Two expecting mothers have a chance encounter at their local hospital while they are both in labor in Pedro Almodóvar’s “Parallel Mothers.” The film is opening this year’s Loft Film Fest.
The closure and cancellation of just about everything in 2020 because of the global pandemic has allowed film festivals around the world to raise the bar in 2021.
No in-person events meant a lot fewer movies created prior to the pandemic making it to the silver screen.
“There was a bottleneck last year,” said Jeff Yanc, program director for Tucson’s The Loft Cinema, which is bringing back its film festival starting Wednesday, Nov. 10. “When we went looking for films this year, there were plenty to choose from. There was almost a glut of films in a way.”
Yanc said because of the abundance of options, the quality of this year’s fest, which will be held entirely in-person, is tip-top, with more than 40 full-length and short films screening through Nov. 18.
As an example, the festival will open on Wednesday with the Arizona premiere of Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar’s “Parallel Mothers,” starring Penélope Cruz and Milena Smit as two expecting mothers who, by happenstance, have a chance encounter at their local hospital while they are both in labor.
Yanc said Almodóvar, an accomplished director and Academy Award winner, has long been on The Loft’s wishlist for the festival.
“He is extremely prolific,” Yanc said. “He has made many films over the years and they are always consistently good. He has never really dipped in quality. Because of that he has built up a reputation as a filmmaker that people trust to provide a good experience.”
