Cerrar los ojos at IFFO 2024

The 4th edition of the “International Film Festival of Ottawa” presents “Close Your Eyes,” the latest film by Víctor Erice, his first featured film in 30 years since “The Spirit of the Beehive.”

Close your Eyes

• Directed by Victor Erice, Spain, 2023, 169 minutes.
• Original title: Cerrar los ojos.
• In Spanish with English subtitles. Watch trailer.

A famous Spanish actor, Julio Arenas, disappears during the filming of a movie. Although his body is never found, the police conclude that he was the victim of an accident on a seaside cliff. Many years later, the mystery is revived with a television program that tries to evoke the actor, offering as the first scoop images of the last scenes in which he participated, filmed by his close friend, the director Miguel Garay.

Spanish auteur Víctor Erice returns to cinema three decades after his last film El Sol del Membrillo, which won the Jury Prize at Cannes in 1992. Erice is best known for El Espíritu de la Colmena (1973) and El Sur (1983). His films revolve around the recurring themes of memory and absence, cinema as a mirror of the passage of time and the emotional resonance of music and human gestures.

IFFO

The International Film Festival of Ottawa (IFFO) is a new event in Canada’s Capital, showcasing global cinema. Founded by the Canadian Film Institute (CFI), it aims to bring high-profile films to Ottawa in a “festival of festivals” format.

The fourth edition will run from March 13 - 24, 2024, featuring over 20 feature films from Canada and worldwide, accompanied by Canadian short films. IFFO expands Ottawa’s cinematic landscape, complementing the Ottawa International Animation Festival and offering diverse film programs like Canadian Masters and The Female Gaze.