Secaderos [Tobacco Barns)

This is a tale about the relationships that people have with their towns and villages; those who love them, and those who are compelled to escape from them. A small, rural community in Andalusia seems like paradise for seven-year-old Vera, a city girl, but like a prison for local teenager Nieves: these two parallel stories unfurl amidst tobacco drying rooms over the course of one summer. Dripping with magic and realism, it’s a fantastic fiction debut that boasts some incredible performances from the cast of almost entirely non-professional actors local to the area. Hinting at the more adult activities that the rebellious Nieves gets up to, writer-director Rocío Mesa sums it up as a ‘psychedelic rural drama’, and this delightful coming-of-age story is inspired by the filmmaker’s own experiences growing up in the Granada area.

The Opening Night screening on Fri 5 Apr will be introduced by the festival team and followed by music from DJ Atalaya in the ground floor bar.

The screening on Sat 13 Apr will be introduced by Dr Carlos van Tongeren, University of Manchester.