The 29th Festival de Málaga hosts the final day of the Special Documentary Sessions with the screening of the films El Cautivo; Somos Miraflores; Manuel Alcántara. Una vida en 15 asaltos; La huella y el tiempo; Landa and Aminetu.

Beginning the presentations on Friday, 13 March, the Tourism and Sports Hall hosted the projection of El Cautivo, a documentary by the young director and producer from Málaga Alejandro Luque.

Based on real events, the film intertwines faith, family and devotion to the famous Christ of Málaga, Jesus the Captive. With the participation of Diana Navarro – a singer from Málaga linked to Jesus the Captive for more than 20 years – the film tells the story of a granddaughter who asks for the healing of her grandfather, who has cancer.

It is the story of Antonio, a man who receives a medical diagnosis that threatens to break up his family. His granddaughter Lucia, determined to save her grandfather, clings to her faith and makes a promise to Jesus the Captive: to play music in his procession in exchange for his life. Between music, sacrifice and hope, the granddaughter will embark on a journey that will transform not only her own existence, but also that of her entire family.

Then, in the same Tourism and Sports Hall, the documentary film Somos Miraflores was presented in the presence of the producer Michelo Toro and the director of photography Juan Espinosa. Directed by Enrique García, award-winning film director known for his feature film 321 días en Míchigan (2014), the documentary narrates the history and evolution of the Málaga neighbourhood of Miraflores de los Ángeles through the experiences of its residents, using their family albums and personal testimonies.

Founded by businessman Claudio Gallardo, the neighbourhood is celebrating the 60th anniversary of its foundation. To immortalise its history, the son of its founder and some of the neighbourhood's residents give their testimonies to remember the past and reflect on the future of the Málaga neighbourhood.

“For those of us from Málaga who are in love with our city, it is wonderful to be able to talk about our city in this documentary. It was important to highlight this story of Claudio Gallardo, the entrepreneur and driving force behind the cooperative that made its construction possible at a time when there was no access to housing. It was a very beautiful idea, and we wanted to highlight this origin of the neighbourhood, which, incidentally, is the neighbourhood of Enrique García, our director”, explained Michelo Toro, producer of the documentary.

The third presentation of the day took place at the Christine Ruiz-Picasso Auditorium with the projection of Manuel Alcántara. Una vida en 15 asaltos, a choral portrait of the poet and journalist from Málaga who turned everyday life into literature. Through fifteen stages narrated by friends, writers, chroniclers and his own voice, the documentary, directed by Manu Sánchez and Leticia Moreno, traces his childhood, bohemian life in Madrid, journalism, boxing (a discipline he chronicled for years) and his return to the sea in Málaga.
Filmed between Málaga and Madrid, the documentary explores the key settings in the life and writing of Manuel Alcántara, in an intimate tribute to freedom, the well-chosen word and the deep gaze of someone who lived without haste.

The special session at the Museo Picasso Málaga was attended by his daughter, Lola Alcántara, accompanied by co-director Leticia Moreno; Rafael López, production director; Antonio Pedraza, President of the Manuel Alcántara Foundation; and Rafael Porras, President of the Board of Directors of Canal Sur, where the film will soon be broadcast.
“What moved me the most is that this documentary was made with so much love. None of the team knew my father, and yet you managed to portray him well. I also loved the music that was set to my father’s poems. I loved this. It was a wonderful discovery”, explained Lola Alcántara. The original music for the documentary is directed and composed by the musician from Cádiz Riki Rivera, winner of the Goya Award for Best Original Song, with arrangements by Jesús Lavilla, and performances by artists such as Pasión Vega, Mar Tiago, José Luis Jaén and María Villalón, whose voices accompany the literary and emotional universe of the author who left us at the age of 91, having turned literature, journalism and irony into a way of life.

Reaching old age through optimism and physical activity. This is the starting point of the documentary La huella y el tiempo, directed by Raúl Vaquero, a prestigious cameraman specialising in television documentaries.

In it, five people over the age of 65, with very different life paths but the same non-conformist spirit, embark on an adventure that will test their physical, emotional and mental limits: to summit the snow-capped Vallunaraju, an imposing Peruvian mountain that rises almost six thousand metres above sea level.

Through intense training, living at high altitudes and a natural environment as beautiful as it is unforgiving, this group of seniors proves that age is not a barrier, but an opportunity to keep challenging themselves. A project that inspires people to lead an active and healthy life at any age, with a commitment to positive longevity.

According to Álvaro Valles, one of the stars of the documentary present at the projection in the Tourism and Sports Hall, he knew from the beginning that it would be more than a normal trip: “Little by little, he convinced me that it was a great challenge: climbing a mountain pass twice the height of those in the Tour de France. A true feat that we accomplished to empower older adults to exercise and enjoy a better quality of life”.

“Positive longevity is all about continuing to fulfil dreams, no matter how old you are. You realise that life throws challenges in front of you that you would never have imagined. I am having the privilege of screening the documentary at universities, and afterwards, talking with the students, they tell me that the vision they had of retirement was one of sadness and pain – but the documentary has helped them change their idea of old age. That old age can be a new opportunity”, shared Pepe García, reflecting on his experience as the protagonist.

Returning to the Christine Ruiz-Picasso Auditorium, the audience was introduced to the new feature film by the prestigious filmmaker Gracia Querejeta and the film historian Miguel Olid, who jointly authored this intimate portrait of the career of an actor who won over audiences and critics alike. Landa is featured in this edition of the Festival de Málaga, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the filming of El puente, the film that completely transformed his career as an actor.

Far from being a conventional biography, Landa focuses on his overwhelming personality and offers a profound perspective that allows viewers to understand his acting method, personal life and historical impact, even highlighting significant events from the final stage of his career. The film includes direct testimonies, with interventions by Alfredo Landa himself and the authoritative voices of family members, friends, critics, directors and colleagues.

“I have always heard very good things about my father. He was a lot of fun. Strict, stern, as a father. He played the role of a father very well. The Querejeta family has always been very close and cherished. So I truly want to thank you, Gracia and Miguel, for the way you brought this documentary to life. I loved it”, commented Alfredo Landa Jr., who also attended the documentary’s presentation.

In the final special session of this 29th edition of the Festival de Málaga, the audience in the Tourism and Sports Hall attended the projection of Aminetu, a documentary directed by Lucía Muñoz Lucena from Córdoba on the figure of the Saharawi activist Aminetu Haidar, an international reference in the peaceful defence of self-determination in Western Sahara and nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

This ambitious work of historical reconstruction is based on Aminetu's hunger strike which lasted 32 days in Lanzarote. The film reconstructs the events that captured the attention of the international community and delves into the political and legal context surrounding the conflict. With a script by investigative journalists Sergio Rodrigo and Nicolás Castellano and produced entirely in Málaga, the film has gone ahead thanks to the support of 323 patrons who backed the project through a crowdfunding campaign.

“Thanks to the 323 people who have supported us in this project. For us, it is a symbol of peaceful resistance. We shouldn’t get used to so much violence like the kind we see in the news today. Thank you so much for filling this room. I know I don’t need to tell you who Aminetu is. Her hunger strike was years ago, but she remains a reference point for peaceful struggle. She has shown that it’s possible to make a better world. So I hope we continue to talk a lot about the Sahara when we leave here”, expressed the director, accompanied by producer Sergio Rodrigo and actor Willy Toledo, spokesperson for the Aminetu Haidar Platform in Lanzarote in 2009.