Huesera

This was supposed to be the best time of Valeria’s life. She and her husband Raul finally manage to make one of their dreams come true – having a child.
At first everything seems perfect, but as the pregnancy progresses, Valeria’s mood starts to change. The closer she comes to her due date, the more Valeria is plagued by heavy self-doubt and fear she can’t shake off. Visions of a disturbing, spider-like presence and other supernatural threats, all thanks to a being called ‘La Bonzara’. Valeria discovers she’s not the only one in her family who had to face the ancient demons and she decides to confront them. She reconnects with her old life, including her first love, Octavia.
In her debut film, director Michelle Garza Cervera delivers an intense and raw horror film, complete with very disturbing images that will raise goosebumps. Actress Natalia Solián as Valeria creates a character that has to make some very hard choices, but at the same time we feel a lot of empathy for.

In association with the Embassy of Mexico

Blessed Boys

In the sunny Sanita quarter of Naples, Italy, a working-class neighbourhood, where everyone knows each other, two inseparable friends live in a protected bubble until their friendship is put to the test.
Mario (Vincenzo Antonucci) and Lino (Francesco Pellegrino) are two young men, born and raised in Sanita. They still never left the city to explore the world. When Lino’s younger sister convinces the locals she’s a saint, who can perform miracles, and gains their admiration, Lino’s destiny changes abruptly. Free from the financial responsibility for his mother and sister, he is able to imagine a life outside the slums for the first time. Meanwhile, Mario is experiencing an increasing attraction towards his best friend which he didn’t notice before now.
Director Silvia Brunelli’s debut film is Italian cinema as we love it: funny, bold and housing a plethora of colourful and humane characters. This is a film that confronts us with the differences between sacred and secular, old world and new world.