Half an hour (and an epilogue)

Introduction

Half an hour… no more, no less. In around one and a half hours, this film narrates a series of stories that in reality unfold in only thirty minutes. Thus, time itself is employed with precision and subtlety with the purpose of constructing a truly cinematic tale of events taking pace simultaneously in different yet nearby locations. Seemingly unrelated to one another at first, the storylines slowly and gradually cease to be. This is achieved with full complicity from the viewer who, from the parting shot up until the final credits, will find themselves piecing the story together, like a jigsaw in motion. It is then up to their imagination to complete a work that will undoubtedly cast a spell from the get-go, holding them at the edge of their seat until the inevitable end.

About the producer

Raúl de Juan was born in León thirty-six years ago. He graduated in Economics and holds a Master in International Business Management. Also fully fluent in English and French, he has worked as an Investment Advisor, CFO and International Consultant in countries as far and wide as Vietnam, Australia, Equatorial Guinea and Senegal. Over the past five years he has settled down in León, initially working as Head of Commercial Operations for an industrial company, where he focused on strengthening international strategy. He is currently CEO and manager of his own business firm, and continues working as a Foreign Trade Consultant.

About the director

Epigmenio Rodríguez was born 61 years ago in the small town of Taranilla, León. He has worked as a teacher and lecturer and holds a Master in Business Administration. Fully proficient in English, Epigmenio has both taught and acted as Headmaster at several schools, including the Spanish Institute in London. He worked as a Technical Advisor for the Spanish Ministry of Education, and as a Consultant for the EU during a cooperative project geared towards educational development in Central America. In recent years he has given free rein to his more creative outlets, more specifically in the fields of film and literature. He scripted, directed and produced the short film Las becicletas, which enjoyed wide acclaim at a string of film festivals, as well as receiving some awards. He has also published Leon Sin Prisa, a travel book in two volumes and, more recently, El color de las hayas, a novel that marks the first chapter in a trilogy named De Infernis. The second volume, El sol entre los rascacielos, has just been published in April 2015.

Video presentation of the project

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iXbB8Ir8fA

Locations

Around 75% of the shooting work will happen outdoors. Shooting is scheduled to take place in the town of Mansilla de las Mulas, located only twelve miles from the city of León. Its council has shown great support towards the project from the outset. A further outdoors sequence will be shot in the city of León. Indoor sequences will be shot in the town of Valdefresno, again with full support and assistance from the local council, mirroring that which has been kindly shown by Mansilla de las Mulas and the city of León.

Social and cultural benefits

The city of León is blessed with a truly remarkable cultural life, with a world-renowned literary tradition and quality output in most of the Arts. Not so with film-making, however, as this activity receives comparatively little support, and is logistically difficult to pursue in the area (not helped by a crisis that has hit the film industry hard all across the country). The scarcity in film-making and practical unfeasibility when it comes to full-length features means that a project such as this, with its emphasis of cooperation, can offer a platform and an opportunity (as we saw with the short Las becicletas, in which part of the team was also involved) for young talent to nurture and develop. Main beneficiaries of this would be:

- Students of the Municipal School of Performing Arts.

- Alumni of the School of Film in Ponferrada.

- Students and alumni of Audiovisual Media in León, Ponferrada, and nearby provinces.

- Actors

- Film-loving volunteers.

Furthermore, the highly cooperative and supportive nature of the project is, in itself, an encouragement and an incentive (seeing how all participants can perceive it as their own too), as well as helping enhance the value of teamwork and entrepreneurial spirit as tools that can aid our youth in meeting the challenges of today.

Financing

About 50% of the budget for the film has already effectively been covered, thanks to the collaborative efforts of volunteers. This includes the work and goodwill of some of the cast and crew, actors, assistants and trainees, catering, hairdressing and makeup, costumes, props and production support. Team members who are not paid will instead receive a right of participation in percent of potential future profits of the film. The remaining fifty percent (roughly) of the estimated budget will go towards the remuneration of area managers and skilled technical staff, equipment rental and procurement, post-production (including image editing, music, sound and subtitles), advertising and participation in festivals.

In terms of funding, we have applied for grants at various public institutions. We are hoping for a positive response from some, both via financial and/or in-kind support. With regard to this crowd-funding campaign, we hope to be able to meet the amount that has been estimated for the project to be feasible and the result to meet the expected standards of quality. When establishing this amount, we have taken into account an estimation of other potential help sources, as well as assessing the various collaborations that have already materialised at the time of launching this campaign. If the amount collected exceeds our estimation, the money will be put back into improving the project (both at production and post-production stages) as well as advertising it, promoting it and enhancing its participation in festivals and helping it reach its target audience of film lovers.

Cast (in alphabetical order)

Ana Bercianos

Javier Bermejo

Inés Diago      

Alberto Díaz        

Saturnino García

Nacho Loriente

Alberto Nicolás

Ruth Oblanca

Juan Pajares

Ivan Serrano

Miguel Ángel Serrano

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