FANCINE OPENS ITS MOST SCIENTIFIC EDITION WITH A MASTERCLASS BASED ON ’THE NUTTY PROFESSOR’.

The actor José Corbacho made Jerry Lewis’ iconic character his own in a gala that gave way to the screenings at the Albéniz theatre with ’Silent Night’.

Experiment number 31 underway. The Fantastic Film Festival of the University of Málaga inaugurated its new edition last night in room 1 of the Albéniz, a formula that will combine cinema and science in equal parts until November 18th at the Alcazabilla Street venue and other venues in the capital.

The gala, devised by Dos Bengalas, the artistic duo formed by the creators Alessandra García and Violeta Niebla, did not lose sense of the university aspect of the festival and paid tribute to teaching by turning the stage into a Physics class, as a nod to the return to face-to-face attendance both in classrooms and cinemas. This kind of masterclass was given by the actor and comedian José Corbacho, who played the role of Jerry Lewis' legendary character in the film 'The Nutty Professor'. After an introduction with the musical performances of Cabezazoo accompanied by a set of lights by Azael Ferrer, the master of ceremonies took over the stage and the seats, first with explanations of scientific theories on the screen-turned-blackboard and then handing out tests around the room, while he spun a speech full of jokes and constantly asked for the participation of the audience.

In one of these interactions, he bumped into the vice-rector Tecla Lumbreras, who made her traditional cameo in the opening gala of Fancine, engaging in an amusing conversation with Corbacho that ended in a video call to connect with the drive-in and welcome this new venue. After screening a summary of the programme for this 31st birthday, the event ended with a change of register of Corbacho's character, who left behind his role as a mad scientist to adopt a more seductive mood to ask the vice-rector on a romantic date, who accepted the proposal by walking out arm in arm with the host.

The opening film of this year's festival was 'Silent Night', the debut feature by British filmmaker Camille Griffin. Starring Keira Knightley, the plot unfolds during the last Christmas dinner of a group of friends, a meeting that will take a catastrophic turn.

Thursday's programme

Tomorrow, Thursday the 11th, the first films in competition will be screened, with sessions of Sion Sono's new work starring Nicolas Cage 'Prisoners of the Ghostland' and Tim Fehlbaum's science fiction film 'Tides'. There will also be a second screening of the opening film, 'Silent Night', in room 1. Simultaneously, there will be the first sessions of the Informative, Ánima Zone and Horror Zone sections, with titles such as 'The Feast', 'Caveat' and the national premiere of the Korean film 'Climbing'.

Simultaneously, the CineAsia cycle will also begin at the Rectorate of the UMA with the free screening of 'Enthiran' at 7 p.m., followed by a discussion. Likewise, the Autocine will also premiere as the venue for Fancine with the preview of 'Till Death' at 9 p.m, although the doors will open at 7:30 p.m.