Schoolgirls

2020 | Fiction I Drama | 97 min I Color

Synopsis

Celia, an 11-year-old girl, studies in a nun school in Zaragoza and lives with her mother. Brisa, a new companion recently arrived from Barcelona, pushes her towards a new stage in her life: adolescence. On this trip, in the Spain of the Expo and the 1992 Olympic Games, Celia discovers that life is made of many truths and some lies.

DATA SHEET

Direction: Pilar Palomero
Script: Pilar Palomero
Direction of cinematography: Daniela Cajías
Art Direction: Mónica Bernuy
Editing: Sofi Escudé
Executive producer: Valérie Delpierre and Alex Lafuente
Production companies: Inicia Films in co-production with Bteam Prods. With the financing of ICAA and ICEC. With the participation of RTVE, TV3, Movistar +, Aragón TV. With the support of Aragon’s government and Zaragoza’s city hall.
Distribution: Bteam Pictures
International Sales: Film Factory

Casting

Adrea Fandos, Natalia de Molina, Zoe Arnao, Julia Sierra, Francesca Piñón

FESTIVALS AND AWARDS

Premiere en Berlinale 2020 (GERMANY)

Festival de Málaga 2020 (SPAIN)
Best Spanish Film
Best Fotography
Feroz Prize Dark Door

Festival de San Sebastián 2020 (SPAIN)
Dunia Ayaso Prize

FICAL- Premio Festival Internacional Cine Almería 2020 (SPAIN)
Best Film
Best Direction
Best Guion

Torino Film Festival 2020 (ITALY)

Festival Internacional de Cortometrajes de Talavera – Premios Pávez 2020 (SPAIN)
Pávez Emergente Prize

Festival de Cine CiBRA 2020 (SPAIN)
Best Original Script (Pilar Palomero)

Brussels International Film Festival 2020 (BELGIUM)
Especial Prize of Jury

Forqué Awards 2021 (SPAIN)
Best Fiction Feature Film

Feroz Awards 2021 (SPAIN)
Best Direction (Pilar Palomero)
Best Script (Pilar Palomero)
Best Dramatic Film

Goya Awards 2021 (SPAIN)
Best Film
Best New Direction (Pilar Palomero)
Best Original Script (Pilar Palomero)
Best Photography (Daniela Cajías)

Gaudí Awards 2021 (SPAIN)
Best Film in a Non-Catalan language
Best Photography (Daniela Cajías)
Best Sound (Amanda Villavieja, Fernando Novillo, Alejandra Molina)
Best Direction (Pilar Palomero)

Nantes Spanish Film Festival 2021 (FRANCE)
Best First Feature

Circle of Cinematographic Writers 2020 (SPAIN)
Best Reveletion Director (Pilar Palomero)
Best New Actress (Andrea Fando)
Best Original Script (Pilar Palomero)

Other films

Cop de Lluna

Fiction 2016
Manel Raga

My school

Documentary 2012
Antonio Pérez Molero

The interpreter

Documentary - Feature 2015
Antonio Pérez Molero

In Inicia Films we understand that production is a way to influence society and connect emotionally with the audience. Since 2006 we have been working to promote new generations of filmmakers and give them a voice in today’s audiovisual world.

Through the eyes of our creators and the sensitivity of our authors, we accompany the development of international projects and multicultural talent, building bridges between their experiences abroad and their roots. We deal with themes that respond to current concerns and we believe that by connecting people and emotions we can help to draw new narrative and visual horizons.

Films produced by Inicia Films have been selected and awarded at numerous festivals including “Queens” by Klaudia Reynicke in co-production with Switzerland and Peru, which premiered at Sundance 2024 and won the Grand Prix at Berlin Generation; “20.000 species of bees” by Estibaliz Urresola winner of the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance, two Forque Awards including Best Film, two Feroz Awards including Best Dramatic Film and three Goya Awards 2024; “Foremost by night by Víctor Iriarte, premiered at Giornate degli autori in Venice and winner of the Feroz Arrebato Award for Fiction; “Schoolgirls by Pilar Palomero with four Goya Awards 2021, including Best Film; “Summer 1993” by Carla Simón, Best Opera Prima at the Berlinale 2017; “La Maternal” also by Pilar Palomero, winner of the Silver Shell for Best Acting in San Sebastian 2022, “Unicorns” by Àlex Lora, with Premiere in the Official Selection of the Malaga Festival and “Teresa” by Paula Ortiz, premiered in this edition of Tallinn.

For documentaries such as “The west Indies fleet“ by Antonio Pérez Molero produced in collaboration with RTVE, Canal Sur and Telemadrid or “Singing on the rooftops” by Enric Ribes, with Premiere at Sheffield DocFest.

Also, for short films such as “The disinherited” by Laura Ferrés, Best Short Film at the Semaine de la Critique de Cannes, “The bus” by Sandra Reina, premiered at SXSW, nominated for the Goya Awards and winner of the Gaudí Award.