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20,000 Species of Bees
Original Title:
20.000 especies de abejas
Duration:
128 minutes
Country:
Spain
Language:
Spanish, Basque, French with English Subtitles
Director(s):
Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren
20,000 Species of Bees follows the course of 8-year-old Lucia’s transformative summer embedded in the Basque countryside alongside her mother’s family. Sunsoaked and transparent, Lucia engages in faltering, anxious, and frustrating endeavors, seeming almost to tumble into the reality of her true self and her gender identity. Parallel to Lucia’s adolescent struggle for assertion, her mother Ane strains against the weight of her father’s career in the arts to find her own expressive authenticity. A subtle tension builds for both mother and daughter as they win the confidence to push free of ill-fitting molds; intrepidly pushing to secure acceptance and peace within the droning hum of their apiary community.
Quote:
"Extraordinary for its sensitivity and perception, Estibollz Urresolo Sologuren’s story of an 8-year-old girl’s growing discomfort with being perceived as a boy is a landmark in the filmic discussion of gender, sexuality and identity. "
Deborah Young, The Film Verdict
Awards:
+ Berlin Film Festival: Prize of the Guild of German Art House Cinemas, Berliner Morgenpost Reader’s Jury Award, Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance: Sofía Otero
+ Málaga Film Festival: Golden Biznaga for Best Spanish Film, Silver Biznaga for Best Supporting Actress: Patricia López Arnaiz
+Seattle International Film Festival: Official Competition Grand Jury Prize
+ Hong Kong International Film Festival: Best Actress – Young Cinema Competition (World): Female ensemble cast
+ San Sebastián International Film Festival: Sebastiane Award
Presented By:
CMU Center for the Arts in Society, CMU Sustainability Initiative
Sponsored By:
CMU Sustainability Initiative, Chantal's Cheese Shop, Collaboratory Against Hate, CMU Student Center for Diversity and Inclusion, CMU Wellness and Meaning Making Programs, Reel Q, Butterjoint
Director Bio
Graduated in Audiovisual Communication (UPV-Bilbao), Editing Theory (EICTV Cuba), Master in Film Direction and Master in Film Business (ESCAC). She has directed the short films Adri and Ashes and Dust and the feature length documentary Paper Voices premiered at San Sebastián. Her latest short film Chords has premiered at the Semaine de la Critique Cannes and has won several national and international prizes, among which Best Short Film in the Forqué Awards. In 2023 her first feature film 20.000 species of bees will premiere in the Official Selection at the Berlinale.
With a Special Thank You to
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