"Anoche conquisté Tebas" by Gabriel Azorín to compete in Venice's Giornate degli Autori

Anoche conquisté Tebas is the first fiction feature film by Gabriel Azorín (Hellín, 1981), a Filmmaking Studies student from EQZE's first graduating class. The film brings together Antonio and Jota with Aurelio and Pompeyo in ancient Roman baths – two groups of friends of a similar age but separated by more than 2000 years in time. Anoche conquisté Tebas is produced by DVEIN Films and Filmika Galaika (Spain), Bando à Parte and Primeira Idade (Portugal), and La Fábrica Nocturna Cinéma (France). During its development stage, it participated in Ikusmira Berriak (2020 edition), the fifth edition of ECAM's La Incubadora program, and the Film Academy's residency program. The production won the Award for Best Project at the Seville Festival Co-production Forum and is supported by the ICAA (Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts) Selective Aid program. Azorín's previous works have been exhibited at Entrevues de Belfort, the Seville Festival, FICUNAM, the Festival dei Popoli and the San Sebastián Festival.

The film premieres as part of the programming for the 22nd edition of Giornate degli Autori, a parallel section to the Venice Mostra established in 2004, following the model of the Quinzaine des cinéastes at the Cannes Film Festival.

Critic’s Week

La moto by Matteo Giampetruzzi (Rome, 1999), a Film Curating Studies student from the sixth graduating class, is set in Southern Italy, where young Luca becomes obsessed with Valerio, an older boy passionate about motorcycles. The short film, the fifth by the filmmaker and film curator, has received support from EQZE and Filmværksted Odense (Denmark) and was produced by FuoriStrada (Italy) along with the Danish companies Nowhere Studios and Fenomenal Productions. His previous films have been exhibited at festivals such as Lago Film Fest, London Short Film Festival, and the Rome Film Festival.

The film will compete with seven other works in the short film section of the 40th Settimana Internazionale della Critica. This independent showcase was founded in 1984 by film critic and historian Lino Micciché and is currently organized by the Union of Italian Film Critics (SNCCI). Since then, it has served as a platform for the first films by filmmakers such as Olivier Assayas, Mike Leigh, Pedro Costa, Abdellatif Kechiche, and Harmony Korine.

Both sections will run in parallel with the 82nd edition of the Venice Mostra (August 27 - September 7). The Italian festival recently announced the world premiere in the Orizzonti section of two other films directed by students from Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola: Estrany riu by Jaume Claret Muxart and Hiedra by Ana Cristina Barragán.