OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

 

These are the Selected Films for the XI HELL CHESS FESTIVAL 2026

CUANDO LA GUITARRA CALLA .---------- Directed by Roberto Janacua --------- MÉXICO

When a good man who loves crafting musical instruments, after a long career devoted to excellence in this art, feels lost in his own workshop due to the heartbreaking helplessness of Alzheimer's disease. This drama is well interpreted by its lead actor.

THE FLIP-FLOW ----------------  Directed by Brad Condie ---------------  USA

Another short visual essay where animated images form a beautiful modern poem of visual design, from geometries to other images that could easily be part of a TV intro. The perfect union between images and music makes it delightful.

THE WANDERER   ------------ directed by Michael Lavine ------------- USA

We watch a black-and-white short film about the arrival of an angel girl on the eve of the death of a wounded boy. Nothing is as expected in this story, nor does what faith believes exist, but the film has an accurate interpretive presence in that tragic angel.

WARAO OF THE WATERS ------------ created by Rodrigo Volponi -------------BRAZIL

This epic song transports us through evocative atmospheres. From the very beginning, it conveys a seriousness in its approach and then leads us to indigenous songs and perhaps to the trembling emotion of the natural struggle for life.

LA AMBICIÓN DE MARIE -------------- directed by Manu Fernández ---------- SPAIN

This chess story combines what some critics referred to in “The Seventh Seal”—the idea that the devil is in the chess piece—with a modern approach in this visually well-crafted fable with elegant settings. 

WAKE -------------- Creataed by Celine Egan ---------------- UK

This piece of music is part of a film soundtrack and is truly epic, with the piano and violins soaring skyward, undoubtedly to transport us to a great story.

The sound quality is first-rate.

DREAM THEATRE .--------- directed by Daniel Limmer  ---------- AUSTRIA

The virtue of this feature film is not about an enterprise that records your dreams to heal, in a way

we have seen this thing before, the main merit is creating this out of the line plot using a principal

actress so natural and without any impression of self-importance. But the idea performs well.

ARASPEL ------------ Performed by Laura Farré Rozada ----------- ESPAÑA

This complex  armenian music is performed by a master pianist able to carry away places

we never think we can live. The power of her fingers and the strange beauty of the lands that

she wishes to introduce us.

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All those plays and films will be showed where and when our poster tells:

SPAIN.

Call of entries for the XI Hell Chess Edition

 

The Hell Chess Film festival is an event celebrated in Campo de Gibraltar and Madrid, Spain. THE ONLY FILM FESTIVAL IN THE WORLD THAT SENDS A CUSTOMISED REVIEW TO ALL THE SUBMITTERS This year we got a special Festival with a final surprise of our mission in cinema life. We celebrate our screening and Awards Festival. We celebrate the commemoration of the great Hell Chess film made by From the ruin to Paradise society. This is our fifth Edition . This year you´ll receive a philosophical welcoming! We invite all artists from the whole world to participate. Every year since 2013, we project our Hell Chess film and we play chess in a tournament. But this year the thing is going to be completed with your artistic works. Including films and music. Make a better place to live with the best of your souls! And be elegant to express it!

2025 WINNERS

 These are the winners:

BEST FILM ---------- SACRIFFICIOUS ------ Director Stephen Shelton ------ UK

BEST DIRECTION -----------  DAVID DURÁN .----------- Llegó tu hora---  SPAIN

BEST SONG ------------- VAMPIROS ------  Martín Del Carpio-------  USA

                                  The President´s speech.

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS 2025

 This is the program to this season festival:

SACRIFFICIUS ------ DIRECTED BY STEPHEN SHELTON ---------- UK

This music video is a real artistic animation. Special design of the chess pieces, an important story to tell and guitar music to introduce us in a world entirely created by its author.

VAMPIROS ------------ DIRECTED BY MARTÍN DEL CARPIO ---------  USA

This song is an accurate reminder of what we do to the world. We are dark creatures, vampires, in fact. Just to suck blood with no remorse. The song got interesting music arrangements, too. 

I DO NOT LOVE MY MOTHER--------- DIRECTED BY GERAD CUQ --------- FRANCE

This music video performed by MARIE DAUPHIN is original. It sounds as the good french music sounds and it is intrepid for being shot and sung in the swimming pool depths.

LLEGÓ TU HORA ----  DIRECTED BY DAVID DURÁN  ------------- SPAIN

This short film is almost just a fiction TV interview but it outcomes an ironic exercise of the world we live. In the context of a Science Fiction tale, we see many faults of our society. Well performed.

BEYOND ----------- DIRECTED BY RAQUEL SALVATELLA ---------- SPAIN

This animation piece is told using simple ways, delicate moments of horror and hope. Minimalistic black and white animations with music. We can see not just one but all dictatorship tragedies at it. Sensitive.

---------

SEMI-FINALISTS:

Sunny Side Up ----  Director Satvik Bhatt

El Capitán Paco ---- Director Rodrigo Oliva

DAYDREAMERS ---- Director Joey 西侧龙

Saturday Dream .------ Director Zhenqian Li

The Path of Stones ----- Director Dian Wang

----------

OUT OF COMPETITION:

INCITATUS --------- Director Jorjesus.

Call of Entries for 2025

The Hell Chess Film festival is an event celebrated in Campo de Gibraltar and Madrid, Spain. THE ONLY FILM FESTIVAL IN THE WORLD THAT SENDS A CUSTOMISED REVIEW TO ALL THE SUBMITTERS This year we got a special Festival with a final surprise of our mission in cinema life. We celebrate our screening and Awards Festival. We celebrate the commemoration of the great Hell Chess film made by From the ruin to Paradise society. This is our fifth Edition . This year you´ll receive a philosophical welcoming! We invite all artists from the whole world to participate. Every year since 2013, we project our Hell Chess film and we play chess in a tournament. But this year the thing is going to be completed with your artistic works. Including films and music. Make a better place to live with the best of your souls! And be elegant to express it!

Official Selections and winners 2024

 These films are the finalist works for the Hell Chess Film festival 2024:

HUNKY DORY ------ WINNER AND BEST FILM OF THE YEAR. ----- STEVEN VANDER MEER

THORSTEN FRENZEL  ---------- BEST DIRECTOR FOR THE FILM ULTIMA

MOONSON MELODY ---------   BEST SONG ------------ JAGAN JAZZ

EFFIGY HOUSE   ------------ BEST EDITOR ------ DEB ETHIER

PLACENTA --------- SPECIAL AWARD ------------- MJ GOLZARI

------

SEMI-FINALISTS:

LUCY directed by Roberto Pill 

EVADIR HACHURA directed by Mehran Hajihashemi 

QUARTER- FINALISTS:

PODER DEL PUEBLO directed by Héctor Eduardo Rivera

THE DOUBLE ROOM directed by Martín Del Carpio

HAIRY DREAMS directed by Lina Cruz.

PARIS-BREATHLESSWEEKEND directed by Neil Harvey, & Jon Hammerbeck

PLACENTA .--------------- Directed by MJ Golzari -------------------------  IRAN 

This film got inside its inner simplicity, (one actress, few minutes, no dialogues) a deep

suggestion about life, motherhood or the power to overcome circumstances.

HUNKY DORY ----------------- Directed by Steven Vander Merr ------------ USA

This animation piece is made in a very traditional way, funny, plenty of animal details, almost

a music video with funny transitions plenty of liberty.

EFFIGY HOUSE ---------- Directed by Deb Ethier ----------------- CANADA

The Deb Ethier´s  animation world is always tasteful, solitary and plenty of aesthetic mystery able to be interpreted in many ways.  A classic inside the Hell Chess imaginary.

MOONSON MELODY --------------  Directed by Jagan Jazz ------------------- INDIA

This song is plenty of the traditional quality of the indian music. It is a video with almost no movement

but good enough to be the support of this sweet song sung by Nipuni Herath.

ULTIMA ----------------- Directed by Thorsten Frenzel -------------------- GERMANY

Our selection recovers the final 7 minutes of the original film. This trip to the purgatory got many elements adequate with our vision of the spiritual world.

.------------------ ALL THE FILMS WILL BE SCREENED IN DELARUINALPARAISO HEADQUARTERS, AT MIDNIGHT  JULY 5 ------------------------------ Los Barrios, Spain.

Call of entries 2024

 

The Hell Chess Film festival is an event celebrated in Campo de Gibraltar and Madrid, Spain. THE ONLY FILM FESTIVAL IN THE WORLD THAT SENDS A CUSTOMISED REVIEW TO ALL THE SUBMITTERS
This year we got a special Festival with a final surprise of our mission in cinema life.
We celebrate our screening and Awards Festival.
We celebrate the commemoration of the great Hell Chess film made by From the ruin to Paradise society. This is our fifth Edition .
This year you´ll receive a philosophical welcoming!
We invite all artists from the whole world to participate.
Every year since 2013, we project our Hell Chess film and we play chess in a tournament.
But this year the thing is going to be completed with your artistic works.
Including films and music.
Make a better place to live with the best of your souls!
And be elegant to express it!