On Saturday, Valencia’s summer film festival got underway — Cinema Jove. This is it’s quarter-century anniversary, and they’ve got an awesome line-up of films for viewing.

Cinema Jove shines the spotlight on foreign cinema, with 9 films from 9 different countries competing for the top prize. Denmark’s Submarino an is supposed to be excellent, as is Eamon from Ireland.

The official selection films are playing at the Teatro Rialto, but the festival visits over 10 other screens throughout the city. Our favorite are the open-air screenings in the Viveros Gardens. It’s free, and fun movies are always chosen for these popular viewings. Here’s a run down of the films at Viveros.

Saturday, June 19th
	Celda 211 – 20:30 Juan Oliver wants to make a good impression at his new job as a prison officer and reports to work a day early, leaving his pregnant wife, Elena, at home. His destiny is forever changed by this fateful decision, as during his tour of the prison, an accident occurs that knocks him unconscious. He is rushed to the empty but visibly haunted walls of cell 211. As this diversion unfolds, inmates of the high security cell block strategically break free and hijack the penitentiary. Spain, 2009
Sunday, June 20th
	20:30 – The Beguiled While imprisoned in a Confederate girls boarding school, a Union soldier cons his way into each of the lonely women’s hearts. USA, 1971
Monday, June 21st
	20:30 – The Elephant Man A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous facade, there is revealed a person of intelligence and sensitivity. USA, 1980
Tuesday, June 22nd
	20:30 – Paths of Glory When soldiers in WW1 refuse to continue with an impossible attack, their superiors decide to make an example of them. USA, 1957
Wednesday, June 23rd
	20:30 – The Tenant A quiet and inconspicuous man (Trelkovsky) rents an apartment in France where the previous tenant committed suicide… France/USA, 1976
Thursday, June 24th
	20:30 – Frenzy A serial killer is murdering London women with a necktie. The police have a suspect… but he’s the wrong man! UK, 1972
	Double Session – Paths of Glory
Friday, June 25th
	20:30 – King Kong A film crew goes to a tropical island for an exotic location shoot and discovers a colossal giant gorilla who takes a shine to their female blonde star. USA, 1933
	Double Session – Jaws In 1975, director Steven Spielberg brought Peter Benchley’s best-selling novel to the screen with stunning power and unbearable suspense. Jaws left an indelible mark upon the movie-going (and beach-going!) public, distilling a sea of fear from these five words: “Don’t go in the water.” Once the terror begins, Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw must join forces on a desperate quest to destroy a killer embodying nearly three tons of white death. USA, 1975
Saturday, June 26th
	20:30 – The Thing Scientists in the Antarctic are confronted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of the people that it kills. USA, 1982
	Double Session – The Devil Doll IPaul Lavond was a respected banker in Paris when he was framed for robbery and murder by crooked associates and sent to Devil’s Island. Years later, he escapes with a friend, a scientist who was working on a method to reduce humans to a height of mere inches (all for the good of humanity, of course). Lavond however is consumed with hatred for the men who betrayed him, and takes the scientist’s methods back to Paris to exact painful revenge. USA, 1936

Now in its 8th year, VEO — València Escena Oberta — is taking to the streets once again, from February 10th to 21st. It’s become a fairly popular event on the calendar, as various locations around the city are used as the stage for modern, and often bizarre, theater pieces.

No Man’s Land
House of Monsters

One interesting highlight looks to be No Man’s Land, by Dutch artist Dries Verhoeven, which is set in Valencia’s main train station. “Spectators” receive an audio guide which details the travails of an immigrant and leads them around. Another is Obludarium by the Czech Forman Brothers. That translates as “House of Monsters”, and it sounds like it’ll be a crazy blend of fantasy and cabaret, inside a tent in a corner of the Viveros Gardens.

Tickets to nearly all the shows are €11, which I’m pretty sure is a price hike compared to previous years, perhaps due to the crisis. And we enjoyed a couple neat free outdoor performances the last couple years, but I don’t see anything similar in this edition.

Anything you’re especially looking forward to?

VEO’s Official Website

- Visit Valencia’s Oceanografic

Valencia is truly the place to be this weekend, with one of the year’s most anticipated events kicking off. Of course, I’m talking about:

That’s right, from the 5th to the 7th, you’ll be able to check out products and costumes that are approximate replicates of products and costumes from Medieval times! You’ll find it next to the Mercado de Ruzafa.

(There’s some other event kicking off, too, featuring spoiled, petulant rich people and their toy boats. But they didn’t deem us worthy for press access, so screw ‘em. The Medieval market is where it’s at, anyway.)

-Neat Ruzafa Youth Hostel

We recently discovered the Cinestudio D’Or on Almirante Cardoso 31 (location). A well-known Valencian institution, the cinema is fabulous… in a messy, anarchic sort of way.

Every week, two second-run films are shown at the highly reduced price of €3 weekdays, €4 weekends. Tuesday is always reduced, at €2,50. But the trick is that one ticket will let you see both shows.

It makes for a long evening, but that’s why everyone brings bags full of food and drink. At Cinestudio D’Or, they just don’t care. There are no concessions at the studio, so go ahead and pack up greasy bocadillos and liter beers! Everyone else will have done it, and you’ll feel like a chump if you show up with nothing to eat.

The hall is extremely long and oddly shaped — the floor tilts slightly upward from about row 30 onward, which is a weirdly pleasant way to watch movies. We’ve gone a few times and enjoy it. The cinema is popular, especially on Tuesday night, and while the noise of people eating can be distracting, it somehow adds to the charm.

Check out their website for the films of the week. Everything is in Spanish, without subtitles.

Cinestudio D’Or
C/ Almirante Cadarso 31
46005 Valencia
963 955 433

cinestudiodor.es
Location on our Valencia Map

- Criticker: For Movie Recommendations

That’s right. Four circuses in the city at the same time.

I feel sorry for the PETA animal-rights protesters. Man, you guys have your work cut out for you… better make some coffee, and snuggle up warmly in your cozy fur coats hemp jackets. It’s going to be a long December.

Name? Wonderland
Where? Plaza de Toros (location)
When? from December 3rd to January 17th
Why? You’re interested to see how they’re going to reenact Madagascar in a live setting, and you don’t think your kids will notice that it’s not exactly High School Musical. Oh, Gran Circo Wonderland, have you no shame? (Of course you don’t!)

http://www.grancircowonderland.com/

Name? Americano
Where? the Feria de Navidad near the Port
When? from December 4th to … ???
Why? Difficult to find info on this one, but from the poster it looks like a Genie is going to unleash a pack of tigers upon the cuddly creatures from Ice Age. Awesome.

http://www.circoamericano.com/

Name? Mundial
Where? La Alameda, next to the Puente de Flores (location)
When? from December 6th to January 10th
Why? They’re not lying about being a “World” circus… troupes from China & Russia, Norwegian horses, Bengal tigers and Asian elephants. In all honesty, this looks like the most interesting.

http://www.grancircomundial.com/

Name? Gran Fele
Where? CAC, across from the Reina Sofia (location)
When? from December 10th to January 10th
Why? He Tarzan! She Jane! You is having FUN! They Amazing! Clap Clap HOWL.

http://www.circogranfele.com/

- Street Mascletàs: Be Warned