“The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre” wins Best Experimental Short Film at the Love and Hope International Film Festival in Beautiful Barcelona

Above is a video of my acceptance speech upon winning Best Experimental Short Film at the end of a wonderful week participating in the Love and Hope International Film Festival in the fabulous city of Barcelona. I’ll be sharing some impressions of the city and the festival in this post.

Above a characteristic street/alley in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, where Ed and I stayed and where the Cinema Maldà – the theater where the festival program screened – is located.

Our first evening out, making our way to the cinema, Ed and I got soaked in a massive downpour. Luckily, even though unceasing precipitation was initially forecast for most of the following week, that deluge would be the end of the rain in Spain for us. Good weather beat the meteorological odds, and we had blue skies for almost all the rest of our stay.

I just adore the Gothic Quarter. I can’t get enough of these narrow streets flanked closely by four story buildings.

It’s not all narrow alleyways in the Gothic Quarter. There are also plenty of plazas and outdoor markets, cafes and (tapas) restaurants and churches.

Plaça de George Orwell

So much more of Barcelona still to show off… but for now let’s join Ed and me Saturday 9/16 at the first full day of L’HIFF screenings, a day after the festival opening night events.

That’s my mom, Catherine Ashkenasi (AKA Catherine Gayer for 60 years on opera stages all over the world), who also came to Barcelona for the festival, and for Barcelona; and me too I suppose…

To my left, Ed, also waiting for the screening of our film.

The screening went very well.

Here I am participating in the Q&A afterwards with my fellow directors of the Shorts Block #2.

Like the trained actor I am, I find my light…

Near the Gothic Quarter is the Barcelona Cathedral

North of the Gothic Quarter Barcelona presents a more classically 19th century European elegance.

Albeit with many originally eccentric touches:

The Museum of Catalan Music

Speaking of eccentricities…

…get a load of the facade on this building.

The most elegant boulevard, where the richest families of the late 19th century built their townhouses, is the Passeig de Gracia.

The buildings above and below were both designed by Barcelona’s most famous son, the genius architect Gaudi.

His famous cathedral will get its own designated blog post. Look out for that.

Lots of tapas and sangria will be consumed over the course of the week…

At the end of a day’s screenings festival people would meet at various Barcelona clubs or bars for more socializing. Here we are on the way to the rooftop of the Hotel Catalonia with Chuti Tiu, who will go on to win Best Actress in a Feature Film for her performance in “A Summer Night”.

In the elevator up to the rooftop. From right, Ed, festival director Darwin Reina, Will Grave (who will win best director of a short film for “The Last Jack O’Lantern”), assistant festival director Marisa Martí, and me.

Nighttime views of the Plaça d’Espanya from the hotel rooftop. We’ll get to daytime views later, I promise…

The Gothic Quarter at night:

Bordering the Gothic Quarter to the West is La Rambla, a popular boulevard with a wide pedestrian center meridian.

The most eye-catching building in La Rambla is the Umbrella Emporium.

And just next to La Rambla, through some lovely Gothic Quarter pathways…

…is the Plaça Reial, established at the site of a raised convent in the late 1800s.

These lampposts were designed by Gaudi. Note the dragon helmet on top.

At the eastern end of the Gothic Quarter is the Plaça de St. Jaume

The flags on top the Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya

Across from the Palau, the city hall.

Near the marina, El Cap de Barcelona, a sculpture by Roy Lichtenstein.

The Museum of the History of Catalonia

I’ll highlight more of Barcelona’s attractions, but now let’s see more of the finale of the Love and Hope International Film festival – the awards gala.

Festival director Darwin Reina was M.C.

Ed and Mom

Our place tags, with our choice of entree and desert in the three course gala menu.

The back of the cards displayed inspirational quotes from famous film directors. My cousin Ann – who refuses to watch “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre” – assumes I followed Hitchcock’s advice too happily.

Mom brought a special “frog” purse, for sentimental reasons connected to my musical beginnings.

Actor Dean Addams from the short film “Hold Me Tight” with L’HIFF transportation manager Steve Wilbur.

The entertainment was flamenco.

Before the awards were announced, the jury members were introduced.

I’ve mentioned some of the winners already. Here are a few more. The full list can be accessed here.

Vincenzo Carubia, who also is festival director of the Skiptown Playhouse International Film Festival, won for Best Music Video.

Jon Vamvas won Best Actor in a Feature Film, “Scarpadicimente” which he made and costarred in with his wife, Best Actress nominee Olga Montes. We have become festival buddies, having together represented our respective films at the same film festivals in LA, Naples, New York, and now Barcelona.

Here are John and Olga (center) with their kids Achilles (left) and Daphne (right), as well as film composer Alberto Bellavia.

The nominees in my category were flashed on screen:

Erin Carere, who had just accepted the award for the Best Web Series “Spy Vs Spia”, announced my win. (Remember my speech? It’s at the top of this post.)

Me taking a selfie of Alberto taking a selfie of us…

There, that’s … better …

(yes, eagle eyed observer, these four pics were taken at a previous event…)

Back to enjoying Barcelona.

The Parc de la Ciutadella:

Memorial to a trans woman, Sonia Rescalvo Zafra, assassinated by fascists.

Plaça de Catalunya

Remains of ancient Roman walls are still standing, incorporated into later (medieval and more recent) additions.

This circular road section is based on ancient roman foundations around which later street buildings were erected. It is unique in the Gothic Quarter.

Look closer…

Look closer…

Um, maybe not too much closer here…

When Ed and I posed in front of this mural of the human towers we had no idea that in less than a week we would experience them for real, among several excitements of Barcelona’s Mercé Festival that took place our final days in the city. That and Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia, and more, will feature in future blog posts…

Finally, as promised, Plaça d’Espanya in daytime.

What used to be a bullfighting arena is now a mall.

Torres Venecianes (Venetian inspired towers)

National Art Museum of Catalonia

And to close the post, here are Ed and I enjoying our final tapas in Barcelona.

It was especially good.