El viaje extraordinario de Celeste García
Celeste, a retired and widowed teacher, is leading a quiet life in Havana. Her adult son barely acknowledges her existence, while her sister is only looking out for herself. Fortunately, Celeste has the planetarium, where she works part-time teaching children about the wonders of the stars and the miracle of life. One day, it is revealed that extra-terrestrial beings have been living on earth for many years and are now inviting humans to their home planet Gryok. Celeste is one of those selected to go, by personal invitation of her eccentric Russian neighbour Pauline, who turns out to be an alien herself. Celeste and her fellow travellers meet in an abandoned school to wait for the arrival of the Gryok spaceship.
Debuting director Arturo Infante, who wrote the screenplay himself, mixes elements of comedy, science fiction, and social criticism to create a highly original, surprising film — about receiving a second chance at happiness, be it one that is light years away.
This film is also part of World Cinema Open Air:
- Fri 9 Aug | Marie Heinekenplein | 21:30 | free admittance
- Sat 17 Aug | Vondelpark Open Air Theatre | 21:30 | free admittance
- Thu 5 Sep | VU - On the Roof Filme Festival | 19:00 | tickets
ARTURO INFANTE (Cuba) studied screenwriting at Cuba’s International School of Cinema and Television. He has written feature-length screenplays including La edad de peseta, nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Goyas. He directed shorts El televisor (2001), El Intruso (2005), Flash Forward (2006) and Gozar, comer y partir (2007). El viaje extraordinario de Celeste Garciá (2018) is his debut feature.
