ABYCINE – ALBACETE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, SPAIN

The eleventh edition of Abycine arrives to Albacete, Spain, from 25th September to 2nd of October 2009 - a new standard for lovers of young and upcoming film. Abycine continues to be at the forefront of new cinema and digital creations. This year’s line-up is as strong as ever. That’s why this festival is unmissable, and is continually one of the festivals of the year.


Author of Wild at Heart, Lost Highway and Dance with the Devil
BARRY GIFFORD PRESENTS
Hailing from the original beat generation. Best known for his collaborations on films by David Lynch, including Wild at Heart and Lost Highway. Author of some of the more radical characters in the literature world: Sailor and Lula. Barry Gifford, American poet and storyteller, will attend the eleventh edition of the Albacete International Film Festival, Abycine, from 25th September to 2nd October, where he will run his only masterclass to be held in Spain, and will talk in particular about his approach and how he addresses the process of creation.
Barry Gifford's novels have been translated into 28 different languages. His book "Night people" received the Brancati Award in Italy and has won various awards from PEN, the National Endowment for the Arts, the American Library Association, the Writers Guild of America, and the Christopher Isherwood Foundation.
The film directed by David Lynch “Wild at Heart”, based on a novel written by Gifford, won the Palma de Oro award at Cannes in 1990, and his novel “Dance with the Devil” was adapted for the screen by Álex de la Iglesia in 1997. Barry Gifford also co-wrote “Lost Highway” together with director David Lynch, and co-wrote “City of Ghosts” [1997] together with Matt Dillon as well as the libretto for the opera Ichiro Nodaira "Madrugada" [2005].
These are only just some of the author’s works, who has contibuted enormously to the world of literature and film. Gifford, is without doubt, one of those rare writers who is able to transform his literary creations and transfer them succcessfully to the audiovisual realm.
Barry Gifford’s library of works include “The Phantom Father”, considered by the New York Times as Book of the Year; “Wyoming” honored by the Los Angeles Times as Novel of the Year, which has been adapted for film and theatre; “The Sinaloa Story”, “The Rooster Trapped in the Reptile Room: A Barry Gifford Reader”; “Do the Blind Dream?”; and “The Stars Above Veracruz”. His most recent novels include “The Imagination of the Heart” and “Memories from a Sinking Ship”.
Articles and essays by Barry Gifford have appeared in prestigious publications like Punch, Esquire, Rolling Stone, Sport, the New York Times, El País, El Universal, La Repubblica, The New Yorker, Brick, Projections, La Nouvelle Revue Française amongst many others. He currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Gifford bares all
To wrap it all up, Gifford will host a masterclass where he has selected a series of his films for the Albaceten public, to discuss through his own words and experience. It will surely be one of the highlights, where the audience will be able to pick Gifford’s brain on his crafts, in all its forms, including film.
The selection of titles, all from cult directors, include:
La Scorta. Dir.: Ricky Tognazzi
Naked. Dir.: Mike Leigh
La pistola de mi hermano. Dir.: Ray Loriga
City of Ghosts. Dir.: Matt Dillon
La Presqu’Isle. Dir.: Georges Luneau
Sonata. Dir.: Riccardo Signorell
Lejos de la tierra quemada. Dir.: Guilermo Arriaga

Some of the directors of these films will also be attending and will accompany Gifford in their presentations.