As the animals return from a walk in the sun, they find their house in ruins, the trees turned to stumps and the forest to a wasteland: it is high time they met their greedy neighbors, humans. They immediately put in motion various stratagems to build a connection, communicate the importance of the forest and come up with a joint solution. A vivid, joyful and dreamy animation that reverses the classic iconography of tales: the forest turns from a space of doom and sorrow to a sanctuary of hope and life, as opposed to the cruelty and selfishness of modern civilization.
Strange Creatures
Extrañas criaturas
60th TIFF: Greek Premiere
Screening Schedule
No physical screenings scheduled. |
- Direction: Cristóbal León, Cristina Sitja Rubio
- Script: Cristóbal León, Cristina Sitja Rubio
- Editing: Cristóbal León, Cristina Sitja Rubio
- Sound: Diego Lorenzini, Roberto Espinoza
- Music: Diego Lorenzini
- Production: Diluvio
- Producers: Catalina Vergara, Cristóbal León, Cristina Sitja Rubio
- Executive producer: Catalina Vergara
- Sets: Cristóbal León, Víctor León, Cristina Sitja Rubio
- Narration: Alvaro Morales
- Format: ProRes
- Color: Color
- Production Country: Chile
- Production Year: 2019
- Duration: 15΄
- Contact: Diluvio
Cristóbal León
Cristóbal León (born 1980, Chile) has been working with Joaquín Cociña since 2007. In their experimental films, they draw techniques from photography, drawing, sculpture, dance, and performance, to create a new interpretation of religious symbolism and magical rituals – elements that are deeply rooted in the traditional culture of Latin America. The papier mâché figures and innocent-looking drawings strongly contrast with the heavy topics, such as religion, sex and death, the films deal with. Next to their screening in international film festivals, their work is frequently exhibited in museums and biennial exhibitions in Latin America, but it has also been presented at venues such as the Whitechapel Gallery, KW Berlin, the Venice Biennial 2013 and Art Basel Statements 2012. They are represented by Upstream Gallery (Amsterdam). In 2018, the Thessaloniki Film Festival has presented a tribute to their work.
Filmography
2007 Lucía (short/co-directed)
2009 Der kleinere raum | The Smaller Room (short/ co-directed)
2011 Padre. Madre. (short/co-directed)
2013 Los Andes (short/co-directed)
2018 La Casa Lobo | The Wolf House (co-directed)
2019 Extrañas criaturas | Strange Creatures (co-directed)
2009 Der kleinere raum | The Smaller Room (short/ co-directed)
2011 Padre. Madre. (short/co-directed)
2013 Los Andes (short/co-directed)
2018 La Casa Lobo | The Wolf House (co-directed)
2019 Extrañas criaturas | Strange Creatures (co-directed)
Cristina Sitja Rubio
Cristina Rubio was born in Caracas and studied Fine Arts in Montreal, specializing in Printmaking. She later completed an MFA in Color Photography using homemade pinhole cameras in her projects. She moved on to become an illustrator, and has since created a number of successful picture books. Cristina spends her time between Berlin and Barcelona.
Filmography
2019 Extrañas criaturas | Strange Creatures (co-directed)
