Silencio + Hold the Fort

Silencio (2025). Spain. 69 min

• Direction: Eduardo Casanova.
• Cast: Lucía Díez, María León, Ana Polvorosa, Mariola Fuentes, Leticia Dolera, Omar Ayuso, Carolina Rubio.

And to think we first met him at the age of 14 back in 2005, when he was playing Fidel in the unmissable Spanish series "Aida". And to think that over the years he has built up a whole world of magnificent directorial creations, capped by Skins (2017). And to think that, both today and yesterday, we thought the same as him when he confirmed: “The vampire is a profoundly poetic figure”. And to think that Locarno gave a grand screening to this miniseries of his, Silencio, in which incredible female vampires travel between centuries, with lethal humour and the beauty of broken porcelain and crinoline, where epidemics stalk humanity, where only your vampire lover can save you from your last overdose and the "bug", in other words HIV. Impressive art direction, striking costumes, unbeatable make-up, effects and production design. The actresses, incomparable.

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Hold the Fort (2025). USA. 76 min 

• Direction: William Bagley.
• Cast: Chris Mayers, Haley Leary, Levi Burdick, Julian Smith, Michelle Lamb.

With a running time of 76 minutes, this film is in a hurry to dispose of the carrion. Without hardly going outdoors. All within four walls. At night. A meeting of local residents, proud owners of those typical US houses, with their garden and garage. Jenny and Lucas have just bought one. He is so happy. She, rather less so. But better that than paying uncapped rent, right? Well, it depends. On whether you discover at the welcome party that the homeowners' association has a defence plan to deal with witches, zombies and the wolf man who appears every now and then around the neighbourhood. No worries. It's just a question of getting the hang of it. And a taste for it. This bit of fun comes courtesy of two good friends, William and Scott (Hawkins). In Sitges, their Hold the Fort was scheduled in the Midnight X-Treme section. Just to give you an idea.