Antonio Morales’s feature narrative film Miss Futuro will be getting its United States Premiere at the 2022 New Jersey International Film Festival on Saturday, June 4th, at 7 pm in person and online for 24 hours.
Miss Futuro showcases the life of secret cinephile, Sister Ada. An aspiring actress before entering the convent, the beginning of the film shows how Ada’s life has completely changed. As a nun, her life is now sheltered, quiet, and led by faith. Ada finds herself in trouble when she is discovered reading an autobiography by filmmaker Woody Allen. The superior nun who caught Ada reading the book sends her on a mission that will help her find the path to God and atone for her sins. She instructs Ada to go to a park in Madrid and lead all the un-Godly deviants she finds there to a more virtuous way of life.
Morales’ storytelling throughout the film is undoubtedly great. He contrasts images of old Hollywood with images of the Devil, as well repeatedly places Ada in front of these images to emphasize their likeness. When Ada arrives at the park, she attempts to cleanse the area by spraying holy water as the deviants follow her dressed in nothing but masks and chains, representing the eccentrically “unholy” parts of herself that lurk within her, desperate to be seen. She then sprays herself with holy water in order to cleanse her mind and body of her deviancy and accompanying shame. Morales exceptionally develops Ada’s character through repeated showing not telling which is an indicator of a great filmmaker.
The black and white film pays homage to the old Hollywood that Ada loves, and Morales's use of light and shadow using a black and white medium is stunning. He also plays with light and shadow to strategically emphasize poignant parts in Ada’s development. When Ada is emerging from the brush in the park her face is illuminated by the sunlight. This use of exposure is not only visually beautiful but also emphasizes Ada “coming into the light” and accepting the parts of herself that the convent sees as impure. She meets an old friend in the park and fully realizes that the convent is not for her. She remembers the joy of life before becoming a nun and decides to leave for good.
Miss Futuro is filmed simply with a lot of handheld shots. Despite its simplicity, its elegance is still prevalent. In conjunction with the soft yet intense score, the themes of finding oneself are perfectly emphasized through the swells of the music. The ebbs and flows of Ada’s journey in finding herself are matched with the film’s diegesis but also the music score. Morales perfectly blends these elements of filmmaking to create a deeply analytical film that celebrates the art of filmmaking. The film honors cinema and the arts as well as the people in the industry. Although some may view the arts as unnecessary and unrighteous, art is a universally understood part of human existence that truly binds us all.
Miss Futuro is a simple masterpiece, and everyone who sees it will recognize themselves in Ada, wanting to be seen and appreciated in a world that can be so restrictive and unkind.
Miss Futuro Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r6We5BEj2Q
Miss Futuro screens at the 2022 New Jersey International Film Festival on Saturday, June 4, 2022 – Online for 24 Hours and In Person at 7PM!
Miss Futuro – Antonio Morales (Madrid, Spain) Sister Ada's quiet, cloistered life is turned upside down when she’s busted reading secretly about cinema and the seductive life of movie stars by her superiors in the convent. To atone for her sins, she’s entrusted a mission: she must go to the cruising area of the city park and lead the sinners and deviants she finds there to the more righteous path. However, once among them, Ada recognizes herself in the sinners and decides to leave the convent for good. She flees to New York, beckoned by a city she had so often been dazzled by on glimmering movie screens. The city is mesmerizing but mysterious dangers lurk, and Ada will only be able to find her true deliverance with the support of the new gods she discovers in Manhattan. In English and Spanish, subtitled. 2021; 91 min.
To buy tickets to see it click here.
The 27th annual Festival will be taking place on select Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays between June 3 -12. The Festival will be a hybrid one as we will be presenting it online as well as doing select in person screenings at Rutgers University. All the films will be available virtually via Video on Demand for 24 hours on their show date. Each ticket or Festival Pass purchased is good for both the virtual and the in-person screenings. The in-person screenings will be held in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ beginning at either 5PM or 7PM on their show date. Tickets: $15=Per Program; Festival All Access Pass=$100.
For more info go here: https://2022newjerseyinternationalfilmfestival.eventive.org/
