• The filmmaker, who received the Goya for best new director with his first feature film, has just won the Platform Award at the Toronto Film Festival for his new film
  • His participation will inaugurate the second edition of Humans Lab with a master class that will be open to the public.
  • The deadline for submitting projects for Humans Lab, which will take place from November 29 to December 1 in Valencia, is still open on its website

The Humans Lab, the audiovisual creation laboratory launched by the International Film and Human Rights Festival of Valencia, Humans Fest, organized by the Foundation for Justice since 2009, has announced that in its second edition it will feature the director Carlos Marques-Marcet among his mentors this year.

Specifically, Marques-Marcet will offer a master class on Friday November 29th in the afternoon, which will be the opening activity of Humans Lab 2024, which will run until Sunday, December 1. This meeting will be open to the public, but prior registration will be required because capacity will be limited. 

Likewise, people selected to participate with their short film projects in Humans Lab will have the opportunity to enjoy a tutored session one-to-one with Carlos Marques-Marcet, to whom they can present their ideas to receive proposals for improvement.

A PREMATURE AND FRUITFUL CAREER

Carlos Marques-Marcet (Barcelona, 1983) is one of the most acclaimed contemporary Spanish filmmakers. He started very early as his short film Amunt ia vall (2006) received the national award for Young Creators from Injuve and with Udols (2008) was selected by the prestigious “Cahiers de Cinema” as the best short film of the year.

It was then that she moved to the United States, where she studied the Master of Film Directing at the UCLA School of Film and Television, and began her career in feature films, with which she has addressed the human condition from different perspectives, such as motherhood, relationships and now death. 

Her feature film debut came in 2014 with 10,000 km, a film for which he won the Goya for best new director, the Golden Biznaga for best film at the Malaga Film Festival and five Gaudi awards, including best director, best screenplay and best film in a non-Catalan language. At an international level he won the special award at the SXSW Film Festival and was awarded the new director award at the Seattle Film Festival. 

Later, he arrived Mainland (2017), a film that included Geraldin Chaplin in the cast, and Those who will come (2019). The latter also won Best Film and Best Director at the Malaga Film Festival, among other awards.

In Valencia he filmed Guillem's death (2020), which tells the story of Guillem Agulló, a young Valencian anti-fascist who was murdered in 1993 by a far-right group. This earned him the award for best television film at the Gaudí Awards.

He is currently immersed in the promotion of his new feature film, which will hit theaters on November 15: They will be dust, a musical tragicomedy starring actress Ángela Molina and in which singer María Arnal and the dance company La Veronal collaborated. 

Dust They Will Be It premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, where it won the Platform Award. In Spain it was the opening film of the 69th edition of the Seminci, which is currently taking place in Valladolid. 

REGISTRATION FOR PROJECTS OPEN UNTIL 31 OCTOBER

The aim of Humans Lab is to promote the writing of film scripts on human rights, as well as to support authors through training activities. The call is open to anyone of legal age, of any nationality, who can prove studies or experience related to cinema and/or audiovisual creation. Among the candidates will be chosen five projects, of which at least two will be from the Valencian Community.

The deadline for inscription will remain open until October 31st. Eligible projects can be short films of any genre (fiction, documentary, animation, experimental or hybrid) that have not been brought to the screen previously. They must be presented by their director, screenwriter and/or producer through the form enabled on the Humans Fest website itself.

This year, one of the five selected projects will receive, after completing the three days of training, a Financial endowment of 500 euros for the screenwriter, so that it can complete the development phase. To do this, a team will be available jury formed by producers and/or professionals from the audiovisual industry, who will assess the originality of the script, the defence of human rights and the viability of production.

ABOUT HUMANS FEST AND HUMANS LAB

Humans Fest is one of the main activities promoted by the Foundation for Justice with the aim of defending human rights and denouncing their violations around the world through cinema, a powerful tool and power to raise awareness. It is part of the international Human Rights Film Network.

Its 15th edition (2024), which includes the Humans Lab, is being held thanks to the collaboration of the Vice-Presidency and Department of Social Services, Equality and Housing, the Valencia Provincial Council, the Equality Department of the Valencia City Council, the Valencian Institute of Culture, Caixa Popular and Teika. For its part, the Valencian regional radio and television channel À Punt is the official medium of the festival.

In addition, the Humans Lab initiative also has the support of the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA).

Learn more about Humans Lab!