Zip & Zap and the Marble Gang (Zipi y Zape y el club de la canica)
Mohaq - ages 8+ - Ajyal Youth Film Festival 2013
Óskar Santos / Feature Narrative / Spain / 2013 / 92 min / Colour / DCP / In Spanish / Arabic, English subtitles / MENA Premiere
Rated: Parental guidance is advised. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.
Synopsis
Zip and his twin brother Zap have entertained legions of Spanish youngsters for decades with their comic-book adventures, which were created in the 50s by Jose Escobar. Now, they land on the big screen in an action-packed adventure set in the surroundings of a strict rural summer school.
As soon as Zip and Zap arrive at the Hope Re-Education Centre, they realise they’re going to have a hard time with Mr. Falconetti, the repressive headmaster, who’s determined to transform the unruly students into productive and upstanding citizens. The naughty twins and their sidekicks Filo and Micro decide to form the Marble Gang, and quickly win the admiration of the other kids by skulking about the campus at night, bravely defying the school rules. Then one day the gang find themselves embroiled in a mystery that begs to be solved…
About the Director
Director Oskar Santos creates a spot-on contemporary update of Zip and Zap, but its subtle critique of an education system that advocates subordination over creativity and discipline over individuality stays true to the comic book’s original spirit – after all, Escobar created these characters while the Franco regime was in full force. The result is an exciting ride which takes full advantage of spectacular visuals and special effects to deliver a playful, family-friendly escapade full of mystery, suspense and laughter.
Born in 1972 in Bilbao, Spain, Oskar Santos has worked in both film and television. Before ‘Zip & Zap’, he wrote and directed two shorts, ‘Torre’ (2000) and ‘El Sonador’ (2004); the TV documentary ‘Un viaje mar adentro’ (2005), about the making of the controversial film ‘The Sea Inside’ (2004) by Alejandro Amenabar, and the feature film ‘For the Good of Others’ (2010), which was produced by Amenabar.
Credits
- Director
- Óskar Santos
- Screenwriter
- Jorge Lara, Francisco Roncal
- Producer
- Fernando Bovaira, Francisco Ramos, Mikel Lejarza, Mercedes Gamero, Koldo Zuazua
- Editor
- Carolina Martinez Urbina
- Executive Producer
- Fernando Bovaira, Juan Moreno
- Music
- Fernando Velázquez
- Cinematographer
- Josu Inchaustegui
- Production Company
- MOD Producciones, Zeta Audiovisual, Atresmedia Cine, Kowalski Films
- Sound
- Aitor Berenguer, Gabriel Gutierrez
- Set Designer
- Juan Pedro de Gaspar
- Cast
- Javier Gutiérrez, Daniel Cerezo, Raúl Rivas, Claudia Vega, Marcos Ruiz, Fran García, Christian Mulas