IUS of Time has been selected for DiversimaCine, the social cinema competition of the 11th DiversidArte – Festival of Inclusive Arts, screening June 18 in A Coruña, Spain. The film is part of the open-air “Audience Vote” session of the 9th DiversimaCine Fiction Competition, held at the Campo da Leña, where the public votes for the Audience Award for Best Short Film.

Directed by Roberto F. Canuto and Xu Xiaoxi and produced by Almost Red Productions with the support of the Department of Culture, Linguistic Policy and Sport of the Principality of Asturias and the Asturias Paraíso Natural Film Commission, the film joins an exclusive selection of only seven social fiction shorts from around the world.

This is a return to DiversidArte for Almost Red Productions — we previously took part in the festival with our short film Sunken Plum (Chen Li). Coming back, this time with IUS of Time, to a festival built around inclusion and diversity feels especially meaningful.

IUS of Time Screening details

What Is DiversidArte — and Why This Selection Matters

DiversidArte is a Festival of Inclusive Arts held each June in A Coruña, Galicia, and organised by the non-profit association Poten100mos. It defines itself as a cultural celebration of diversity and inclusion, designed to raise awareness around respect, equality and the visibility of communities that are too often left at the margins. Across its programme, the festival brings together music, performance, street culture and cinema, with a strong commitment to accessibility — including sign language interpretation, subtitling, reduced-mobility support and vibrating backpacks for deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences.

Within that framework, DiversimaCine is the festival’s social cinema competition, now in its 9th edition. Its Fiction section gathers a selection of social fiction shorts from around the world, screened outdoors at the Campo da Leña — a historic public square in A Coruña, between the Old Town and A Pescaría. The session is built around audience participation: the public watches the films under the stars and votes, turning the screening into a shared, communal act rather than a passive one.

For IUS of Time, a film about connection across difference and the quiet ways people come to understand one another, being part of a festival built entirely around inclusion and the social value of cinema is a natural and meaningful fit.

A Rural Story That Travels: The Making of IUS of Time

IUS of Time (IUS del tiempo) is a 25-minute Spanish fiction short film set in the rural heart of Asturias, in northern Spain, with dialogue in Spanish and Asturian (amestáu). It tells the story of an unlikely bond between Luca, a young photography student, and Xuan, an ageing cheesemaker who has spent a lifetime in silence — quietly carrying a homosexuality he was never able to live openly, under the weight of a rural environment that left little room for difference. Their encounter, hesitant at first, becomes a connection that changes them both.

It is a film about loneliness, hidden identity and the gap between generations: what an older man had to bury in silence, a younger one can finally recognise and name. That is precisely why it resonates in a social cinema context like DiversimaCine — a festival built around inclusion, diversity and the visibility of lives too often pushed to the margins.

The film was shot entirely on location in Piloña council and the Picos de Europa, drawing its visual identity from the real landscapes of Asturias: the cheese caves of Cabrales, where the region’s traditional blue cheese matures in the mountain rock, and the green fields of Onís or Piloña. Rather than treating these places as backdrop, the directors built the story around them — the work of the cheesemaker, the rhythm of rural life, and the silence of the mountains are part of the film’s emotional language. It stars Manuel Pizarro and Pelayo Carrizo, with Andy Almar and Laura Ubach, from a screenplay by Roberto F. Canuto, Xu Xiaoxi and Enrique Pérez Romero.

The Most Internationally Selected Asturian Short Film of Recent Years

With more than 65 official selections and 7 awards across four continents, IUS of Time stands as one of the most internationally circulated and successful Asturian fiction short films of recent years. Its journey has taken it from festivals in Spain, the United States and China to India, Australia, Finland, Greece, Bulgaria and Brazil — a reach rarely achieved by a short film rooted so specifically in a single rural region.

What makes that trajectory unusual is not only the number of selections, but their geographic and cultural spread. A story told partly in Asturian, set among cheese caves and mountain villages, has found audiences in contexts that could hardly be more different from rural Asturias — from queer film festivals in Mumbai and Goiânia to inclusive arts festivals on the Atlantic coast of Galicia. That trajectory suggests something the team has come to believe deeply: the more local and honest a story is, the further it tends to travel.

Part of a Wider Body of Work

IUS of Time is the central film in a small creative universe developed by Almost Red Productions in Asturias, alongside two companion shorts conceived during its development: Blow Down (Sketches of IUS I) and Sunset in Paris (Sketches of IUS II). What began as preparatory exercises around the same themes — memory, emotional landscape and human connection — eventually grew into films with lives of their own. In 2026, Sunset in Paris was selected by the ICAA for Aula Corto, the official educational platform of Spain’s Ministry of Culture, entering the country’s official educational circuit.

It is not the first time Almost Red’s work reaches Galicia and A Coruña. The company previously took part in DiversidArte with Sunken Plum (Chen Li), an earlier short film, which makes this new selection feel less like a first visit and more like a continuation of a longer relationship with the festival and its city. Returning now with IUS of Time closes a kind of circle, bringing the company’s work back to a festival and a community that welcomed it before.

Follow the Journey of IUS of Time

From the mountains of Asturias to an open-air square in A Coruña, IUS of Time keeps finding new audiences and new ways for its story to be seen. Explore more about the film, its festival route and its companion works:

IUS of Time has been selected for the 12th edition of DIGO – Goiás International Sexual and Gender Diversity Film Festival, screening June 21 in Goiânia, Brazil, in competition for Best Film in the International Short Film category.

Directed by Roberto F. Canuto and Xu Xiaoxi and produced by Almost Red Productions with the support of the Department of Culture, Linguistic Policy and Sport of the Principality of Asturias and the Asturias Paraíso Natural Film Commission, the film is one of only ten films selected for DIGO’s competitive International Short Film section from hundreds of submissions received from around the world.

This is the third Brazilian selection for IUS of Time, though not the first time Almost Red Productions takes part in DIGO — the company has screened earlier work at the festival before.

Screening details

What Is DIGO — and Why This Selection Matters

DIGO – Goiás International Sexual and Gender Diversity Film Festival is the leading LGBTI+ film festival in Brazil’s Centre-West region, and one of the most significant platforms for queer cinema in Latin America. Founded in 2016, it has grown into an essential space for resistance, visibility and dialogue — combining film screenings with panels, workshops and cultural activities that extend the conversation beyond the screen.

In its 12th edition, DIGO received hundreds of submissions from around the world. From that pool, only ten films were selected for the competitive international programme — and IUS of Time is one of them. The international selection this year includes strong representation from Spain, Argentina, Chile and Peru, reflecting the festival’s commitment to Latin American and Iberian queer cinema.

DIGO operates as an independent festival without the support of local incentive laws — a fact its director, Cristiano Sousa, names openly. That independence makes its continued existence a political act as much as a cultural one. Being selected here is not only a recognition of the film; it is an invitation to be part of something that keeps going precisely because it has to.

IUS of Time in Brazil

This selection marks the third time IUS of Time has been chosen by a Brazilian festival. The film previously screened at the 14th Rio LGBTQIA+ International Film Festival in Rio de Janeiro, and received an Honorable Mention at the 1st Goitacá International Film Festival in Campos dos Goytacazes. Each selection has brought the film to a different Brazilian audience and region — and DIGO, as the leading LGBTI+ festival in the country’s Centre-West, adds a new and distinct geography to that presence, now spanning Rio de Janeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes and Goiânia.

Almost Red Productions’ prior relationship with DIGO makes this selection feel less like a first encounter and more like a return — this time with a film that has already travelled through more than 60 international festivals across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Oceania.

IUS of Time: An Ongoing Journey

Through its focus on memory, landscape and intergenerational connection, IUS of Time has become part of a wider conversation around contemporary rural queer cinema — stories that move queer experience out of the city and into the mountains, the fields, and the small communities where it has always also existed.

From its first presentation in Asturias at the XI Festival CortoGijón to its international premiere at the 27th OUTshine LGBTQ Film Festival and its Northern European premiere at Manse Pride by the 56th Tampere Film Festival, through to recent selections at the 10th FeCHA Athens, the 11th Geelong Pride Film Festival in Australia, its fourth Indian festival at Out & Loud Pune and its Bulgarian premiere at the 15th Sofia Pride Film Fest, the film’s complete trajectory is documented in our festival selections and awards list.

About the Film

IUS of Time (IUS del tiempo) is a 25-minute Spanish fiction short film, with dialogue in Spanish and Asturian (amestáu), set in the rural landscapes of Asturias, in northern Spain. Directed by Roberto F. Canuto and Xu Xiaoxi, it tells the story of an unlikely encounter between a young photographer and an ageing cheesemaker — two solitary lives that cross in an intimate, improbable collision of worlds. Through themes of memory, masculinity, emotional inheritance and intergenerational connection, the film explores queer experience in a rural setting rarely portrayed on screen.

The film was shot on location in the Picos de Europa, including the cheese caves of Cabrales, the fields of Onís and other natural settings across Asturias. It stars Manuel Pizarro and Pelayo Carrizo, with Andy Almar and Laura Ubach, and was written by Roberto F. Canuto, Xu Xiaoxi and Enrique Pérez Romero. With more than 60 international selections and 7 awards across four continents, IUS of Time is one of the most internationally circulated Asturian fiction short films of recent years.

Its international reception suggests that stories rooted in highly specific places can still resonate across very different cultural contexts.

Part of the Almost Red Universe

IUS of Time is the central work in a small creative universe developed by Almost Red Productions in Asturias. During its development, the directors created two companion short films conceived as preparatory sketches: Blow Down (Sketches of IUS I) and Sunset in Paris (Sketches of IUS II). What began as exercises around the same themes — memory, emotional landscape and human connection — grew into films with lives of their own.

In 2026, Sunset in Paris was selected by the ICAA for Aula Corto, the official educational short film platform of Spain’s Ministry of Culture, becoming the first film of the Almost Red universe to enter the country’s official educational circuit. Together, these films reflect an ongoing interest in telling intimate, rooted stories from rural Asturias — and in letting them travel as far as they can, from classrooms in Spain to festival screens across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Oceania.

Discover More About IUS of Time

With its selection at DIGO, IUS of Time continues a festival journey that has connected audiences across four continents while bringing stories rooted in rural Asturias into international conversations about memory, identity and queer experience.

Sunset in Paris (Atardecer en París) — the 10-minute LGBTQ+ short film directed by Roberto F. Canuto and Xu Xiaoxi and produced by Almost Red Productions — has been selected by the ICAA (Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales) for Aula Corto, Spain’s official educational short film platform.

Through Aula Corto, Sunset in Paris becomes available not only to schools throughout Spain, but also to Spanish educational centres abroad through the “Acción Educativa de España en el Exterior” programme. The selection significantly expands the film’s audience beyond traditional festival circuits, allowing it to reach students, teachers and educational communities in different countries and cultural contexts.

For us, it opens a chapter we hadn’t imagined when we made this film. Until now, Sunset in Paris had lived almost exclusively in the festival world. Now it’s going into classrooms.

What Is Aula Corto — and Why This Selection Matters

Aula Corto is the educational platform created by Spain’s Ministry of Culture, through the ICAA, in collaboration with Siena Educación. Its premise is simple: the short film as the only protagonist in the classroom. The platform currently offers a catalogue of 66 short films from recent years — across fiction, animation and documentary — available for free to registered teachers at primary, secondary, bachillerato and vocational training levels across Spain and at Spanish schools abroad.

Each film comes with a dedicated teaching guide (guía didáctica) with specific activities designed to help teachers get the most out of the screening — whether for values education, audiovisual literacy, or simply as a starting point for conversation. Teachers register for free using their school email address, and each school can have as many registered users as it has teachers.

It is, in other words, a serious institutional infrastructure for bringing Spanish cinema into education. Being part of that catalogue — alongside films awarded at the Goya Awards and screened at major Spanish festivals — is not a minor thing.

Sunset in Paris (Atardecer en París) was selected directly by the ICAA for the film’s cinematic quality and the educational value of its content. On the platform it is recommended for 4º de ESO, Bachillerato and Vocational Training (FP) levels, and catalogued under three UN Sustainable Development Goals — SDG 3 (Health and Wellbeing), SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) — with competencies in citizenship and personal and social development.

When we read that classification, something clicked. SDG 3 because the film is about emotional health — about what happens inside two young people when they finally allow themselves to feel something they’ve been carrying without a name. SDG 10 because the inequality it addresses isn’t economic: it’s the quieter, more intimate inequality of growing up in a world that hasn’t yet made room for who you are. And SDG 4 — quality education — because that’s exactly what cinema can do when it’s used well: teach empathy, teach ambiguity, teach the courage to sit with a question rather than rush to an answer.

The story Sunset in Paris (Atardecer en París) tells is precisely the kind that often goes untold in a classroom. Which is, perhaps, exactly why it belongs there.

A Short Film Born as a Sketch

Sunset in Paris carries a subtitle that gives away its origins: Sketches of IUS II. It was not conceived as a standalone work. It was conceived as a tool.

During the extended development process of IUS of Time — the 25-minute LGBTQ+ drama that has since gathered more than 60 international festival selections and 7 awards — Roberto F. Canuto and Xu Xiaoxi identified the need to explore the emotional world of Luca, the film’s young protagonist, before the main shoot began. The result was two short films made as preparatory exercises: Blow Down (Sketches of IUS I) and Sunset in Paris (Sketches of IUS II). Both were completed and edited by the end of 2024, alongside IUS of Time itself.

What none of them anticipated was that these sketches would develop a life of their own.

Sunset in Paris premiered at the 62nd FICX – Gijón International Film Festival in November 2024, in the Asturies Curtiumetraxes section — the festival’s dedicated showcase for Asturian short cinema. That premiere placed a film made as a preparatory exercise in front of one of Spain’s most historically significant film festivals.

The Story: A Mountain, a Game, and Something That Needed to Surface

During a quiet afternoon on a mountain in Asturias, two young friends — Luca and Ana — play a game of “Truth or Dare.” The rules are simple. The conversation is not. Slowly, through challenges and confessions, what begins as play becomes something harder to name: a recurring dream that resurfaces, an attraction that refuses to stay buried, a desire that neither character has yet been able to speak aloud. Paris appears in the background — as a possibility, as a threshold, as the place where a different life might begin.

The film doesn’t resolve what it opens. We didn’t want it to.

“The game is part of life, and often, life reveals itself through play. The two teenagers at the heart of this story stand on the threshold of discovery — when everything feels possible, when words flow freely, when play is still, almost exclusively, the essence of existence.” — Roberto F. Canuto & Xu Xiaoxi

Where It Was Made: Monte Cayón and an 18th-Century Attic

The film was shot in a single intensive day in the municipality of Piloña, Asturias. Exterior scenes were filmed on Monte Cayón — a mountain known for its sweeping, hard-to-reach views over the Asturian landscape — where shooting began in the afternoon to capture the warm light of the setting sun. Once darkness fell, the crew moved indoors to the attic of an 18th-century house in Biedes, where the night added a quality of quiet tension to the more intimate sequences.

The small production team deliberately prioritised spontaneity. Improvisation was encouraged in several of the dialogues. The camera began with close-ups — capturing proximity, small gestures, the unspoken — and gradually opened to wider shots as the emotional landscape between the two characters shifted. The Asturian landscape in Sunset in Paris is not backdrop. It is, as in all Almost Red films, an active presence: the mountain as mirror, the attic as confession booth, the darkness as permission.

The Cast: Two ESAD Graduates, One Shared Universe

Pelayo Carrizo plays Luca — the same character he would go on to play in IUS of Time. Born and raised in Asturias, Pelayo graduated from the Superior School of Dramatic Arts of the Principality of Asturias (ESAD) and has been a regular collaborator with Almost Red Productions since his film debut in 2021. His theatre credits include work with Factoría Norte and Susana Gudín Producciones, and tribute productions for the Fundación Princesa de Asturias. The continuity of his presence across the IUS universe — from sketch to feature short — gives the character a coherence that was not scripted so much as lived.

Paula Lasheras plays Ana. Originally from the province of Burgos, she completed her studies at ESAD Asturias in 2024 — the same year this film was made. A multidisciplinary artist — actor, dancer, figure skater, singer. What Paula brings to Ana is hard to name precisely — which is fitting, because Ana is a character who resists being pinned down. She listens with her whole body. Her vulnerabilities surface without announcement. It was exactly what the scene needed.

Festival Journey: From FICX to an International Queer Circuit

The film’s initial distribution was handled by Nueru Distribución, an Asturian short film distributor, during its first year on the festival circuit. It is currently distributed by Almost Red Distribution. Since its premiere at the 62nd FICX in 2024, Sunset in Paris has built a steady festival presence:

• 62nd FICX – Gijón International Film Festival (Spain, 2024) — Asturies Curtiumetraxes Section
• XI Cortogijón Short Film Festival (Spain, 2025) — La Muestrona Section · 🏆 Audience Award for Best Short Film
• III Certamen Cinematográfico Amigos de Ribadesella (Spain, 2025) — 🏅 Finalist, Atalaya Award for Best Short Film
• IV Oriéntate – Asturian Film Festival of Llanes (Spain, 2025) — Oriéntate Official Section
• IX CINESAN Short Film Festival (Spain, 2025) — Asturias Section
• 47th Semana de Cine de Lugo (Spain, 2025) — Official Section
• 12th International Queer Film Festival Playa del Carmen (Mexico, 2025) — Official Section

Its selection at Playa del Carmen brought the film its first international screening and its first LGBTQ+ film festival outside Spain. The Aula Corto selection now adds a different kind of reach: not a festival audience of cinephiles, but classrooms across the country.

A Film Within a Universe

Sunset in Paris does not stand alone. It is part of a creative ecosystem that Almost Red Productions has been building across three interconnected short films.

Blow Down (Sketches of IUS I) was the first preparatory exercise — exploring a different dimension of the same emotional territory. Sunset in Paris came second. And IUS of Time is the work they made possible: a 25-minute rural Asturian drama about memory, silence and intergenerational desire that has become one of the most internationally circulated Asturian fiction short films in recent years, with more than 60 international festival selections across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Oceania, and 7 awards — including the Director’s Choice Award at the 45th Thomas Edison Film Festival (USA), Best Cinematography at the 4th Silicon Valley Queer Film Festival (USA), and the Audience Award at the 24th Avilés Acción Film Festival (Spain).

That the sketch has now found its way into Spain’s classrooms, while the film it prepared for continues to travel the world, feels like the natural order of things.

About Almost Red Productions

Almost Red Productions is the company Roberto F. Canuto and Xu Xiaoxi founded to make the films they needed to make. Roberto is from Gijón; Xu is from Chengdu. They met through cinema and have been making films together since 2008 — in Los Angeles, in China, and now in Asturias. Their previous short film Sunken Plum travelled to more than 50 international festivals, including Raindance (London), Seminci (Valladolid), FICX (Gijón), the Málaga Film Festival and Outfest (Los Angeles), and won the Silver Caravel at the Cartagena Film Festival. Sunset in Paris is part of the same universe as IUS of Time — a film that has since become one of the most internationally circulated Asturian fiction short films in recent years.

Official page: Sunset in Paris →

IUS of Time — the film this was a sketch for →

Blow Down — Sketches of IUS I →

About the directors →

Aula Corto educational page →

IUS of Time will make its Bulgarian premiere at the 15th Sofia Pride Film Fest, Bulgaria’s only LGBTIQ+ film festival, screening in Sofia from June 2nd to 12th, 2026. Our Spanish LGBTQ+ short film — directed by Roberto F. Canuto and Xu Xiaoxi and produced with the support of the Department of Culture, Linguistic Policy and Sport of the Principality of Asturias and the Asturias Paraíso Natural Film Commission — screens on June 6th at Dom na Kinoto (Cinema House), in competition for the Audience Award for Best Short Film.

Some selections are about where your film travels. Others are about what a festival stands for. Sofia Pride Film Fest is firmly the second kind, and being part of its 15th edition means a great deal to us.

IUS of Time at the 15th Sofia Pride Film Fest — Screening Details

🗓 June 6, 2026 — 20:00h
📍 Dom na Kinoto (Cinema House), Sofia, Bulgaria
🏆 In competition: Audience Award for Best Short Film
🎟️ Tickets: domnakinoto.com
📱 Festival: @sofiapridefilmfest · sofiapridefilmfest.org

Our film screens in a short film block alongside Blow (Brazil), If Only You Knew (USA), Stimulants & Empathogens (Poland) and Found at Sea (Bulgaria/Belgium). The festival runs across two venues — Dom na Kinoto and the French Institute in Bulgaria — and for the fourth year running, the audience itself votes for the winning films.

A 25-Minute Asturian Short Film with 60+ Selections and 7 Awards

IUS of Time is a 25-minute Spanish-language fiction short film, set in Asturias and featuring touches of Asturian (amestáu), directed by Roberto F. Canuto and Xu Xiaoxi, written by Roberto F. Canuto, Xu Xiaoxi and Enrique Pérez Romero, and produced by Almost Red Productions with the support of the Principality of Asturias. The film stars Manuel Pizarro, Pelayo Carrizo, Andy Almar and Laura Ubach. Since its 2025 premiere, it has gathered more than 60 international festival selections across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Oceania, along with 7 awards, making it one of the most internationally circulated Asturian fiction short films in recent years.

The film’s 7 awards and distinctions to date are:

• Director’s Choice Award — 45th Thomas Edison Film Festival (USA)
• Audience Award Asturias — 24th Avilés Acción Film Festival (Spain)
• Best Cinematography — 4th Silicon Valley Queer Film Festival (USA)
• Best Cinematography — 3rd Rural and Mountain Film Festival of Cervera de Pisuerga (Spain)
• 3rd Audience Award — 20th Beijing Queer Film Festival (China)
• Honorable Mention — 13th Goitacá International Film Festival (Brazil)
• Certificate of Merit — 68th Rochester International Film Festival (USA)

From its first presentation in Asturias (XI Festival Cortogijon) to its international premiere at the 27th OUTshine LGBTQ Film Festival and its Northern European premiere at Manse Pride by the 56th Tampere Film Festival, through to recent selections at the 10th FeCHA Athens, the 11th Geelong Pride Film Festival in Australia and its fourth Indian festival at Out & Loud Pune, the film’s complete trajectory is documented in our festival selections and awards list.

Through its focus on memory, landscape and intergenerational connection, IUS of Time has become part of a wider conversation around contemporary rural queer cinema — stories that move queer experience out of the city and into the mountains, the fields, and the small communities where it has always also existed.

Why Sofia Matters to Us

Sofia Pride Film Fest is the only LGBTIQ+ film festival in Bulgaria. For fifteen editions, it has presented international queer cinema in a country where doing so is neither easy nor safe — since 2019, screenings have faced verbal and at times physical attacks. The festival continues regardless. That persistence is, in itself, a kind of cinema we admire deeply.

This is why the Bulgarian premiere of IUS of Time feels different from other selections. Our film is about silence — about a man who has spent a lifetime keeping a part of himself unspoken, in a rural world where prejudice made silence the safer choice. To screen that story in a place where queer visibility is still actively contested gives it a resonance we couldn’t have planned for. The selection also brings the film into Eastern Europe’s growing network of LGBTQ+ cultural festivals — a context where queer cinema carries a weight, and a risk, that it doesn’t always carry elsewhere.

The festival is organized by LGBTI organization Deystvie, Bulgaria’s largest LGBTIQ+ rights organization and a key defender of the community’s rights in the country. This 15th edition, themed “The Hero Is You!”, brings together 8 feature films and 11 short films — including titles awarded at Cannes and Venice in 2025. We’re honored that IUS of Time is part of that program.

The selection also expands the film’s presence within Eastern Europe’s growing network of LGBTQ+ film festivals and cultural initiatives. With its Bulgarian premiere, IUS of Time continues to expand its presence across European LGBTQ+ film festivals while bringing stories rooted in rural Asturias to new international audiences.

About IUS of Time

IUS of Time follows Luca, a young photography student who arrives in a small mountain village in rural Asturias and rents a room from Xuan — an older cheesemaker, solitary, carrying a past he has never spoken aloud. Through Luca’s camera and their slowly growing connection, the two men begin to rediscover memory, desire and belonging. The film was shot on location in rural Asturias, including the facilities and natural cheese-ageing caves of Quesería Ecológica Asiegu in the Cabrales municipality, along with the Piloña municipality, the valleys of Onís and the Picos de Europa. The landscape is not a backdrop. It carries the story.

The project emerged through an extended creative process that also produced the companion short films Blow Down and Sunset in Paris, conceived as “Sketches of IUS” during the screenplay development stage. It also features collaborations with artists such as Elmer Guevara, who created the analogue photographs attributed to Luca’s character in the film.

“Screening in Sofia means something we find hard to say lightly. A film about loving in silence, across generations and against the weight of prejudice, belongs especially in the places where that silence is still being enforced. We’re grateful to Deystvie and to everyone who keeps this festival alive.” — Roberto F. Canuto & Xu Xiaoxi

More About IUS of Time

IUS of Time — the Spanish LGBTQ+ short film directed by Roberto F. Canuto and Xu Xiaoxi, produced with support from the Government of the Principality of Asturias — has been selected for the 10th Out & Loud – Pune International Queer Film Festival (PIQFF), screening in Pune, Maharashtra from May 29 to 31, 2026. 

With over 60 international festival selections across four continents and 7 awards, the film marks its fourth appearance at an Indian film festival — a trajectory we hadn’t quite anticipated when it first screened in Asturias.

IUS of Time at the 10th Out & Loud Pune Queer Film Festival — Screening Details

🗓 Festival dates: May 29–31, 2026
📍 29 May — Pivo Garten, Upper KP Mundhwa, Pune
📍 30–31 May — Lokashahir Annabhau Sathe Rangamandir, Pune
🎬 Category: Best International Short Film (Narrative)
📱 Festival updates: @outloudpiqff

The selection places IUS of Time within one of India’s most established and community-driven LGBTQ+ film festivals, dedicated to showcasing queer cinema from India and around the world through screenings, discussions and public engagement.

An Asturian Short Film Produced with Support from the Principality of Asturias

IUS of Time was produced with the support of the Department of Culture, Linguistic Policy and Sport of the Principality of Asturias, which funded part of the film’s production, post-production and distribution. The Asturias Paraíso Natural Film Commission facilitated locations and permits during the shoot — including the cheese caves of Cabrales, the fields of Onís, and the Picos de Europa.

Those landscapes aren’t background. They carry the story. And the international circuit of IUS of Time is, in a very real sense, those landscapes traveling the world.

With over 60 international festival selections, the film has established itself as one of the most internationally circulated Asturian fiction short films in recent years. Its journey began at the XI CortoGijón Short Film Festival in April 2025, where it had its first public presentation. The international premiere followed at the 27th OUTshine LGBTQ Film Festival in Miami, then its Northern European premiere at Manse Pride by the 56th Tampere Film Festival in Finland, and its Asian premiere at the 16th KASHISH Pride Film Festival in Mumbai — Asia’s largest LGBTQ+ film festival.

Since then, the film has screened at festivals including:

— 53rd Huesca International Film Festival (Oscar & Goya qualifying)
— 31st Chéries-Chéris Paris LGBTQIA+ Film Festival
— 43rd Reeling: Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival
— 63rd FICX Gijón International Film Festival
— 16th Écrans Mixtes in Lyon (France)
— 42nd Schwule Filmwoche Freiburg (Germany)
— 10th FeCHA Athens (Greece)
— 11th Geelong Pride Film Festival (Australia)

A full account of the 2025 festival journey is available on our website.

Among its 7 awards and distinctions: the Director’s Choice Award at the 45th Thomas Edison Film Festival (USA), the Audience Award at the 24th Avilés Acción Film Festival (Spain), and Best Cinematography at both the 4th Silicon Valley Queer Film Festival (USA) and the 3rd Rural and Mountain Film Festival of Cervera de Pisuerga (Spain).

India, Four Festivals — the Unexpected Journey of IUS of Time

When IUS of Time was selected for KASHISH in Mumbai — for its Asian premiere — it felt like a strong signal. Then came the 13th Reel Desires Chennai International Queer Film Festival and the 4th Utsav International Film Festival, also in Mumbai.

Now Pune.

What makes this trajectory particularly meaningful is that it was never strategically planned. Different programmers, from different cities and festivals, independently connected with a story rooted in silence, memory, desire and emotional repression within rural northern Spain.

There is something deeply moving in watching audiences from very different cultural realities emotionally recognize themselves in landscapes, gestures and silences that initially seemed profoundly local.

Ten Years of Queer Cinema at Out & Loud Pune

Out & Loud PIQFF has a specific place in India’s queer cinema landscape. Founded in Pune in 2017 by the Mist LGBTQ Foundation — which has been building LGBTQ+ community spaces across India since 2009 — the festival has grown into one of the country’s most consistent platforms for international queer storytelling. This 10th edition is a milestone: a decade of films, discussions and community events shaped by the belief that cinema and solidarity aren’t separate things.

Unlike many larger industry festivals, Out & Loud maintains a strong community-oriented identity. In categories such as Best International Short Film, audience members themselves vote for the winning films during the screenings, creating a direct relationship between filmmakers and viewers.

The 2026 edition takes place across two venues in Pune. The Lokashahir Annabhau Sathe Rangamandir, which hosts the final two days, is named after the celebrated Dalit writer and activist whose work in Maharashtra centered questions of identity, dignity and belonging — a context that quietly resonates with what this film is about.

About IUS of Time

For anyone arriving here for the first time: IUS of Time is a 25-minute drama in Spanish and Asturian. Luca, a young photography student, arrives in a small mountain village in Asturias. He rents a room from Xuan — an older cheesemaker, solitary, carrying a past he has never spoken aloud. What develops between them is quiet and specific: desire deferred, emotional inheritance, the weight of a life shaped by silence and prejudice.

The project itself emerged through an extended creative process that also generated the companion short films Blow Down and Sunset in Paris, conceived as “Sketches of IUS” during the screenplay development stage.

“Each time IUS of Time screens in India, something in the response confirms that what feels most local in a story is often what travels furthest.” — Roberto F. Canuto & Xu Xiaoxi

More About IUS of Time

Information about IUS of Time→Complete festival selections and awards → IUS of Time approaches 60 selections at FeCHA Athens → IUS of Time 2025 Festival Overview →

With nearly 60 international festival selections across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Oceania, IUS of Time reaches a new international milestone with its inclusion in the 10th FeCHA – Festival de Cine Hispanófono de Atenas, Greece’s only festival dedicated exclusively to Spanish-language cinema.

The Asturian short film, directed by Roberto F. Canuto and Xu Xiaoxi, has been selected for the Diversidad 2026 program, a curated LGBTQ+ section organized in collaboration with Athens Pride and focused on contemporary queer stories from the Spanish-speaking world. This year’s edition brings together only four short films from Spain and Latin America, highlighting works that explore identity, intimacy, memory and resistance through distinct cinematic approaches.

IUS of Time screening in Athens

🗓 Date: May 29, 2026
🕘 Time: 21:00
📍 Venue: Rooftop Terrace · Instituto Cervantes of Athens
🎬 Program: Diversidad 2026
🌍 Online screenings across Greece: May 29–31, 2026

The screening forms part of the closing activities of the 10th FeCHA and will also be available online throughout Greece for a limited period through the festival’s digital platform.

See the Diversidad 2026 program at FeCHA Athens Film Festival.

Founded in 2016, FeCHA has become a major cultural bridge between Greece and the Spanish-speaking world, attracting more than 30,000 spectators over the past decade through screenings, retrospectives, educational activities and collaborations with institutions including the Instituto Cervantes and the Hellenic American Union.

FeCHA and the international visibility of Spanish-language cinema

Over the years, FeCHA has established itself as one of the key platforms for contemporary Spanish-language cinema in southeastern Europe, presenting films from Spain, Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, Cuba and other countries across Latin America.

The 2026 edition features productions connected to major international festivals and awards including Cannes, Venice, San Sebastián, the Goya Awards and the Academy Awards. The lineup includes films and guests such as Helena Taberna, Albert Pintó, Asier Urbieta and Avelina Prat, combining auteur cinema, social narratives, documentary filmmaking and contemporary queer storytelling within a broader cultural dialogue.

Within this context, the inclusion of IUS of Time reinforces the growing international circulation of queer Spanish-language cinema and the increasing visibility of independent films rooted in local landscapes, identities and cultural memory.

Since its premiere, IUS of Time has screened at festivals including:

— 53rd Huesca International Film Festival (Spain)
— 31st Chéries-Chéris – Paris LGBTQIA+ Film Festival (France)
— 16th Écrans Mixtes Queer Film Festival in Lyon (France)
— 43rd Reeling: Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival (USA)
— 63rd FICX Gijón International Film Festival (Spain)
— 42nd Schwule Filmwoche Freiburg – Freiburg Gay Film Festival (Germany)

Earlier this month, the film celebrated its Australian premiere at the 11th Geelong Pride Film Festival, marking its first screening in Oceania and further expanding its international reach across five continents.

With its growing international trajectory, IUS of Time is emerging as one of the most internationally visible fiction short films to emerge from Asturias in recent years.

Rural Asturias, queer memory and landscape-based cinema

Set in rural Asturias in northern Spain, IUS of Time follows Luca, a young photographer who arrives in a small mountain village to work on an artistic project and develops an unexpected emotional connection with Xuan, an older cheesemaker marked by silence, rumors and prejudice from the past.

Blending rural realism with poetic and symbolic storytelling, the film explores queer memory, emotional inheritance, masculinity, landscape and intergenerational connection. Through Luca’s camera, photography becomes both a narrative device and a form of emotional archive linking past and present.

Shot in locations including the Picos de Europa and villages such as Cabrales and Onís, the landscapes of Asturias become central emotional and narrative elements within the film, reinforcing its atmosphere of intimacy, isolation and suspended time.

IUS of Time was also supported by the Department of Culture, Llinguistic Policy and Sport of the Principality of Asturias, with the collaboration of Asturias Paraíso Natural Film Commission during the film’s development and production process.

The project evolved through an extended creative process that also generated the companion pieces Blow Down and Sunset in Paris, conceived as “Sketches of IUS” during the screenplay development stage. These works allowed the filmmakers to further explore character psychology, visual language and fragmented memory before the final structure of IUS of Time fully emerged.

Through its combination of rural realism, queer storytelling, landscape-based cinema and poetic visual language, IUS of Time is becoming part of a growing body of contemporary queer rural cinema emerging from the Spanish-speaking world.

“The international journey of IUS of Time has shown us how stories deeply rooted in local realities can emotionally connect with audiences across very different cultural contexts.”

— Roberto F. Canuto & Xu Xiaoxi

More information about IUS of Time

Official page of IUS of Time with festival selections, awards and production details.

Watch the official trailer of IUS of Time.

Header image: analogue behind-the-scenes photograph from IUS of Time by photographer Elmer Guevara / Almost Red Productions.

The film will screen on Sunday, May 3, 2026, at 21:00 as part of the Fabulous Shorts I — a curated program of 17 short films from Switzerland, Spain, the UK, the USA, Austria, Italy, and Slovenia, all competing for the Audience Award for Best Short Film.

The 42nd Schwule Filmwoche Freiburg runs from April 29 to May 6, 2026, across several venues in Freiburg im Breisgau, featuring a diverse program of international LGBTQ+ feature films, documentaries, and short film competitions. This year’s edition introduces a new structure for its short film section, divided into two curated blocks that allow audiences to engage more directly in the voting process for the Audience Award.

IUS of Time in competition at the 42nd Schwule Filmwoche Freiburg 2026

🗓 Date: Sunday, May 3, 2026
🕘 Time: 21:00
📍 Location: Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
🎬 Program: Fabulous Shorts I

See the Fabulous Shorts I screening program

Official festival website

Schwule Filmwoche Freiburg: over four decades of queer cinema

The Schwule Filmwoche Freiburg is one of the longest-running LGBTQ+ film festivals in the German-speaking world. Now in its 42nd edition, the festival has built a reputation for programming that balances artistic quality with cultural and political awareness.

The 2026 program places a strong emphasis on contemporary LGBTQ+ storytelling, combining international premieres, European independent cinema, and socially engaged documentaries. In addition to film screenings, the festival includes live events, panel discussions, and collaborations with local cultural institutions such as Theater Freiburg, reinforcing its role as a multidisciplinary platform for queer culture and public discourse.

IUS of Time: an expanding international festival trajectory

With over 50 international festival selections and multiple awards to date — including the Director’s Choice Award at the 45th Thomas Edison Film Festival and Best Cinematography at the 4th Silicon Valley Queer Film Festival — IUS of Time is emerging as one of the most internationally visible independent queer short films from Spain in recent years.

The selection in Freiburg adds to the film’s growing presence within the European queer festival circuit, following screenings at the 31st Chéries-Chéris – Festival du Film LGBTQIA+ de Paris, the 16th Écrans Mixtes Queer Film Festival in Lyon, the 53rd Huesca International Film Festival (Oscar & Goya Qualifying Festival), and the 63rd FICX Gijón International Film Festival.

In North America, the film has been selected at major festivals including the 43rd Reeling: Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival (USA), one of the longest-running queer film festivals in the United States, strengthening its visibility within key international LGBTQ+ exhibition platforms.

Upcoming screenings include its Australian premiere at the Geelong Pride Film Festival, marking the film’s debut in Oceania.

A film shaped by memory, landscape, and emotional encounter

Developed through an extended creative process, IUS of Time combines naturalistic storytelling with a poetic and symbolic dimension.

The film evolved alongside a series of short pieces — Blow Down and Sunset in Paris — conceived as part of the Sketches of IUS, expanding its narrative universe.

Shot on location in Asturias, including the Picos de Europa and rural villages such as Cabrales and Onís, the film integrates landscape as an essential narrative element, reinforcing its thematic exploration of time, identity, and memory.

At its core, the film presents an encounter between two characters from different generations and worlds, unfolding as both a physical experience and an emotional reconstruction shaped by absence and connection.

IUS of Time within contemporary European queer cinema

Its inclusion in the Freiburg Gay Film Festival competition highlights the film’s relevance within the current landscape of European queer cinema, where intimate, character-driven narratives continue to gain prominence.

Within the European festival circuit, IUS of Time aligns with a growing wave of queer cinema that prioritizes personal narratives, cross-cultural perspectives, and visually driven storytelling, positioning the film among emerging independent works gaining traction in international LGBTQ+ festivals.

More information

For a complete and updated list of festival selections, visit the official page of IUS of Time

Watch the trailer

The short film has been officially selected for the Gay Shorts 2026 program, which brings together international short works exploring contemporary queer storytelling. The screening will take place on May 7, 2026, at 6:00 PM at The Pivotonian Cinema in Geelong, Victoria.

Founded as a non-profit, community-driven initiative, the Geelong Pride Film Festival runs from April 30 to May 10, 2026, and presents a wide program of feature films and short film sections across the Geelong region, celebrating diverse identities, experiences, and narratives within global queer cinema.

IUS of Time within the international queer festival circuit

Set in rural Asturias, northern Spain, IUS of Time follows an encounter between a young photography student and a reclusive cheesemaker, leading to an unexpected emotional connection.

The film continues to strengthen its international presence through its selection at the Geelong Pride Film Festival, expanding its connection with global queer audiences and international programmers.

Its subtle exploration of identity, memory, and emotional connection, combined with its rural setting, has helped the film resonate across diverse cultural contexts.

More about IUS of Time on its official page.

Its inclusion in the Gay Shorts 2026 program highlights its place within contemporary LGBTIQ+ cinema and a broader dialogue on queer storytelling that transcends geographical boundaries.

An expanding international festival journey

This latest selection marks a new milestone in the international journey of IUS of Time, extending its presence to Oceania after screenings at internationally recognized festivals including the 53rd Huesca International Film Festival (Oscar/Goya qualifier, Spain), 43rd Reeling: Chicago LGBTQ+ Film Festival (USA), 31st Chéries-Chéris (France), and 63rd FICX Gijón (Spain).

The film has been featured in a wide range of international contexts, highlighting its ability to connect with diverse audiences through its intimate storytelling and universal themes. Its growing trajectory reflects not only critical recognition, but also a sustained interest from programmers focused on contemporary queer cinema and independent filmmaking.

Recent screenings in North America, at the 27th ReelOut Queer Film Festival (Kingston, Ontario) and in Europe at the 17th LGBT+ Film Festival Poland, continue to build the film’s global visibility.

With over 50 international festival selections and 7 awards to date—including Director’s Choice Award at the 45th Thomas Edison Film Festival 2026 (USA) and Best Cinematography at Silicon Valley Queer Film Festival (California)—IUS of Time stands as one of the most internationally visible independent queer short films from Spain in recent years.

A film shaped by memory, time and layered storytelling

IUS of Time emerged from a creative process that evolved organically, with the initial concept expanding into a more complex narrative structure through collaboration and experimentation.

Developed alongside writer and associate producer Enrique Pérez Romero, the screenplay went through an extensive process of refinement, combining narrative construction with visual and performative exploration. Early exercises in character development and cinematic language led to the creation of two companion pieces, Blow Down and Sunset in Paris, conceived as “Sketches of IUS” and forming part of the film’s broader creative universe.

At its core, the film explores the encounter between two characters from radically different worlds, whose brief interaction unfolds as both a realistic and symbolic experience. The narrative blends the naturalism of rural Asturias with a poetic and abstract dimension, allowing multiple interpretations to coexist: a memory resurfacing, an impossible meeting, or an emotional reconstruction shaped by absence and loss.

Shot on location in Asturias, including the Picos de Europa and municipalities such as Cabrales, Onís and Piloña, the film integrates its physical environment into the storytelling. Spaces such as traditional cheese caves and rural architecture are not only settings, but essential elements that reinforce the atmosphere and thematic depth of the film.

Through this layered approach, IUS of Time moves between realism and abstraction, connecting a personal story with broader reflections on time, identity and the traces left by the past.

The Australian premiere of IUS of Time adds a new milestone to the film’s international journey, reinforcing its place within contemporary independent and queer cinema.

Watch the official trailer:

The selection brings together six of the most acclaimed short films linked to Asturias, all of them widely recognized both nationally and internationally. Although Sunken Plum is set in China, the film is connected to Asturias through its director and its independent production model, developed between Spain and China, and was later incorporated into the Laboral Cinemateca distribution catalogue after receiving the Distribution Award at the 55th Gijón International Film Festival (FICX).

As part of this initiative, Sunken Plum will be screened across Asturias in a traveling circuit, with more than twenty confirmed screenings between April and June in different municipalities.

This anniversary selection highlights the role of Laboral Cinemateca in supporting and promoting Asturian filmmaking over the past decade, showcasing works that have achieved a strong presence on the international festival circuit.

Sunken Plum will be screened in more than 20 locations across Asturias as part of this touring program

As part of this special selection, Sunken Plum will travel across Asturias through “La Cinemateca Ambulante”, reaching a wide network of municipalities and reintroducing the film to local audiences.

Sunken Plum will be screened in more than 20 locations across Asturias as part of this touring program.

The screenings are scheduled between April and June 2026 in the following locations:

This extensive tour forms part of Laboral Cinemateca’s 10th anniversary celebrations, bringing cinema to more than 20 municipalities across the region and reinforcing its commitment to cultural access and the dissemination of Asturian filmmaking.

Through this initiative, Sunken Plum not only returns to its region of origin, but also reaches new audiences, reaffirming its continued relevance nearly a decade after its release.

Sunken Plum: a landmark short film in contemporary queer and transgender cinema

Released in 2017, Sunken Plum (original title Chen Li) is widely considered one of the most relevant short films addressing transgender identity in contemporary Asian cinema, particularly for its portrayal of rural China — a context rarely explored in queer narratives.

The film has been selected in over 150 international festivals across more than 55 countries, receiving over 30 awards and mentions worldwide.

Set between the city of Chengdu and a remote rural village in Sichuan, the film follows a transgender woman who, after years away, is forced to return to her hometown following the death of her mother. As the only “male” heir in the family, she must confront social expectations rooted in tradition while being unable to appear as herself in front of relatives and neighbors.

The cast combines professional performers with mostly non-professional actors, contributing to the film’s naturalistic tone while blending social realism with a subtle poetic dimension, creating an intimate and visually evocative portrayal of character and environment.

The film forms the third and final part of the Invisible Chengdu, alongside Ni Jing: Thou Shalt Not Steal (2013) and Floating Melon (2015), a body of work shot in Sichuan and performed in Southwestern Mandarin that portrays marginalized and often unseen realities of contemporary Chinese society.

Developed independently between Spain and China, the project reflects the filmmakers’ ongoing exploration of cross-cultural narratives, blending European auteur sensibilities with deeply rooted local contexts.

Sunken Plum originates from real social tensions, inspired in part by viral videos—later censored—that exposed violence against transgender women in China, grounding the film in a broader reflection on visibility, identity and social control.

Discover more about the film: Sunken Plum

Sunken Plum: international impact and major awards

Since its release, Sunken Plum has achieved over 150 international festival selections across more than 55 countries, receiving over 30 awards and mentions, and establishing itself as a key work within global queer cinema.

It has become one of the most internationally recognized short films addressing transgender narratives in Asian cinema.

The film had its world premiere at the 62nd SEMINCI – Valladolid International Film Festival (Spain), one of the most prestigious film festivals in the country. It later continued its international journey through key festivals, including the 22nd LesGaiCineMad – Madrid International LGBT Film Festival, and expanded globally with its U.S. premiere at the 36th Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival and its UK premiere at the 26th Raindance Film Festival, both Oscar-qualifying festivals.

The film was also presented at major international festivals such as the 39th European Short Film Festival of Villeurbanne (France), the 34th Interfilm Berlin International Short Film Festival, the 13th Shorts México – International Short Film Festival, the 29th Istanbul International Short Film Festival, and the 16th Bogoshorts – Bogotá Short Film Festival, among many others, consolidating its presence across the five continents.

In Spain, Sunken Plum was selected at several Goya-qualifying festivals, including the 21st Málaga Film Festival, the 30th Aguilar de Campoo Short Film Festival, the 31st Medina del Campo Film Week, the 16th FESCIGU – Guadalajara International Solidarity Film Festival, and the 30th l’Alfàs del Pi Film Festival, reinforcing its recognition within the national industry.

Awards and Recognition

Sunken Plum has received more than 30 awards and mentions worldwide, including:

• Silver Caravel for Best Short Film – 47th Cartagena International Film Festival (Spain)
• Best Short Film, Best Director and Audience Award – 11th Punto di Vista Film Festival (Italy)
• Best Screenplay – 10th ShanghaiPRIDE Film Festival (China)
• Audience Award & Unilabur Award – 22nd Cortada Short Film Festival (Spain)
• Audience Award – 10th Lobofest International Film Festival (Brazil)
• Best Short Film – Centro Niemeyer LGBTI Film Festival (Spain)
• Best Short Film and Best Screenplay – 6th Brighton Trans Pride Film Festival (UK)
• Best Short Film (Journalists’ Award) – 17th Avilés Acción Film Festival (Spain)

The film has received over 12 awards for Best Short Film, multiple Audience Awards, and several recognitions for performance, highlighting both its critical acclaim and its strong connection with audiences worldwide.

You can find the complete and updated list of festival selections here: Sunken Plum (Ciruela de agua dulce) — Awards & Festivals

A defining work in the filmmakers’ trajectory

Sunken Plum represents a turning point in the work of Roberto F. Canuto and Xu Xiaoxi, marking the consolidation of their cinematic language and their ongoing exploration of cross-cultural narratives between Europe and Asia.

Produced independently between Spain and China, the film reflects their commitment to auteur cinema and socially engaged storytelling, combining intimate personal narratives with broader social contexts.

Over time, the film has become one of their most widely screened works, contributing significantly to their international recognition and positioning within the global festival circuit.

Nearly a decade after its release, Sunken Plum continues to resonate with audiences and programmers worldwide. Its return to Asturias through this anniversary selection not only celebrates its past achievements, but also reaffirms its relevance in contemporary discussions around gender identity, representation, and cultural belonging.

As part of this retrospective, the film is not simply revisited — it is recontextualized as a work that helped shape the visibility of transgender narratives in international short filmmaking.

The filmmakers’ trajectory continues with their recent short film IUS of Time, well received at international festivals, further expanding their exploration of identity and memory. They are currently developing new fiction projects in both short and feature formats, planned to be produced between Spain and China.

Watch the official trailer:

The festival, which opens in Warsaw from April 10–18, 2026 and later expands to other cities across the country, presents a wide-ranging program of bold and socially engaged queer cinema, bringing together international works that reflect contemporary social and cultural realities.

Screening at LGBT+ Film Festival Poland – Warsaw (Kinoteka)

IUS of Time will be presented in the “Gay Stories (Shorts)” program, alongside productions from the United States, Hungary, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

Screenings will take place at Kinoteka (Warsaw):

• April 11, 2026 – 20:30
• April 12, 2026 – 18:30

Across the “Gay Stories (Shorts)” and “Gay Love Affairs (Shorts)” sections, the festival showcases a total of 11 international gay short films. IUS of Time is the only Spanish film in this selection, highlighting its growing visibility within the European festival circuit.

This selection also continues the filmmakers’ relationship with the festival, where their previous works Sunken Plum (9th edition, 2018) and Water Circles Under Cotton Clouds (14th edition, 2023) were also presented.

IUS of Time : a story of memory, identity and silence

Set in a rural village in northern Spain, IUS of Time follows a young photography student who returns to reconnect with his roots and meets Xuan, an aging cheesemaker marked by long-standing rumors about his sexuality.

Filmed in the landscapes of Asturias — including the traditional Cabrales cheese caves in Asiegu (courtesy of Quesería Ecológica Asiegu) and historic rural houses shaped by centuries of history — the film draws deeply from the atmosphere of the Picos de Europa to create an intimate and grounded visual world.

As their relationship gradually unfolds, the film explores silence, belonging and generational distance through a restrained and observational approach.

Produced by Almost Red Producciones with the support of the Principado de Asturias, the film reinforces its connection to the region both thematically and materially.

Learn more about IUS of Time.

Recognition at Rochester International Film Festival (New York, USA)

In parallel with its European festival run, the film has also been recognized at the 68th Rochester International Film Festival, one of the longest-running film festivals in the United States, founded in 1959. This year’s edition will take place from April 30 to May 2, 2026 in Rochester, New York.

The film received an award distinction from the festival’s final judging panel, further consolidating its international trajectory.

This recognition strengthens the film’s presence across the U.S. festival circuit, including screenings and awards at festivals such as the 45th Thomas Edison Film Festival (Director’s Choice Award), where the film is part of the official 2026 touring program, as well as the 27th OUTshine Film Festival, where it had its international premiere and launched its international run, followed by the Silicon Valley Queer Film Festival (Best Cinematography Award), and selections at the 43rd Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival and the 27th Spokane International Film Festival, among others.

Expanding international trajectory

With its Polish premiere and recognition at Rochester, IUS of Time continues a festival run spanning three continents: Europe, America and Asia.

The film is part of the ongoing work of Roberto F. Canuto & Xu Xiaoxi, who have collaborated for over 15 years since completing their Master’s degrees at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles. Their films have been widely presented at international festivals and are known for their cross-cultural perspective, working between Europe and Asia while focusing on intimate human stories shaped by social context and personal transformation.

The filmmakers are currently developing new fiction projects in both short and feature formats, with upcoming productions planned between Spain and China, continuing their commitment to international collaboration and auteur cinema.

Watch the official trailer: