The screening will take place on Friday, March 20, 2026, at 8:00 PM, as part of the Asturian Short Films program at Cines Embajadores Foncalada in Oviedo.

The festival will take place from March 20–29, 2026, featuring a program that brings together films and activities designed to connect filmmakers, industry professionals and audiences.

Oviedo Film Festival (FOCO)

The Oviedo Film Festival (FOCO) was founded in 2008 as a short film showcase initiated by students from the audiovisual programs of the Asturian educational centres IES Aramo and CIDISI.

Since then, it has evolved into a well-established festival within the Asturian film scene. In recent years the event has expanded its scope, evolving from a regional showcase into a national festival featuring both feature films and short films in competition, alongside various parallel activities dedicated to audiovisual creation.

The 16th edition of the festival will take place across several venues in the city of Oviedo, including Cines Embajadores Foncalada.

IUS of Time, a return to Asturias

The selection at the Oviedo Film Festival also represents a very special return to Asturias for IUS of Time, a short film set in the Asturian countryside that reflects on memory, the passage of time and the bonds between generations.

A story that explores the relationship between place and the shared experiences of different generations, where the landscape and traditional rural trades play a central role.

The film continues its journey through festivals in Spain and internationally, further consolidating its presence within contemporary independent cinema.

Screening Information

The screening is part of the festival’s program dedicated to Asturian short films.

The cast of IUS of Time

The cast of IUS of Time brings together performers with diverse backgrounds in film, theatre and television.

Manuel Pizarro, a theatre, film and television actor with more than thirty years of experience, plays Xuan, a character shaped by the weight of the past and the scars of social injustice. His career has developed primarily in theatre, where he has received seven national awards for Best Leading Actor at various festivals and competitions. His work also includes the film “Mortadelo y Filemón” (dir. Javier Fesser) and the series “Vientos de agua” by Juan José Campanella.

The character of Luca is played by the Asturian actor Pelayo Carrizo, trained at the Asturias School of Dramatic Arts (ESAD). Carrizo has previously collaborated with directors Roberto F. Canuto and Xu Xiaoxi in several short films, including Water Circles Under Cotton Clouds, Blow Down and Sunset in Paris.

The cast is completed by Andy Almar, an Asturian actor and screenwriter who has appeared in several audiovisual productions, including the series “Poquita Fe” (2023), distributed by Movistar Plus+, as well as theatre and television projects.

Also part of the cast is Laura Ubach, an actress with experience in film, television and theatre, known for her participation in the series “Alma” (Netflix) and in the production “Olympo” (2025), also distributed by Netflix.

Filming in the rural heart of Asturias

Filming for IUS of Time took place in several locations across the Principality of Asturias, including the Picos de Europa and the municipalities of Cabrales, Onís and Piloña.

One of the most distinctive locations used during production was the Cabrales cheese aging caves, specifically those of the Asiegu Organic Dairy in the municipality of Cabrales. Inside these caves, where humidity reaches approximately 95%, some of the most atmospheric scenes of the short film were shot.

The crew also filmed in emblematic locations of the Asturian rural landscape, including the bar-shop El Chigre of Biedes in Piloña, a mountain stable in Sevares, and a 17th-century rural house in Biedes preserving Napoleonic-era furniture.

These locations help shape the film’s visual universe, where the landscape and rural traditions form an essential part of the story told by IUS of Time.

You can find more information about the film on the official page for IUS of Time on our website.

Header image: analogue photograph taken during the filming by Elmer Guevara © Almost Red Productions.

The film will be part of the session “Love Through the Storm,” scheduled for Sunday, March 22 at 21:00 at Cinobo Patision, one of the most active cinema venues in the Greek capital. The screening will be followed by the festival’s awards ceremony.

With this new selection, IUS of Time strengthens its presence on the international festival circuit, consolidating its trajectory within contemporary independent and queer cinema. Among its 2026 selections are festivals such as the 45th Thomas Edison Film Festival in the United States and the 27º Spokane International Film Festival, among others.

For more information about the short film, its full synopsis and its festival journey, you can visit the official page for IUS of Time on Almost Red Productions.

The Positively Different Short Film Festival in Athens: a space for socially engaged and diverse cinema

The Positively Different Short Film Festival (PDSFF) has established itself in recent years as one of the leading European platforms dedicated to socially and politically engaged short films.

Held annually in Athens, the festival seeks to highlight stories that challenge structures of discrimination related to gender, sexuality, origin, religion or social class, offering a space where cinema and cultural activism meet.

In this context, the selection of IUS of Time is part of an international programme that highlights intimate stories that engage with contemporary social issues.

The 2026 edition, under the theme “The Urge”, presents a programme that reflects on the current political and cultural challenges, bringing together stories that explore the diversity of identities and experiences from different parts of the world.

IUS of Time in the session “Love Through the Storm”

The short film will be screened in the session “Love Through the Storm”, dedicated to stories that explore emotional bonds and resilience in contexts shaped by social and cultural tensions.

The session brings together films from different countries that address themes such as identity, memory, desire and the social pressure surrounding human relationships.

IUS of Time consolidates its international festival run

Set in the rural landscape of Asturias, IUS of Time follows the encounter between Luca, a young photographer, and Xuan, a cheesemaker who lives in isolation after years of rumours about his past, in a story that reflects on memory, inherited prejudice and the possibilities of connection between generations.

Since its premiere less than a year ago, IUS of Time has built a strong international festival run, already surpassing the 50 selections at festivals across Europe, the Americas and Asia and consolidating the presence of the work of Roberto F. Canuto and Xu Xiaoxi within the contemporary independent cinema landscape.

The participation in the Positively Different Short Film Festival also represents the film’s first screening in Greece, expanding its presence within the European festival circuit.

At the same time, it strengthens its international trajectory with new selections across Europe and the United States throughout 2026.

Header image: photograph taken during filming by Jorge Fernández Artime © Almost Red Productions.

Official trailer below.

Screening in the Queer Shorts Section of the Spokane International Film Festival

IUS of Time will screen on March 8, 2026, at 4:00 PM at the Magic Lantern Theater (25 W. Main Ave, Spokane), as part of the Queer Shorts program, a curated showcase dedicated to works that explore LGBTQ+ identities and experiences across diverse cultural contexts.

• 📅 March 8, 2026
• 🕓 4:00 PM
• 📍 The Magic Lantern Theater
• 25 W. Main Ave, Spokane, Washington

🎟 More information and tickets available on the official website of the Spokane International Film Festival.

One of Washington State’s Leading Film Festivals

Founded in 1999 and organized by the Contemporary Arts Alliance, the Spokane International Film Festival is one of Washington State’s leading film festivals and a key platform for independent cinema in the Pacific Northwest. SpIFF is known for its carefully curated selection of international feature films and short films that have not yet received commercial release, while also fostering direct engagement between filmmakers and audiences.

IUS of Time Strengthens Its Presence in the United States

The selection at SpIFF further reinforces the international trajectory of IUS of Time within the independent and queer cinema circuit in the United States. In recent months, the film has also been recognized at the 45th Thomas Edison Film Festival, where it received the Director’s Choice Award, and at the 4th Silicon Valley Queer Film Festival, where it received the Best Cinematography Award, along with nominations for Best Short Film and Best Drama.

The film has also been included in the official selections of major festivals such as the 43rd edition of Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival, the 30th edition of OutSouth Queer Film Festival, and the 14th OutReels Cincinnati International Film Festival, among others. An overview of IUS of Time’s 2025 festival run is available on our website.

This new selection further strengthens the film’s presence in North America and expands its dialogue with United States audiences, reinforcing its international visibility.

Memory and Intergenerational Queer Experience

Set in rural Asturias, northern Spain, IUS of Time follows an encounter between two men from different generations, exploring themes of memory, solitude, and inherited tensions through an intimate and restrained lens.

The cast is led by Manuel Pizarro, an actor with more than three decades of experience in theater, film, and television, alongside Pelayo Carrizo, an Asturian performer trained at ESAD and a frequent collaborator of the directors. The ensemble is completed by Andy Almar and Laura Ubach, who have appeared in productions such as Poquita Fe (Movistar+) in the case of Almar, and Alma or Olympo (Netflix) in Ubach’s case, bringing a contemporary dimension to the narrative.

🔎 You can find the complete film profile of IUS of Time and an overview of its international festival journey on its film page on the Almost Red Productions website.

Header image: analogue photograph taken during the filming by Elmer Guevara © Almost Red Productions.

🎬 Official trailer below.

IUS of Time, a short film directed by Roberto F. Canuto & Xu Xiaoxi, has been selected for competition at the 16th edition of Écrans Mixtes – Queer Film Festival of Lyon, one of the most important LGBTQI+ film festivals in France and Europe. The event will take place from March 4 to 12, 2026, in Lyon and its metropolitan area, featuring an extensive international program of feature films and short films spanning fiction, documentary, and experimental cinema.

Within the short film competition, IUS of Time takes part in the European program, which brings together a total of ten works from across the continent. In this section, the film is the only Spanish title selected, sharing the lineup with works from the United Kingdom, Belgium, Portugal, Germany, Greece, Switzerland, and Italy.

The Écrans Mixtes 2026 short film selection is further expanded by an international section featuring six works from Iran, Brazil, Lebanon, and Cambodia, alongside a French program comprising five titles. Together, they form a diverse selection reflecting the aesthetic, political, and cultural plurality of contemporary queer cinema.

A Key Festival for Queer Cinema in France and Europe

Founded in 2011, Écrans Mixtes has, over sixteen editions, established itself as one of the most relevant queer film festivals in France and across Europe. Based in Lyon and its metropolitan area, the festival is known for an ambitious program that combines contemporary cinema, retrospectives, talks, and parallel activities, placing questions of gender, sexuality, identity, and representation at the centre of cultural debate.

Beyond its cinematic dimension, Écrans Mixtes is defined by a critical and political approach, with a particular focus on feminist, trans, and dissident film practices, as well as by its commitment to creating spaces for dialogue between filmmakers, audiences, and contemporary thought. In this context, the participation of IUS of Time in competition represents a particularly significant recognition within the European circuit of specialised festivals.

Official Short Film Competition and Awards

The participation of IUS of Time entails its inclusion in one of the festival’s most significant sections, evaluated by an international professional jury. Within this competition, the festival awards the Écrans Mixtes Prize for Best Short Film, as well as an Audience Award, reinforcing both artistic recognition and a direct connection with audiences.

The presence of IUS of Time within this competitive context highlights the festival’s attention to auteur-driven works that explore identities, affects, and memories through non-normative approaches, and positions the film within a selection that brings it into dialogue with some of the most active voices in contemporary European and international queer cinema.

Screening of IUS of Time at Écrans Mixtes 2026

The screening of IUS of Time will take place on Saturday, March 7, 2026, within the European Short Film Program – Program européen 2, included in the festival’s official competition.

This session brings together a selection of European works that explore queer experience from diverse cultural, generational, and aesthetic perspectives, fostering a dialogue between territories and contemporary sensibilities. Here, the film stands as the only Spanish production in the short film programs, reinforcing its distinct position within the selection.

The festival unfolds its program across multiple cultural venues throughout Lyon and its metropolitan area, promoting a decentralised exhibition model that broadens the encounter between the films, audiences, and the city’s cultural fabric.

A European Short Film in Dialogue with the Queer Present

Within the context of Écrans Mixtes—a festival that has historically fostered a space for reflection between cinema, body politics, and sexual dissidence—IUS of Time aligns itself with a strand of European queer cinema that privileges observation, duration, and lived experience over normative and accelerated narratives.

The film shapes its perspective around the encounter between two men from different generations, exploring how desire, care, and memory are passed on—or silenced—within contexts shaped by tradition and the passage of time. This intergenerational dimension, still uncommon in contemporary queer cinema, invites identity to be understood not as something fixed, but as a process constructed in relation to the other.

Shot entirely in the rural landscape of Asturias, IUS of Time also reflects on the countryside as a possible space for queer experience, moving away from dominant urban representations. In this sense, the landscape, traditional trades, and the rhythms of manual labour do not function as a backdrop, but as active elements that shape forms of relationship, intimacy, and resistance.

The film’s inclusion in competition within the European program at Écrans Mixtes highlights the festival’s interest in works that expand representations of queer experience through situated, sensitive perspectives that are deeply rooted in their territory.

A Sustained International Journey Across Diverse Contexts

Since its premiere, IUS of Time has developed an international trajectory that has positioned it within a circuit of generalist festivals as well as festivals specialising in queer and independent cinema, combining competitive sections with exhibition contexts that foster a sustained relationship between films and audiences. This circulation has enabled the short film to maintain a continued presence across diverse cultural, institutional, and community settings, organically expanding its international reach.

Beyond its participation in European competitions, the film has been screened in 2026 at festivals such as the 4th Silicon Valley Queer Film Festival (United States), the 14th Pink Life QueerFest (Ankara, Turkey), the 27th ReelOut Queer Film Festival (Canada), or the 45th Thomas Edison Film Festival (United States), a touring festival that awarded IUS of Time the Director’s Choice Award, recognising its artistic singularity and narrative strength.

This journey reflects the short film’s ability to engage with very diverse audiences and to place an intimate story—written by Roberto F. Canuto, Xu Xiaoxi, and Enrique Pérez Romero, and deeply rooted in the rural world—within contemporary conversations around identity, memory, and queer representation.

The international trajectory of IUS of Time thus continues in line with a filmography that has previously explored other cultural contexts and forms of dissidence, such as Sunken Plum, the most awarded short film to date by its directors, consolidating a coherent presence within contemporary independent queer cinema.

For more information about the short film, its full synopsis, and the complete list of selections and awards, please visit the official page for IUS of Time on the Almost Red Productions website.

Official Trailer of IUS of Time

Below, you can watch the official trailer of IUS of Time, a short film produced by Almost Red Productions, which accompanies its international festival journey and offers a first glimpse into its visual and emotional universe.

Through a restrained mise-en-scène and a close attention to time, gestures, and spaces, the trailer anticipates the film’s intimate gaze on memory, desire, and queer experience in the rural world—elements that have shaped its reception at international festivals.

Header image: photograph taken during the filming of IUS of Time in Asturias, used for illustrative purposes.