jueves, 26 de noviembre de 2020

Hell Chess Film Festival 2020 Awards.


You are welcome to the Hell Chess Festival 2020 summation.

These are the winners:


Best Film: Vacant (by Jury decision).......

Best Director (filmmaker of the year): DRAW...directed by Martin Kamminga (UK)

Audience Awatd: SAH MATA... directed by Thomas Gailhrad (France)

Ruy López Award:  SAH MATA... directed by Thomas Gailhrad (France)

Honorable Mention:  ALCHEMICAL CHESS...directed by Orryelle Defenestrate (Australia)


And you can see our event summation video below:








FINALISTS :

GRACIAS A LA VIDA, TAKE IV... directed by E. Gabriel Edvy (USA)

ALASKA LONG HUNTERS ... directed by Mark Rose (USA)

EN PASSANT...directed by Gao Yan (France)





                                                                    SEMIFINALISTS:

TESTING THE DREAM... directed by Igor Kail (Russia)
INFINITY BY TWO ... directed by David Pinczés (Hungary)
RANGER... directed by Michael Winfield (USA)
FEST OF FIRENDS ...directed by Nicolas Gauthier (France)
THE SOUND OF THE DRAGONFLY´S WINGS... directed by D. Ethier (Canada)
(F)OUR SEASONS ... directed by Miguel Gabaldón (Spain)
PAWNS....directed by Elisabeth Berliner  (USA)


                                                                QUARTERFINALIST:

EL GRAN IMPACIENTE... directed by Carlos Arenal (Spain)




domingo, 1 de noviembre de 2020

2020 Official Selections (And Ruy López Award nominations)

 The Hell Chess Festival  2020 will be screened in our headquarters venue in Spain (More info in here) at 19.00 hours in November 30.

. These are the 2020 Official Selections:






GRACIAS A LA VIDA, TAKE IV... directed by E. Gabriel Edvy (USA)

This black and white music project is appealing because the music got a certain filter that conveys us a deep nostalgic sensation. The images are so naked and straight to the point of a bittersweet vision through loneliness. There is nobody but you feel the company of distant memories.




ALASKA LONG HUNTERS ... directed by Mark Rose (USA)

This brave documentary tell us by the hand of the protagonist, how a wild place like Alaska
put a man who did not believe in any god at several life or death situations and an invisible power saves this person in a miraculous way at different moments, not only as living person but as a believer.





DRAW...directed by Martin Kamminga (UK)

The actual fight in the mid of the chessboard. Brief and elegant film mixed with real human players and animation effects.  Despite the draw chess situation, the kings pieces go on fighting to death. Very good special effects. Intensity and brevity are welcome. (This film got a Ruy López nomination)




SAH MATA... directed by Thomas Gailhrad (France)

The most notable thing of this short film is the artistic direction and dressing concept. You feel you are inside in a unnaturalistic place where all chess players and chess pieces are geometrical elements of an ideal conceptualisation. The chess battle is unsound, by the way. (This film got a Ruy López nomination)











ALCHEMICAL CHESS...directed by Orryelle Defenestrate (Australia)

This videoclip got the merit of originality, not only for the music but for the creation of unique chess pieces. The edition helps to a result of dreadful notes of ancient magic. It´s not a comfortable clip to see but the poetic lines and all the imagery are appropriate with the Hell Chess concept. (This film got a Ruy López nomination)






EN PASSANT...directed by Gao Yan (France)

This is a peculiar move in chess. This film is shot in a garden of Paris where you can play chess as the same time that walkers are passing around. The silence, the ideas of the chess game is creating a space where love is an answer more pleasant than winning itself. It´s an idea we share in our Hell Chess Festival. (This film got a Ruy López nomination)

---


This year we have received many chess stories that´s why we have created the "Ruy López Award" to decide which are the best in the chess category. Bear in mind that a nomination is important because it is not just an Official Selection but you can include this nomination in your curriculum or even in cinema platforms of archive filmming data.