10th edition CIFF – 10-14 April 2024

FILMS 2024:  Caribbean Focus | Feature Films | Short Films | Yellow Robin Award Nominees
FILMS 2019: A – E | F – L | M – P | Q – S | T –  Z | Feature Film | Short Film
FILMS 2018: A – E | F – L | M – P | Q – S | T –  Z | Feature Film | Short Film
FILMS 2017: A – E | F – L | M – P | Q – S | T –  Z | Feature Film | Short Film
FILMS 2016: A – E | F – L | M – P | Q – S | T –  Z | Feature Film | Short Film
FILMS 2015: A – E | F – L | M – P | Q – S | T –  Z | Feature Film | Short Film

El apóstata (The Apostate) (2016 Feature Film)

Federico Veiroj | Spain, France, Uruguay | 2015 | 80 min | Spanish | e.s.

Also in his first Spanish production, one can recognise the amiably ironic and occasionally absurd hand of the Uruguayan Veiroj (La vida útil/A Useful Life). A young man in Madrid (co-writer Alvaro Ogolla) wants to be struck from the lists of the Catholic Church. Alongside the problems that gives him, he wrestles with his family, life and love.
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Gonzalo Tamayo, raised like so many Spaniards as a Catholic, wants to turn his back on that faith. But it turns out not to be easy to get an official apostasy – to get struck off their list by the church and his baptism declared void. Gonzalo, the eternal student type, finally gets his teeth into it. He feels he has reached a turning point: if he doesn’t make a new start now, maybe he never will. But the past continues to force itself on him, in increasingly realistic fantasies. Federico Veiroj (La vida útil/A Useful Life, 2010) based the clever screenplay for El apóstata/The Apostate on the experiences of his friend Álvaro Ogalla, who also plays the leading role. Despite Gonzalo’s problems, the film has a light-hearted and optimistic note. And despite the recurring and undoubtedly justified accusations from his surroundings that he is a selfish drip, you can only wish Gonzalo all the best when push comes to shove. A self-assured, funny and dark fairy tale about the will to change.

Place: CINEMA 5

Date: 6 April 2016

Time: 21:00

Duration: 1:15

Place: CINEMA 5

Date: 7 April 2016

Time: 13:45

Duration: 1:15

Place: CINEMA 5

Date: 9 April 2016

Time: 18:00

Duration: 1:15

Year in
Festival

2016

Director

Federico Veiroj

Camera

Arauco Hernández Holz

Cast

Álvaro Ogalla
Marta Larralde
Bárbara Lennie
Vicky Peña
Juan Calot
Kaiet Rodríguez
Jaime Chávarri

Country

Spain
France
Uruguay

Editor

Fernando Franco

Language

Spanish

Length

80 min

Producer

Guadelupe Balaguer Trelles
Fernando Franco
Nicolas Brevière
Federico Veiroj

Production Company

Ferdydurke Films
Local Films
Cinekdoque

Production Design

Gonzalo Delgado

Sales

FiGa Films

Scenario

Álvaro Olgalla
Gonzalo Delgado
Nicolás Saad
Federico Veiroj

Sound Design

Alvaro Silva Wuth
Daniel Yafalián

Year of Production

2015

Website

www.figafilms.com

Federico VEIROJ (1976, Uruguay) has a degree in Social Communication from UCUDAL Uruguay/VCU USA. He worked at the Spanish Film Library and Archive in technical and programming areas, played a part in 25 Watts (Juan Pablo Rebella, Palbo Stoll, 2001) and directed a couple of short films. His debut feature film, Acne (2008), premiered at the Director’s Fortnight in Cannes. Both this film and La vida útil/A Useful Life (2010), his second film, have won many awards. El apóstata/The Apostate (2015), his third feature film, won the FIPRESCI Award and a Special Mention of the Jury at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.

 

Filmography

Dreaming About You (2000, short), De vuelta a casa (2001, short, co-dir), 50 Años de Cinemateca Uruguaya (2002, short doc, co-dir), Bregman, el siguiente/As Follows (2004, short), Acne (2008), La vida útil/A Useful Life (2010), Primera persona (2013, TV series), El apóstata/The Apostate (2015)