20,000 Species of Bees

Original Title: 20.000 especies de abejas 

Duration: 128 minutes 

Country: Spain 

Language: Spanish, Basque, French with English Subtitles 

Director: Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren 

20,000 Species of Bees follows the course of 8-year-old Lucia’s transformative summer embedded in the Basque countryside alongside her mother’s family. Sunsoaked and transparent, Lucia engages in faltering, anxious, and frustrating endeavors, seeming almost to tumble into the reality of her true self and her gender identity. Parallel to Lucia’s adolescent struggle for assertion, her mother Ane strains against the weight of her father’s career in the arts to find her own expressive authenticity. A subtle tension builds for both mother and daughter as they win the confidence to push free of ill-fitting molds; intrepidly pushing to secure acceptance and peace within the droning hum of their apiary community. 

Quote:

"Extraordinary for its sensitivity and perception, Estibollz Urresolo Sologuren’s story of an 8-year-old girl’s growing discomfort with being perceived as a boy is a landmark in the filmic discussion of gender, sexuality and identity. " Deborah Young, The Film Verdict 

Awards: 

+ Berlin Film Festival: Prize of the Guild of German Art House Cinemas, Berliner Morgenpost Reader’s Jury Award, Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance

+ Málaga Film Festival: Golden Biznaga for Best Spanish Film, Silver Biznaga for Best Supporting Actress 

+Seattle International Film Festival: Official Competition Grand Jury Prize 

+ Hong Kong International Film Festival: Best Actress – Young Cinema Competition (World): Female ensemble cast 

+ San Sebastián International Film Festival: Sebastiane Award