A short film shot and set in Lanzarote has made a name for itself this year at the prestigious Sitges Film Festival. Directed by Sergio Erro, from Madrid and based in Lanzarote, and his friend David C. Williams, 'Atomic Eruption' is an incursion into science fiction, mockumentary and, ultimately, the fantasy that makes up the universe of the Sitges Film Festival every year. The film was one of 30 chosen, from more than a thousand from all over the world, to join the official selection of the event, in the Fantàstic section. In addition, it was also a finalist in the Cine365 section.
"We haven't won, but we are proud to have been included in the official section", explains Sergio Erro. For this audiovisual producer, who has worked in different areas of the advertising sector, this was the first time he had submitted a work to a festival of this calibre. And they have selected it. "It was a surprise", he acknowledges with satisfaction. David C. Williams, for his part, had already been to Sitges more than a decade ago with another short film, although on that occasion it was in the Brigadoon section, out of competition.
Last week, both directors went to the Barcelona town to screen 'Atomic Eruption'. They took to the stage along with other directors and, microphone in hand, presented their short film. "The experience of being at the festival was very good. You're there watching films and it's fun; and seeing your short film on the big screen makes you excited", says Erro. "And it holds up, eh", he says almost with surprise.
And, unlike other directors who have large investments to produce their films, Erro and Williams' short film was made without any funding or external help. "We did it all ourselves. That's what surprised us, because we were the most humble short film, I think", acknowledges Erro.
A "crazy idea" of science fiction
'Atomic Eruption. Basalt Sepulchres' starts, in the words of its director, from "a crazy idea of science fiction". Set in 1963, the short film tells the story of the first atomic eruption in history, which leaves the island of Lanzarote devastated. "As Lanzarote is such an appropriate setting, desert or semi-desert, with the volcanoes... it's perfect for that idea. And, well, the experiment went well".
The short film, in black and white, has a newsreel format recorded on an old celluloid reel reminiscent of the old Nodo. It is specifically the "Scientific Newsreel", an informative programme from the 60s in which the expeditions of Doctor Jiménez Rúa, the character that Sergio Erro and David C. Williams have created, are told.
In fact, 'Atomic Eruption' is the second film in the saga about this particular doctor. The first was 'Homo Alegrancis', a short film that Erro made with friends and that tells the story of Jiménez Rúa's adventure on that islet of the Chinijo Archipelago. His intention now is to "develop a universe around the island and this character". To this end, for the moment, this summer they shot a third short film that is already "practically" finished. And they plan to film a fourth and even design a website about this character. "Everything happens in Lanzarote, it's like his test tube", stresses Erro.
Curiously, the idea of an atomic eruption in Lanzarote stems, saving the distances, from real events. "It arises from things that one sees, such as an area of Africa where a volcano was discovered that had a kind of natural nuclear fission thousands of years ago, a very strange thing", says the director. Without having to go to the African continent, another of his references is a "pseudoscientific" book on radioactivity in the Canary Islands. "It's a little book by Alfonso de Ascanio, from the 60s or so, called 'Radioactive Sands'. It talks about radiation in the Canary Islands and especially in Lanzarote, radioactive lands that are good for cultivation, a very crazy thing".
Now with the pride of having been selected in Sitges, Erro and Williams hope that 'Atomic Eruption' will go further. Once the 'seal' of the official section of the Barcelona festival has been stamped on the film, their intention is to present it "at more festivals, to see if people like it". One thing is clear, "with this brand, it has more name".
