Film Notes: Timecode (2016) by Juanjo Giménez

SP/ 15 min / Color / Nadir Films, ECIR Dir: Juanjo Giménez Peña Pro: Juanjo Giménez Peña, Arturo Méndiz, Daniel Villanueva Scr: Pere Altimira, Juanjo Giménez Peña Cin: Pere Pueyo Mus: Ivan Céster Cast: Lali Ayguadé, Pep Domenech, Vicente Gil , Nicolas Ricchini Synopsis: Luna and Diego are the parking lot security guards. Diego does the night shift, and Luna works by day (IMDb). Release Dates: The film premiered at the 69th annual Cannes Film Festival on 16 May 2016. IMDb Rating: 7,2.

Spanish short film Timecode, directed by Juanjo Giménez, is among the five nominees for the Best Live Action Short-Film category at the 89th edition of the Academy Awards. Timecode arrived for consideration at the Academy hot off the back of its success at the Cannes Festival, where it won the Palme d’Or for the Best Short Film. Its 15 minutes of action focus on the peculiar relationship between two security guards in a parking garage.

According to the director, speaking while at Cannes, it is a story of “secrets and discoveries” between a male and a female employee who cover different shifts at the lot. “The two protagonists are dancers with long careers, Lali Ayguadé and Nicolas Ricchimi, and through them I explain that beauty can be found in the most unexpected places – and with two security guards,” Giménez explained at the festival. (English version by Simon Hunter. Source: El Pais)

Juanjo Giménez was born and lives in Barcelona. He has directed a few shorts, including Rodilla (2009), Nitbus (2007), Maximum Penalty (2005) and Indirect Free Kick (1997), all of them awarded at national and international festivals. He’s the director of the feature films Tilt (2003), awarded in Rome, Las Palmas and Ourense, Dodge and Hit (2010), co-directed with Adan Aliaga, best documentary in Alcances Film Festival Cadiz and Courmayeur Noir, and Contact Proof (2014), also premiered in Alcances. He’s also the founder of the production companies Nadir Films and Salto de Eje. Some of their productions are My grandmother’s house (Adan Aliaga, 2005), Joris Ivens Award at IDFA, Stigmata (also directed by Adan in 2009) Pilar Miró Award for Best First Film in Seminci-Valladolid, and Anas, an Indian film (Enric Miró, 2009) awarded at Documenta Madrid, Alcances and premiered at Karlovy Vary. (Source: Official Site)

Interview: Juanjo Giménez Talks About Timecode

I have not had the chance to see this short film, unfortunately the distribution of these films is very poor and there are few opportunities of viewing them, not even in the small screen. Frankly I don’t understand why they are not broadcast on TV, for example.