“Evolution” wins Special Jury Prize and the Best Photography award at San Sebastian Film Festival

 

The film, shot in the Canary Islands, was co-produced by Volcano Films

"Evolution" shooting
“Evolution” shooting

Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s Evolution, the first Canaries feature film to be included in the official section of San Sebastian International Film Festival, landed the Special Jury Prize and the Best Photography award.

The film, with executive producer Volcano Films’ Sebastián Álvarez, in co-production with the French Noodles Production and Les Films du Worso plus the Belgian Scope Pictures, was shot in the summer of 2014 in Lanzarote and Barcelona. The main location was Tenesar (Tinajo), as the French director fell for its powerful lava coastline at first sight.

The Belgian Manuel Dacosse took care of the Photography.

The project first got to Volcano Films over six years ago. At the time location scouting was carried out in the islands of El Hierro, La Palma, Tenerife and Lanzarote, which was eventually chosen as the filming location. However, the shooting had to be put off for a few years due to scheduling and funding difficulties. It was only in early 2014 that Evolution really started rolling.

"Evolution" poster
“Evolution” poster

After a few weeks determining the locations in Lanzarote and organising the logistics, the French and Canaries crew set up on the island to shoot for four weeks both interior and exterior scenes in the village of Tenesar and in the sea, including underwater filming.  When they finished in the Canaries, the crew left for Barcelona to film some scenes set in a hospital.

By taking part in this movie, Volcano Films has become the first Canaries production company to have been not only nominated but also awarded a prize at San Sebastian Film Festival (the only one with two awards, by the way). This opens a wide range of possibilities to this production company and to the Canaries film sector as a whole. The truth is the islands do have the advantage of having a wide range of locations and an excellent tax regime but the local film industry as such is still at starting point. Productions like Exodus: Gods and Kings or Bourne are no doubt a boost to the Canaries economy, help train professionals and are a great showcase for the islands, but it is films like Evolution that shape a stronger film sector in the long term.

As for Volcano Films, apart from having Evolution entered in film festivals and screened in theatres worldwide, the company has very busy months ahead with productions of all sizes being shot on the islands. Sebastián Alvarez points out a new in-house project which is currently in development titled “Milk Teeth”, to be fully shot in the islands and helmed by Canaries director David Pantaleón.

More information

VOLCANO FILMS

T. 00 34 922 285 160
volcanolms@volcanolms.com
www.volcanolms.com

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