Marc Camardons Wins Silver Biznaga for Best Direction at Málaga Festival

Marc Camardons has won the Silver Biznaga for best direction at the Festival de Málaga for his short film *Per bruixa i metzinera*, shot in the summer of 2023 across Oliana, Madrona, and Coll de Nargó.

The award, presented on Saturday night at the Albéniz cinema, marks the first major prize for the film, which had already gained attention after selection for the Cinef section at Cannes. Directed by the Andorran filmmaker, the story centres on Cebriana, a woodcutter from Madrona who spots a mysterious fire in the mountains one night. By the time firefighters arrive, it has vanished, and similar sightings continue, stirring unease in the village. Only her godmother, a former *trementinera*—one of the women who once roamed selling herbal remedies—takes her seriously. The narrative draws on tales from Camardons's grandmothers, one from Casa Nova d'Ogern and the other from cal Tomàs in Oliana.

Produced on a tight €15,000 budget with Escac film school students on the crew, the film features professional actors Karin Barbeta and Neli Lladó as the leads, alongside local residents from the filming locations. It has screened at festivals including Seminci in Valladolid, Hainan in China, Uppsala in Sweden, Tirana in Albania, and others, with a showing scheduled for 25 March at Barcelona's D'A festival.

In his acceptance speech, Camardons thanked the team, family, and unpaid contributors, adding a political note: "Thanks to the entire team, family, and precarious workers who volunteered on this project. I wasn't afraid to come up here [to the stage], except that a PP councillor might interrupt me—so against repression, more culture, more art, and more cinema." The comment referenced Málaga's long-standing conservative leadership under PP mayor Francisco de la Torre since 2000. He finished without interruption.

The win boosts the film's profile ahead of a forthcoming Andorran premiere, though not at the Ull Nu festival, which Camardons co-directs with Hèctor Mas. He described the prize as "a door opening wider," providing momentum for his next project: a feature-length drama, with the script already underway. This follows four prior shorts—*Estàtua de sal*, *Crisàlides*, *Traca*, and *L'últim mort*. Málaga has previously honoured Pyrenean directors, including Elisabet Terri's Silver Biznaga for *Llana negra* in 2022.