Javier Marco’s short film Face To Face (A La Cara) which stars Spanish legend actors Sonia Almarcha and Manolo Solo focuses on a woman called Lina, a television hostess who confronts a man who insulted her on social media. The film has screened at over 90 internationals film festivals including the Oscar qualifying Huesca International Film Festival, Foyle Film Festival, Clermont – Ferrand Short Film Festival 2021, Brussels Short Film Festival 2021 and has won 50 Awards including the Oscar qualifying Awards at the 2021 Goya Awards and the 2021 Cinelebu – Lebu International Film Festival. Its Oscar-qualifying Award win makes it eligible to be considered for a 2022 Academy Award in the Live Action Short film category and this film truly deserves its place on the 2022 Oscar shortlist.

Face to Face forces us to really think about the impact of our words on others. Would we still say certain things if the computer screen was removed and we were confronted by the person? With 4.66 billion people having access to the internet, we may feel entitled to give our opinion on things, especially in a negative light to gain attention, followers and clicks. But is it worth it? This film is incredibly timing, especially with certain legislation being set in place to punish bullies/trolls. The Australian government has set a “anti-troll” legislation where social media users can actually sue bullies/trolls and in France, bullies could face jail time. Face to Face shows that bullying/trolling can happen at any age but the impact it has on you mentally, spiritually and physically is the same. The acting and dialogue between Manolo and Sonia is superb!

Javier is currently in development of his second feature film A La Cara, co-written with the screenwriter Belén Sánchez-Arévalo, based on the short film A La Cara. We will be looking out for the feature. It would be great to see a back story of the two characters and we honestly think that even the feature will go far on its Oscar run given the chance.