Ramirez

Colour, HD CAM
Spain, 2009, 90 min
IP – International premiere
Section: Forum of Independents

Synopsis

Ramirez is an attractive, self-confident loner with smooth ways and an inscrutable face, who wanders aimlessly through life. Despite a luxurious Madrid apartment and that, as a member of the upper class, he suffers no material needs, he has chosen a life of crime. A drug dealer by day, by night he is a dangerous hunter of anonymous women – objects of his perverse "artistic” tendencies. His character is shrouded in mystery although perhaps the key to unlocking it rests in his indifference to his bed-ridden mother. His obsessions with one-night stands and photography come together in a vicious circle in which Ramirez finally becomes a victim of his own heartlessness.

About the director

Albert Arizza (b. 1978, Madrid) studied direction, history of film, and animation in Paris, where he shot his first short films and video art. As a 22-year-old, he won awards for his short Only for a Tango (2000) in France, the USA, and at Locarno. Then came Pandora (2001), Room 18 (2003), and The Ecoroad (2004), as well as the TV documentary series Secrets & Leyends (2004). He also became handy with a camera: the seven-minute film Energy Hunter (2005) made its way to festivals around the world, winning various awards including Best Sci-Fi at the International Festival of Cinema & Technology (USA). The video art piece Jellyfish Invasion (2006) has achieved more than 1 million hits on YouTube. He and Monika Goyanes founded Cinema Resistance productions, under whose auspices he shot his feature debut Ramirez. At the festival in Malaga, the film earned him Best Director, and was honored at Sitges with the New Visions Award for Discovery Motion Picture.