Cinema Jove, the international film festival organized by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Universities, and Employment, through the Valencian Institute of Culture (IVC), delves into the intricacies of creating the mass references of the ‘Centenial’ generation with the cycle ‘Backstage: Idols Z’.
The proposal includes eight recent films that offer an «intimate look» at the personal and professional lives of their protagonists. Charli XCX, Amaia, Zoo, Bad Gyal, C. Tangana, BTS, and the footballer brothers Iñaki and Nico Williams are exposed to the camera «in all their greatness and vulnerability,» as reported by the Generalitat in a statement.
«The chosen titles explore both the efforts of the protagonists to excel and their insecurities, family ties, and sometimes unhealthy relationships with their followers,» said Cinema Jove director Carlos Madrid. «These are very young people who are not always prepared to deal with the pressure of public exposure,» he emphasized.
Most of them are artists from the music world who discover the process of creating seminal albums in their careers. Such is the case with Charli XCX, the author of one of the most impactful and award-winning albums of 2024, ‘Brat’.
In ‘Alone Together’ (2021), directed by Bradley Bell and Pablo Jones-Soler, the British artist shares the creative process of her previous album, ‘How I’m feeling now’. To develop it, the singer set herself the challenge of composing it in just 40 days, testing her emotional and artistic limits.
«Many of the documentaries reveal new forms of music production and promotion, closely linked in the former case to telecommuting and in the latter, to marketing,» Madrid pointed out.
With the ‘Love Yourself: Speak Yourself’ tour, the Korean group BTS became the first band from their country to perform at Wembley Stadium and offered concerts in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, São Paulo, London, Paris, Osaka, Shizuoka, Riyadh, and Seoul. ‘Break The Silence: The Movie’ (2020), directed by Jun-Soo Park, provides unlimited access to the band during the tour to get to know each of its seven members behind the scenes.
In the case of ‘This Unbridled Ambition’ (2023), directed by Santos Bacana, Cristina Trenas, and Rogelio González, what is reflected is the «challenge» that C. Tangana imposed on himself to create the «most ambitious tour of his career and revolutionize the concept of live performance.»
The documentary follows the artist for over four years, from the genesis of the album in Cuba to the conceptualization of the show, through the hostility of negotiations, rehearsals, uncomfortable conversations, intimate celebrations, and the whirlwind of concerts throughout Spain and Latin America.
‘A Turn Around the Sun’ (2020), directed by Marc Pujolar, also opens a window to the experiences and reflections that led to the release of Amaia’s first album, ‘But It Doesn’t Matter’, and the development of a concert tour.
It is an «inner search» over a whole year, taking the artist from Pamplona to New York to Buenos Aires, while juggling her piano studies with the challenges of a new independent life in Barcelona. Amaia was the last artist distinguished with the ‘A Future of Cinema’ award from Cinema Jove.
In ‘The Jewel’ (2024), directed by Castellon native David Camarero, the inner workings of Bad Gyal’s rapid rise as a generational icon are exposed. The camera follows the singer on her journey to mainstream success during the gestation and release of her first album, which was postponed for over a year and reflects the highs and lows of the emotional journey of a diva aware of the pitfalls of the industry.
ZOO
Finally, ‘Surviving the Fire’ (2024), directed by Valencian Josep Pitarch Garrido, delves into the world of Zoo, the most successful Valencian group of the last decade. The documentary takes the audience on an exciting journey through the ten years of a story full of joys and disappointments.
The program is completed with the biopic ‘Kneecap’ (2024), directed by Rich Peppiatt, where the members of the Belfast band of the same name play themselves, and the sports documentary ‘The Williams’ (2024), directed by Raúl de la Fuente.
Anarchic and rebellious, the members of the eponymous rap trio are willing to do anything to save their mother tongue, Gaelic. ‘Kneecap’ is an irreverent film that has become «a phenomenon» serving as an introduction to one of Ireland’s most controversial music bands.
Lastly, Iñaki and Nico Williams recount «in first person» the conflicts that have marked their lives: racism, identity, frustration, ambition, and success. They are two brothers, footballers, Basques, and ‘beltzas’, descendants of Ghanaians.
The duo reveals their incredible story through the most crucial two years of their lives. From their historic participation in the World Cup in Qatar for two different teams, to the long-awaited victory of Athletic Club in the Copa del Rey after 40 years and Nico’s triumph in the Eurocup.
