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 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:

Following its premiere at the XI CortoGijón Film Festival and its international premiere at the 27th OUTshine International Film Festival (United States), the film has enjoyed an extensive presence on the international festival circuit, with nearly 50 selections and 5 awards. Throughout this journey, IUS of Time has connected with a wide range of audiences, receiving a level of recognition that has exceeded our initial expectations.

A journey through national and international film festivals

This international presence has resulted in broad participation in film festivals around the world, spanning Europe, the Americas, and Asia. The short film has been selected both at showcases dedicated to independent cinema and at festivals focused on LGBTQ+ narratives, consolidating its position within a diverse and multicultural circuit. Full details of the international festival journey of IUS of Time can also be found on IMDb.

Among the festivals that have screened the film are the 53rd Huesca International Film Festival (Spain, Academy Awards and Goya Awards qualifying festival), the 43rd Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival (United States), the 34th Festival de Cine de Madrid FCM-PNR (Spain, Goya Awards qualifying festival), the 31st Chéries-Chéris – Festival du film LGBTQIA & +++ de Paris (France), the 63rd FICX – Gijon International Film Festival (Spain), and the 27th OUTshine International Film Festival (United States), among many others.

The international festival journey and strategy of the short film have been supported by Selected Films Distribution, responsible for its distribution. Their guidance and in-depth knowledge of both national and international circuits have been key to the film’s reach and visibility.

Awards and recognitions

During 2025, IUS of Time received five international awards and recognitions, including:

• Director’s Choice Award at the 45th Thomas Edison Film Festival (TEFF), United States.
• Audience Award Asturias at the 24th Avilés Acción Film Festival, Spain.
• Third Audience Award (LQCW × CathayPlay) at the 24th Beijing Queer Film Festival, China.
• Honorable Mention at the 1st Goitacá International Film Festival, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• Best Cinematography at the 3rd Rural and Mountain Film Festival of Cervera de Pisuerga, Spain.

The complete list of festival selections and awards can be consulted in the official festival journey document.

Dialogue with audiences

Beyond selections and awards, the most valuable aspect of this journey has been the direct encounter with audiences. Screenings of IUS of Time have sparked deep conversations and emotional responses, with encounters in cities such as Paris, Beijing, and Madrid, reaffirming our belief in the potential of the short film as a form of communication capable of crossing borders, cultures, and lived experiences.

Looking ahead

Looking toward the coming year, our goal is to continue expanding the international journey of IUS of Time, exploring new festivals — with several upcoming selections already confirmed — as well as new cities and exhibition spaces. We aim to keep creating opportunities for the film to be seen, discussed, and shared, while remaining open to new collaborations and creative projects that may emerge from this experience.

Acknowledgements

We would like to express our sincere thanks to the entire artistic and technical team, whose commitment, talent, and dedication made this project possible. We are equally grateful to festival programmers, festival teams, and, above all, to the audiences who have accompanied and supported IUS of Time throughout its journey.

The year 2025 marks a key chapter in the life of the film, and we look toward the future with optimism and a strong desire to continue sharing its journey.