20,000 Species of Bees

20,000 Species of Bees
Official poster
Spanish20.000 especies de abejas
Directed byEstibaliz Urresola Solaguren
Written byEstibaliz Urresola Solaguren
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyGina Ferrer García
Edited byRaúl Barreras
Production
companies
  • Gariza Films
  • Inicia Films
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 22 February 2023 (2023-02-22) (Berlinale)
  • 21 April 2023 (2023-04-21) (Spain)
Running time
125 minutes
CountrySpain
Languages
Box office$1 million[1][2]

20,000 Species of Bees (Spanish: 20.000 especies de abejas) is a 2023 Spanish drama film written and directed by Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren in her debut feature. It stars Sofía Otero, Patricia López Arnaiz, Ane Gabarain, and Itziar Lazkano. The film narrates the story of Lucía, an eight-year-old transgender girl, who is on a quest for identity. During a summer in a village house linked to beekeeping, she explores her femininity alongside the women of her family, who at the same time reflect on their own.[3]

It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 22 February 2023.[4] Nine-year old Sofía Otero won the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance for the role of Lucía.[5] The film was also nominated for Best Feature Film Teddy Award.[6] Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren, the first feature director was nominated for GWFF Best First Feature Award in the festival.[7] In March 2023, the film won Golden Biznaga for Best Spanish Film at the 26th Málaga Film Festival.[8] It was released in cinemas in Spain on 21 April 2023.[9] The film was shortlisted for submission to 96th Academy Awards as Spanish entry for Best International Feature Film in September 2023.[10][11]

  1. ^ "20,000 Species of Bees". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  2. ^ "20,000 Especies de Abejas (2023) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  3. ^ Solaguren, Estibaliz Urresola (10 February 2023). "20,000 Species of Bees". Cineuropa. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  4. ^ Rosser, Michael (23 January 2023). "Berlin Film Festival reveals 2023 competition line-up". Screen Daily. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference winner:hr was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference teddy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference gwff:berlinale was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference gba:larazon was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference rd:foto was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Belinchón, Gregorio (7 September 2023). "'20.000 especies de abejas', 'Cerrar los ojos' y 'La sociedad de la nieve', preseleccionadas por España para el Oscar a mejor película internacional" ['20,000 species of bees', 'Close your eyes' and 'The Snow Society', preselected by Spain for the Oscar for best international film]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  11. ^ "Películas españolas preseleccionadas para los Óscar 2024: '20.000 especies de abejas', 'La sociedad de la nieve' y 'Cerrar los ojos'" ['20,000 species of bees', 'The Snow Society' and 'Close your eyes', candidates to represent Spain at the Oscars] (in Spanish). 7 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.