Rita is a 2024 Spanish drama film written and directed by Paz Vega (in her directorial debut feature) which stars SofÃÂa Allepuz as the title character alongside Alejandro Escamilla, Paz Vega, and Roberto ÃÂlamo.
Set in 1984 Seville against the backdrop of the craze about the UEFA Euro 1984, and with the Spanish team making inroads in the knockout stage, the plot follows siblings Rita and Lolo (respectively 7- and 5-year-old), as the former dreams about going to the beach.
The film was produced by ÃÂralan Films and Rita la PelÃÂcula AIE, with the association of Oda Films and Arte Sonora Estudios, the participation of Canal Sur, RTVE, and Movistar Plus+, and the funding from ICAA, AAIICC, Triodos Bank, and Crea SGR, boasting a budget of around â¬2 million. It was fully shot in Andalusia, with Seville as the prime shooting location.
Rita had its world premiere at the during the 77th Locarno Film Festival on 16 August 2024. It also made it to the official selection slate of the 69th Valladolid International Film Festival (for its Spanish premiere), to the New Directors Competition slate of the 60th Chicago International Film Festival (for its North-American premiere), and to the International Competition of the 39th Mar del Plata International Film Festival (for its Argentine premiere). Distributed by Filmax, it was released theatrically in Spain on 25 October 2024.
Signature Entertainment acquired United Kingdom and Ireland rights to the film.
Marko StojiljkoviÃÂ of Cineuropa wrote that Vega "demonstrates a knack for storytelling, both as a writer and as a director. Her script is cleverly written and masterfully controlled by her directing, with a good sense of visual narration".
Jonathan Holland of ScreenDaily deemed Rita to be a "subtle and potent" directorial debut.
Enid Román Almansa of CinemanÃÂa rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, declaring it not only a love letter to the past, but also a return to innocence.
Juan Pando of Fotogramas rated the film 3 out of 5 stars, considering it a "promising" directorial debut.
Marta Medina of El Confidencial rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, writing that Vega "has shown that she has the gaze, the taste and the pulse to pull off not just a film, but a good film".
|- | rowspan = "15" | | rowspan = "14" | 4th Carmen Awards || colspan = "2" | Best Film || || rowspan = "14" | |- | Best New Director || Paz Vega || |- | Best Original Screenplay || Paz Vega || |- | rowspan = "2" | Best Supporting Actress || Amada Santos || |- | Paz Vega || |- | Best New Actress || Paz de Alarcón || |- | Best Editing || Ana ÃÂlvarez-Ossorio || |- | Best Original Score || Pablo Cervantes || |- | Best Art Direction || Amanda Román || |- | Best Production Supervision || Amanda Román || |- | Best Costume Design || Fernando GarcÃÂa || |- | Best Sound || Daniel de Zayas, Jorge MarÃÂn || |- | Best Makeup and Hairstyles || Rafael Mora, ÃÂngela Moreno || |- | Best Special Effects || Luis Melga || |- | rowspan = "1" | 39th Goya Awards || Best New Director || Paz Vega || || rowspan = "1" |