Cruz and Numa Paredes, the actors Timy Benito, Javier Botet and Antonio Dechent, and the executive producer Pilar Campano.

During the press conference, Campano explained the origin of the project and his unique approach to the genre. "I wanted to do something destructive, and we decided to do a sci-fi musical," he said. A lifelong fan of the genre, the director has nevertheless acknowledged his distance from the classic space opera model. "I like science fiction with a real basis, which is why I started studying quantum. It's really nice when you start documenting and inventing things," he explained.

The filmmaker has also defended the artisanal nature of the film as an essential part of his approach to making films. "The artisanal aspect is part of my signature style. It is necessary for it to feel like cinema," he said. Shot in just twenty days, plus seven days spent on the models, the film draws inspiration from 1970s science fiction classes, such as John Carpenter's Dark Star, reviving the "do-it-yourself" spirit. "We are a bunch of friends who have continued working together for the rest of the year. The idea is to create something different while we can still make films," he added.

Actor Javier Botet has humorously recalled how his relationship with the director began. "One day in Sitges I didn’t have any transport and a couple of people offered me a lift. I got into their car... and here I am," he laughed. Botet explained that after seeing the director's film Arde! at the festival, he was fascinated by his work. "Throughout my career, I have played many different characters of various colours and races, but I never thought I'd be playing a little robot, and I never thought I'd be in a musical”.

For her part, África de la Cruz highlighted the singularity of the filmmaker's creative universe. "I have a lot of confidence in Paco's universe; I think he's a super punk guy. He has done something different and I had a great time filming, although the truth is I didn't really know what I was doing... and I still don't think I do," she joked.

Timy Benito recalled the phone call in which Campano proposed that he take part in the film. "I'm more of a musician than an actor and I was prepared to say no to him. But he kept telling me about the project and in the end I really fancied doing it. Ten minutes after the call, I was in the film”.

Antonio Dechent also explained how he became part of the project, after meeting the director five years ago during an event in Seville. "He told me about the project and convinced me to embark on this adventure," he said.

Actress Numa Paredes recalled her surprise when she was confronted with the script for the first time. "When I did the casting I read the script and I didn't understand what I had to say. As the filming progressed and now that I've seen the film, I'm sorry I wasn't able to be there more because I had a great time," she said.

As part of the production team, Pilar Campano wanted to thank the support of the institutions that made the film possible. "Thanks to the Junta de Andalucía, Canal Sur, the Festival de Málaga and Abycine for supporting such a different kind of cinema. These are the kind of supports that make this type of film possible," she said.

The production company also announced that Cuántica Rave’s circuit will mainly be festivals and special events. "It is not a film intended for traditional distribution. Festivals are now the thing, and it is going very well: at the Miami Film Festival the film was well received and the American public understood it well".

Cuántica Rave is set in the year 2666, when the universe is dying. CB, a singer with a lethal voice, and Lena, an activist DJ, embark on a quest to find the mythical Cuántica Rave, a legendary party located in the far reaches of the cosmos. To do so, they manage to enlist the services of the narcissistic Commander Plank, who leads the ship Discovery 2 along with a crew of misfits. What begins as a mission to save the Calabi Yau race ends up becoming an acidic epic odyssey to the limits of reality.

The cast is headed by Timy Benito, África de la Cruz, Antonio Dechent, Javier Botet, Numa Paredes and Pablo Carbonell.

With this screening, the Festival de Málaga closes its Zonazine section, a space dedicated to the most free, experimental and daring proposals in contemporary cinema, which this year bids farewell with a film that celebrates the creative, irreverent and artisanal spirit of independent cinema.