20,000 Species Of Bees
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''20,000 Species of Bees'' () is a 2023 Spanish
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
written and directed by
Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren (born 4 May 1984) is a Spanish film director, screenwriter, and producer. She has won awards for ''Voces de papel'' (2016), a Documentary film, documentary, and (2022), a short film, while her first feature film, ...
in her debut feature. It stars
Sofía Otero Sofía Otero Labrador (born 31 March 2013) is a Spanish child actress, who played a starring role in her film debut in ''20,000 Species of Bees''. The film won her the 2023 Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance at the 73rd Berlin Internation ...
,
Patricia López Arnaiz Patricia López Arnaiz (born 15 April 1981) is a Spanish actress, best known for her roles in 2020 drama film '' Ane Is Missing'' and television series '' A Different View''. Life and career Born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, López Arnaiz was raised ...
,
Ane Gabarain Ane Gabarain Gaztelumendi (born 2 June 1963) is a Spanish actress from the Basque Country. Life and career Ane Gabarain Gaztelumendi was born in San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa on 2 June 1963. She made her film debut in ''Maider''. A mostly comic ...
, and Itziar Lazkano. The film narrates the story of Lucía, an eight-year-old transgender girl, who is on a quest for identity. During a summer in a village house linked to beekeeping, she explores her femininity alongside the women of her family, who at the same time reflect on their own. It was selected to compete for the
Golden Bear The Golden Bear () is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival and is, along with the Palme d'Or and the Golden Lion, the most important international film festival award. The bear is the heraldic an ...
at the
73rd Berlin International Film Festival The 73rd annual Berlin International Film Festival, usually called the Berlinale (), took place from 16 to 26 February 2023. It was the first completely in-person Berlinale since 70th Berlin International Film Festival, the 70th in 2020. The fe ...
, where it had its world premiere on 22 February 2023. Nine-year old Sofía Otero won the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance for the role of Lucía. The film was also nominated for Best Feature Film Teddy Award. Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren, the first feature director was nominated for GWFF Best First Feature Award in the festival. In March 2023, the film won Golden Biznaga for Best Spanish Film at the
26th Málaga Film Festival The 26th Málaga Film Festival took place from 10 to 19 March 2023 in Málaga, Andalusia, Spain. '' 20,000 Species of Bees '' and '' Sister & Sister'' won the Golden Biznaga for, respectively, Best Spanish Film and Best Ibero-American Film. The ...
. It was released in cinemas in Spain on 21 April 2023. The film was shortlisted for submission to
96th Academy Awards The 96th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. During the gala, the AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonl ...
as Spanish entry for Best International Feature Film in September 2023.


Synopsis

The film tells the story of a transgender girl and the effect her identity has on her family. To help ensure an accurate portrayal, the director worked with , a regional association for the families of transgender minors, and they also provided guidance for Otero. In the film, the family crosses borders, including the one that separates
Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...
, France from
Laudio/Llodio Laudio in Basque or Llodio in Spanish is a town and municipality located in the province of Álava, in the Basque Country, northern Spain. Geography and Demography Llodio is an important industrial center located at 50 km NW from the provinc ...
in Spanish Basque Country.


Cast

*
Sofía Otero Sofía Otero Labrador (born 31 March 2013) is a Spanish child actress, who played a starring role in her film debut in ''20,000 Species of Bees''. The film won her the 2023 Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance at the 73rd Berlin Internation ...
as Lucía *
Patricia López Arnaiz Patricia López Arnaiz (born 15 April 1981) is a Spanish actress, best known for her roles in 2020 drama film '' Ane Is Missing'' and television series '' A Different View''. Life and career Born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, López Arnaiz was raised ...
as Ane *
Ane Gabarain Ane Gabarain Gaztelumendi (born 2 June 1963) is a Spanish actress from the Basque Country. Life and career Ane Gabarain Gaztelumendi was born in San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa on 2 June 1963. She made her film debut in ''Maider''. A mostly comic ...
as Lourdes * as Lita * as Leire * as Gorka * Miguel Garcés * * Andere Garabieta


Production

In July 2021, Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren was selected in the Mediterranean Film Institute (MFI), MFI Script 2 Film Workshops, which focuses on the field of training, specialising in script and project development. She also took part in the Berlinale Co-Production Market, feature-film project in 2022. The film was one of the 19 official selected projects for the 2022 Berlinale Co-Production Market. Inicia Films and Gariza Films took charge of the production. The cast was finalized as: Sofía Otero as Lucía,
Patricia López Arnaiz Patricia López Arnaiz (born 15 April 1981) is a Spanish actress, best known for her roles in 2020 drama film '' Ane Is Missing'' and television series '' A Different View''. Life and career Born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, López Arnaiz was raised ...
as Ane, Ane Gabarain as Lourdes, Itziar Lazkano as Lita, Sara Cózar as Leire Martxelo Rubio as Gorka along with Miguel Garcés, Unax Hayden and Andere Garabieta. Shooting locations included
Laudio Laudio in Basque or Llodio in Spanish is a town and municipality located in the province of Álava, in the Basque Country, northern Spain. Geography and Demography Llodio is an important industrial center located at 50 km NW from the provinc ...
and
Hendaye Hendaye (; Basque: ''Hendaia'',HENDAIA


Release

''20,000 Species of Bees'' had its world premiere on 22 February 2023 as part of the
73rd Berlin International Film Festival The 73rd annual Berlin International Film Festival, usually called the Berlinale (), took place from 16 to 26 February 2023. It was the first completely in-person Berlinale since 70th Berlin International Film Festival, the 70th in 2020. The fe ...
, in competition. It also made it to the 26th
Málaga Film Festival The Málaga Festival, formerly Málaga Spanish Film Festival (FMCE), is an annual film festival held in Málaga, Andalusia, Spain. The festival was established to promote Spanish cinema and help disseminate information about Spanish films. Since ...
's main competitive slate. In April it competed in the
47th Hong Kong International Film Festival The 47th Hong Kong International Film Festival () took place from 30 March to 10 April 2023, both online and in-person in Hong Kong. Soi Cheang was selected as the Filmmaker in Focus for this edition and masterclasses led by Tsai Ming-liang and L ...
, where it won the best actress for its female ensemble cast. It was theatrically released in Spain on 21 April 2023. It was reported on 14 January 2023 that Paris-based Luxbox has acquired the international sales right of the film, whereas
BTeam Pictures BTeam Pictures is a Spanish film distribution company. The company is based in Madrid. It is headed by Alex Lafuente, Ania Jones and Lara Pérez Camiña. It also has a film production division. History The company was founded in Barcelona in 201 ...
will release the film in Spain.
Film Movement Film Movement is a North American distributor of independent and foreign films, which is based in New York City, founded in 2003. History Film Movement was founded in 2003, and has released more than 250 feature films and shorts. Having grown f ...
acquired North-American distribution rights to the film. In June 2023 the film was screened at the
70th Sydney Film Festival The 70th annual Sydney Film Festival was held from 7 to 18 June 2023. Warwick Thornton's drama film ''The New Boy'' opened the festival and James Mangold's action adventure film ''Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny'' was the closing film. A ...
. It was also invited to the
27th Lima Film Festival The 27th Lima Film Festival, organized by the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, took place from 10–18 August 2023 in Lima, Peru. The awards were announced on 18 August 2023, with Tótem (film), ''Tótem'' winning the Trophy Spondylus. B ...
in the Acclaimed section, where it was screened on 10 August 2023. The film competed at the
2023 Calgary International Film Festival The 2023 edition of the Calgary International Film Festival, the 24th edition in the event's history, took place from September 21 to October 1, 2023 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The festival opened with ''Geoff McFetridge: Drawing a Life'', a d ...
in 'International Narrative Competition' for Best International Narrative Feature award and had screening on September 23. It won International Narrative Feature, Special Jury Citation there. It was screened at the
71st San Sebastián International Film Festival The 71st San Sebastián International Film Festival ran 22–30 September 2023 in San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Spain. The awards were announced on 30 September 2023, with '' The Rye Horn'' winning the Golden Shell, being the first film directed by ...
in 'Zinemira' section on 22 September and won
Sebastiane Award Sebastiane Award is a prize delivered in September, since 2000, to a film or documentary screened during the San Sebastián International Film Festival that best reflects the values and reality of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people. ...
. It was also screened at
2023 BFI London Film Festival The 67th BFI London Film Festival was a film festival that took place from 4–15 October 2023. The competition films were announced on 29 August 2023 while the films for the galas and the strands were revealed on 31 August 2023. The juries for th ...
in 'Strand' section under 'Love' theme on 10 October 2023, and made it to Special Spotlight: Basque Cinema of the
36th Tokyo International Film Festival The 36th Tokyo International Film Festival is film festival that took place from October 23 to November 1, 2023. German filmmaker Wim Wenders served as jury president. The official poster for the festival was created by fashion designer Koshin ...
, where it was screened on 23 October 2023. The film was selected in 'Focus Country: Spain' section at the
29th Kolkata International Film Festival The 29th Kolkata International Film Festival began on 5 December 2023 at Netaji Indoor Stadium, in Kolkata, India. A 1963 romantic comedy Bengali film ''Deya Neya'' by Sunil Bannerjee opened the festival, which screened 219 films from 39 countr ...
and was screened on 8 December 2023. On 24 March 2024, it was screened at the
Sofia International Film Festival Sofia International Film Festival (SIFF) (Bulgarian language, Bulgarian: ''Международен София Филм Фест, София Филм Фест''), also known as Sofia Film Fest, is an annual film festival in Sofia, capital city of ...
in European Parliament LUX Prize section.


Reception


Critical response

Alfonso Rivera, reviewing the film for
Cineuropa Cineuropa is an online information portal dedicated to the promotion of European cinema. It publishes daily news, reviews, interviews, and industry reports and maintains a database of information. It is available in four languages: English, Fre ...
, praised Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren writing, "the filmmaker addresses plurality, exploration and transformation with a stratospheric sensitivity." Rivera praising performances of
Patricia López Arnaiz Patricia López Arnaiz (born 15 April 1981) is a Spanish actress, best known for her roles in 2020 drama film '' Ane Is Missing'' and television series '' A Different View''. Life and career Born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, López Arnaiz was raised ...
, Ane Gabarain and Sofía Otero wrote, "superb work by her actresses, but there are not enough adjectives to commend Sofía Otero (keep an eye on her, it is impossible not to succumb to her talent)." Nicholas Bell in IonCinema.com gave the film a score of three out of five, writing, "Touching and without being overly sentimental, Solaguren uses the titular diversity of bees to suggest our authentic roles all play an important part if we are to move beyond surviving to actually thriving". ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
''s Jordan Mintzer called the film "A compassionate coming-of-ager" and praised Otero and Arnaiz's performances, calling the former "clearly the centerpiece of the film". Mintzer concluded: "''20,000 Species of Bees'' returns to Ane's rnaiz'sloving — most memorably at the very close of the film when she not only firmly stands by her youngest child's bold decision, but appears to be empowered by it. As are we." The film featured in compilation '15 films that stood out at Berlin 2023' of ''
ScreenDaily ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company which also owned ''Broadcast''. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involve ...
''. Lee Marshall of
Screen International ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company which also owned '' Broadcast''. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involv ...
praised Otero's performance, writing, "Sofía Otero is never less than compelling, her face a deep pool that becomes a magnet for the audience". In her concluding paragraph, she compared the film's climactic sequence of people on a search for a missing girl to a similar sequence in the 1973 film ''
The Spirit of the Beehive ''The Spirit of the Beehive'' () is a 1973 Spanish drama film directed and co-written by Víctor Erice. The film was Erice's feature directorial debut and is considered a masterpiece of Spanish cinema. The film, set in a small town in post-Civil ...
'' (which in turn served as an homage to ''
Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 Gothic novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a Sapience, sapient Frankenstein's monster, crea ...
''): "It's a masterful touch in an engaging, authentic, moving film about the way society persists in seeing monsters where there are none."


Top ten lists

The film appeared on a number of critics' top ten lists of the best Spanish films of 2023:ç * 2nd — ''
Mondosonoro ''Mondo Sonoro'', sometimes shortened to ''la Mondo'', is a Spanish magazine established in 1994 which focuses on current alternative, popular and indie music, as well as national emerging bands. Co-founded by Sergio Marqués and Jose Macarro in B ...
'' (consensus) * 3rd — ''
El Confidencial ''El Confidencial'' is a Spanish-language general-information digital newspaper located in Spain, specializing in economic, financial and political news. It was established as an online newspaper in 2001. Its target readership is professional ...
'' (consensus) * 4th — ''
El Español ''El Español'' is a Spanish online newspaper that started in 2015. It has its headquarters in Avenida de Burgos, 16D, 7º, Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid. As of April 2025, it has the largest digital reach among all newspapers in Spain, averaging ...
'' (''Series & Más'' consensus) * 8th — ''
El Cultural ''El Cultural'' is a Spanish weekly magazine dedicated to arts and culture. It is based in Madrid. It was a weekly supplement of '' La Razón''. It later was one of the weekly supplements of '' El Mundo'', as a part of Unidad Editorial S.A. In ...
'' (critics) * 9th — '' El Mundo'' (Luis Martínez)


Accolades

''20,000 Species of Bees'' was nominated for European Discovery – Prix FIPRESCI in the 36th European Film Awards on 7 November. The awards ceremony took place on 9 December in Berlin.


Listicle


See also

*
List of Spanish films of 2023 A list of Cinema of Spain, Spanish-produced and co-produced feature films released in Spain in 2023. When applicable, the domestic theatrical release date is favoured. Films {, class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;" , - ! colspan="2" ...


References


External links

* *
''20,000 Species of Bees''
at Berlinale
''20,000 Species of Bees''
at Production Incia Films * * {{DEFAULTSORT:20000 Species of Bees 2020s Spanish films 2020s Spanish-language films 2023 directorial debut films 2023 drama films 2023 films 2023 LGBTQ-related films Films shot in Nouvelle-Aquitaine Films shot in the Basque Country (autonomous community) 2020s LGBTQ-related drama films Spanish LGBTQ-related films Films about trans women 2020s coming-of-age drama films Spanish coming-of-age drama films