Cinema Jove once again places short films at the heart of its programme with an Official Short Film Section marked by the return of filmmakers who have previously screened at the festival, alongside a special appearance by one of Valencia’s most internationally acclaimed emerging directors: Joecar Hanna.
The filmmaker will present Talk Me in Valencia, the Spike Lee executive-produced short film that premiered at Cannes and later screened at festivals such as Toronto and Málaga, but has not yet been presented in Spain with the director in attendance.
Joecar Hanna returns to Valencia
The event will take place on June 22 at 7:30 pm at Sala Rialto. In addition to Talk Me, audiences will also discover Deliver Me, the short piece that will serve as the basis for Hanna’s debut feature film, set to shoot later this year in New York.
Raised in Valencia and of Chinese and Lebanese descent, Hanna has developed a distinctive cinematic voice shaped by his roots and by a perspective that blends identity, memory and emotion. The conversation, moderated by Cinema Jove director María Albiñana, will explore both the international journey of Talk Me and the transition of Deliver Me into a feature-length project.
The visit also coincides with a key moment in the director’s career, as Hanna is currently taking part in La Résidence at the Cannes Film Festival, one of the most prestigious writing and mentorship programmes in international cinema.
Filmmakers returning to Cinema Jove
This year’s Official Short Film Section also brings together several filmmakers who previously screened at the festival and now return with new works.
Christian Avilés returns after winning the Luna de València award with La herida luminosa and now presents Stallion y la bola de cristal following its screening in Berlin. Guil Sela also comes back to the festival after participating in 2023 with La llama olímpica and now premieres No skate!, recently presented in Cannes.
They are joined by Aleksey Evstigneev with Habibi and Rocío Quillahuaman, who presents her new documentary Oralia after the success of Puriykachay.
Stories about identity, family and resistance
This year’s programme features films from countries including Italy, Iran, Brazil, Taiwan, Romania, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Hong Kong and Spain, creating a cinematic map shaped by shared concerns and universal themes.
One of the section’s central threads is the coming-of-age story, explored in films such as Mal de madre by Irene Baqué and Nest by Stefania Burla, where adolescence and identity intertwine with rural landscapes, symbolism and fantasy.
Other films focus on returning home, grief and family bonds, including A certa distància by Laura Pérez Gómez, The Wind in Ash by Kun Sun, Gardiennes de Nuit by Nina Khada and Geratzen den Hori by Aitor Gametxo Zabala.
Comedy, precarity and animation
Several short films also reflect on labour precarity, technological surveillance and the pace of contemporary life, including Deprisa, deprisa by Claudia García de Mateos, Their Eyes by Nicolas Gourault and Esto está frío by Valencian filmmaker Iván Fernández de Córdoba.
The section also makes room for comedy, with titles such as Dra. Miranda, Navidad Drumul spre casa and Lady Attila, while continuing its strong commitment to animation through films like Praying Mantis, Dieu est timide, Una vez un cuerpo and Our Walls.
With this new edition, Cinema Jove continues to strengthen its role as a space for discovery, support and growth for emerging voices in international cinema.
