ESCAC talent adds to its tally of awards at the Seminci in Valladolid
L’enterrament de la sardina: award for best Spanish short film
The Official Spanish Short Film Section has recognised L’enterrament de la sardina, by Mariona Martínez (ESCAC Films), with the award for best short film. The jury highlighted how, through tradition and humour, and with the wonderful performances of its young protagonists, the film tells a story about «the tender relationship between a girl and her father, who is going through a process of loss and grief».
Ópera Prima brings its stories into the spotlight
Projects emerging from the Ópera Prima Laboratory have also earned a place among the festival’s award winners. Salen las lobas, by Claudia Estrada Tarsacó, a co-production between Spain, Denmark and Belgium, has received the award in the Punto de Encuentro Official Section, as well as the Seminci Joven Award. The film shares the spotlight with Camionero, by Francisco Marise, also developed at the laboratory and selected for the Tiempo de Historia section. Two projects that reflect the journey of Ópera Prima, which is celebrating twenty years of supporting filmmakers as they develop their first stories and make their way into the industry.
Manon Coubia receives the ESCAC Award for Forest High
As part of the Punto de Encuentro Official Section, the ESCAC Award for Best New Direction in Fiction, worth 5.000 euros, has been awarded to French filmmaker Manon Coubia for Forest High. The jury praised a film that «reaches us like a whisper», «filmed with rigour and sensitivity», and that creates intimate portraits of its protagonists. It also highlighted the balance between mise-en-scène, performances and editing, as well as the film’s ability to invite viewers to share «the idea of refuge» and reflect on ourselves «as the last refuge in an increasingly hostile world».
Anna, Hélène and Suzanne are three women at different stages of life who take turns caring for a remote cabin in the French Alps, as guests arrive and leave season after season. Filmed over the course of a year in real locations, Manon Coubia embraces the landscape and turns the passage of time into something tangible, capturing the changes each season brings as if they were a series of Impressionist paintings. As time passes, the film subtly brings to the surface these women’s stories and the weight of silence amid the Alpine scenery, inviting us to retreat with them in an honest, intimate and restorative experience. Awarded a Special Mention in the Berlinale’s Perspectives section, Forest High is a delicate, melancholic triptych about our connection with nature, making solitude a deeply immersive experience.
About Manon Coubia
Filmmaker born in Thonon-les-Bains (France) in 1979 and based in Brussels (Belgium). Before turning to cinema, she studied visual arts and later continued her training at INSAS, graduating in Film Direction and Production in 2006. In 2016, she received the Pardi di Domani Golden Leopard for her short film ‘L’immense retour’. ‘Les enfants partent à l’aube’ (2017), her next short film, was selected for La Semaine de la Critique. With ‘Marée’ (2019), her medium-length film, she continues to explore the world of her native mountains. ‘Pleine nuit’ (2023), her latest short film, screened at Locarno 2023. In 2021, she joined directors Nicolas Rincón Gille and Jeremy van der Haegen at the new Belgian production company The Blue Raincoat. In 2026, she received a Special Mention in the Berlinale’s Perspectives section for her feature-length debut, ‘Forêt Ivre’.
