The Heaven of Animals
| The Heaven of Animals | |
|---|---|
Film poster | |
| Spanish | El cielo de los animales |
| Directed by | Santi Amodeo |
| Screenplay by | Santi Amodeo |
| Based on | The Heaven of Animals by David J. Poissant |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Leo Hermo |
| Edited by | Darío García García |
| Music by | Marcos Amodeo |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Maravillas Films |
Release dates |
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| Countries |
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| Language | Spanish |
The Heaven of Animals (Spanish: El cielo de los animales)[1] is a 2025 drama film written and directed by Santi Amodeo based on the short story collection by David James Poissant. Its cast features Raúl Arévalo, Manolo Solo, Jesús Carroza, Paula Díaz, África de la Cruz, and Claudio Portalo.
Plot
The plot consists of standalone vignettes about loss.[2]
Cast
- Raúl Arévalo as Diego[3]
- Paula Díaz as Amanda[3]
- Jesús Carroza as Fran[3]
- Manolo Solo as Benicio[3]
- Diego Portalo as Darío[3]
- África de la Cruz as Gracia[3]
Production
The film is a Spanish-Romanian co-production by Grupo Tranquilo PC alongside Cinelabs.[1] It had the participation of Canal Sur and RTVE and the financial backing of Junta de Andalucía. Shooting locations in the province of Seville included Seville and Alcalá de Guadaíra.[3][4]
Release
The film was presented at the 28th Málaga Film Festival on 20 March 2025,[5] vying for the Golden Biznaga.[2] Distributed by Maravillas Films,[6] it is scheduled to be released in about 50 Spanish theatres on 9 May 2025.[7]
Reception
Elsa Fernández-Santos of El País wrote that, with the film, Amodeo "returns to his most personal and interesting path, that place where the strange and the brief aspire to reveal something more".[8]
Philipp Engle of Cinemanía rated the film 3½ out of 5 stars, writing that the element that allows the film to overcome its episodic nature the most is the aesthetics.[9]
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2026
|
5th Carmen Awards | Best Film | Pending | [10] | |
| Best Director | Santi Amodeo | Pending | |||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Santi Amodeo | Pending | |||
| Best Actress | Paula Díaz | Pending | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | África de la Cruz | Pending | |||
| Best Original Score | Marcos Amodeo | Pending | |||
| Best Original Song | "Ella es un ángel" by Marcos Amodeo | Pending | |||
| Best Production Supervision | Manolo Limón | Pending | |||
| Best Costume Design | Ainhoa Badiola | Pending | |||
| Best Sound | Dani de Zayas, Carli Pérez Valero, Jorge Marín | Pending | |||
| Best Art Direction | Elena Soriano | Pending | |||
| Best Makeup and Hairstyles | Yolanda Caballero, Rocío Santana | Pending | |||
See also
References
- ^ a b "The Heaven of Animals [El cielo de los animales]". Spanish Kaleidoscope. Ministerio de Cultura. 12 February 2025.
- ^ a b Chico, Fran; Juesas, María (25 February 2025). "El Festival de Málaga 2025 avanza su Sección Oficial con lo nuevo de Daniel Guzmán, Belén Funes y más". Fotogramas.
- ^ a b c d e f g Rivera, Alfonso (7 November 2023). "Santi Amodeo films The Heaven of Animals". Cineuropa.
- ^ "Alcalá de Guadaíra (Sevilla) acoge la grabación de 'El cielo de los animales', la última película de Santi Amodeo". Europa Press. 31 October 2023.
- ^ "'El cielo de los animales' hace reflexionar sobre la muerte con varias fábulas entrelazadas en el Festival de Málaga". Europa Press. 20 March 2025.
- ^ Sánchez Sequera, Marco (3 January 2025). "El cine español que se estrenará en 2025". Audiovisual451.
- ^ "'El cielo de los animales', del sevillano Santi Amodeo, en los cines a partir de mayo". Infobae. 3 April 2025.
- ^ Fernández-Santos, Elsa (9 May 2025). "'El cielo de los animales': el hechizo de las historias escuetas (y raras)". El País.
- ^ Engel, Philipp (8 May 2025). "Crítica de 'El cielo de los animales': muy particular, fluye entrecortada y te encanta en vez de entristecerte". Cinemanía.
- ^ Fernández, Luis (16 December 2025). "'Golpes' y 'Los Tigres', empatadas con 15, lideran las nominaciones para los Premios Carmen 2026". Kinótico.