The 8th FeCHA Festival will welcome 6 spanish-speaking filmmakers who will present their films at the festival.

Gerardo Herrero, director and producer of the opening-night film, Bajo Terapia. Since founding Tornasol in 1987, he has produced over 175 feature films, several documentaries and TV series. He has also directed 17 films, among them: “Bajo Terapia” (Silver Biznaga special jury award at Malaga Film Festival 2023 and Platino Award for Best Ibero-American Comedy Film 2024), “Silencio en la nieve”, “Los aires difíciles”, “Heroína”, “Las razones de mis amigos”… His films have competed at Berlin and San Sebastián Film Festival and have won, among others, the Golden “Biznaga” for Best Film and the Silver “Biznaga” for Best Director at Málaga Film Festival.
He has produced successful films such as “THE OXFORD CRIMES” by Álex de la Iglesia, Juan José Campanella’s films “El hijo de la novia” and “El secreto de sus ojos”, the latter winning an OSCAR® for Best Foreign Film, Ken Loach’s “THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY” (Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival) or Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “El Reino” (winner of 7 Goya Awards).

Mariela Besuievsky, producer of opening-night film Bajo Terapia. Born in Uruguay. She graduated from EMAD, Escuela Municipal de Arte Dramatico and studied film at EICTV (Cuba). Her first film as producer was Pablo Dotta’s debut feature “El dirigible”, the first Uruguayan film to participate in the Cannes Film Festival Critics’ Week 1994.
Her credits include over 150 films as producer and executive producer, among others: “El secreto de sus ojos” by Juan José Campanella, winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Film, “Balada triste de trompeta” (Silver Lion at Venice 2010) and “The Oxford Crimes” by Álex de la Iglesia, “Tetro” by Francis Ford Coppola, “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” by Terry Gilliam, “Bajo Terapia” by Gerardo Herrero (Silver Biznaga special jury award at Malaga Film Festival 2023 and Platino Award for Best Ibero-American Comedy Film 2024),…. In 2017 the series “Cuatros Estaciones en Habana” won the Platinum Award for Best Ibero-American miniseries. Upcoming projects include the series “Detective Touré” which will air on RTVE and the feature “Artificial Justice” by Simón Casal will soon be released in theaters.

Javier Fesser, director and screenwriter of the film Campeonex. Ο Javier Fesser (Madrid, 1964) is a storyteller. Multi-awarded internationally, with six Goya Awards and an Oscar nomination, his films have reached more than 14 million viewers in theaters alone. CAMPEONES, a comedy full of emotion that revolves around people with disabilities, was also the film chosen by the Film Academy to represent Spain at the 2019 Oscars and was awarded the National Sports Award that same year. CAMPEONEX, his latest film, was released in August 2023 and remained at number 1 at the box office in Spain for four weeks.
He is currently in post-production on his first series, which will premiere in fall 2024 on the Disney+ platform.

Athenea Mata, screenwriter of the film Campeonex. Athenea Mata is a Spanish actress and screenwriter. She has participated in several television series, numerous short films and movies. In 2001 she starred in Cuídate de mí with Myriam Mézières under the orders of Malaga director Javier de la Torre. In 2004, during the year she studied in New York, she was the lead actress in Film 101, the debut film of Indian-American director Kevin Desmond. The film won numerous awards at various North American and Canadian independent film festivals. In 2018 she acted as lead actress in Javier Fesser’s film, Campeones, alongside Javier Gutiérrez. In 2023 she premiered Madres, a comedy by Elena Díaz Barrigón that is a great success at the Teatro Lara in Madrid.

Alejandro Marín, director of the film Te Estoy Amando Locamente. Alejandro Marín graduated in 2018 in Film Direction from ESCAC (Escola Superior de Cinema i Audiovisuals de Catalunya) with the short film ‘Nacho no conduce’ and the collective feature film ‘La filla d’algú’. In 2021, he directed ‘Maricón Perdido’, a series created by Bob Pop and awarded the Ondas Award for Best Comedy Series. In 2023, he premiered his first film, ‘Te estoy amando locamente’. Filmed in Seville and starring Ana Wagener, Omar Banana and Alba Flores, it is set in the early days of the LGTBI movement in Seville during the Spanish Transition. ‘Te estoy amando locamente’ received five nominations for the Goya Awards, including Best New Director and Original Screenplay, ultimately winning Best Original Song; and four nominations for the Feroz Awards, including Best Comedy, winning Best Supporting Actor. It has also been nominated for Best Comedy at the Platino Awards for Ibero-American Cinema.

Carmen Garrido Vacas, screenwriter of the film Te Estoy Amando Locamente. Carmen Garrido (1993, Málaga) attended the Opera Prima Program at ESCAC after studying Law and Enconomics. In 2023, she premiered “Te estoy amando locamente,” her first film as executive producer and screenwriter. “Te estoy amando locamente” has received five nominations for the Goya Awards, including Best Original Screenplay; and four for the Feroz Awards, including Best Comedy. For this same film, she won the award for Best Screenplay and Best Line Producing from the Andalucía Film Academy. She is currently orchestrating the eagerly awaited comeback of Mar Coll to the cinema, assuming the role of executive producer for Coll’s forthcoming film: “Las madres no.”