Malaga film, which only cost 5,000 euros to produce, triumphs at international festivals... although not in Spain

With no famous acting names, barely any budget and shooting undercover. None of that has prevented the novelist Javier Ruiz (born in Malaga in 1997) from making his feature film debut with Tienes 24 Horas (You've got 24 hours), a psychological thriller with an Alfred Hitchcock flavour that has been competitively selected for more than a dozen possible awards around the world. The film has already won the audience award at the London Lift-Off Film Festival and best film at the Near Nazareth Festival in June. The limited number of hours are received by the lead character in a threatening card and this serves as a letter of introduction to this radical Malaga production, shot at a cost of almost 5,000 euros and a lot of enthusiasm, but which has been enough to take it around the world. There's just one caveat, it has not yet been selected for any Spanish film festivals.

"When I introduce myself I always tell the truth: 'I'm a guy who makes films, but I don't have a penny'", explained Javier Ruiz to SUR, who, as in his film, could well print this phrase on his business card. So, being upfront about his situation and making short films since he started up in 2018 with Sonrisas (smiles), this young man from Malaga already has in his filmography several short titles and an internet series - La Tierra de los Malvados (land of the wicked). Besides that, he has also pulled together a technical and artistic team of regular collaborators who have put their hard work - and even some of their own money - into his debut feature-length film Tienes 24 Horas'. He then managed to get composer and Goya-nominated Antonio Meliveo to join in as co-producer and composer of the film's soundtrack. The cast comprises Manuel Jordán, Jorge Porras, Gabriel Haro, Elizabeth Domínguez and Antonio Coca.

Together they all bring Ruiz's screenplay to life, which is based on a meeting of friends that turns from laughter to tears and fear when one of them receives a card with an unexpected message: "You will die in 24 hours unless you find someone who is willing to accept it." A shocking start in the best tradition of Hitchcock's MacGuffins. A MacGuffin is an object or event that is necessary to the plot and the motivation of the characters, but in itself it is irrelevant or unimportant. The young director from Malaga considers himself indebted to Hitchcock's film work alongside other titles such as the classic 12 Angry Men by Sidney Lumet, or the much more recent thriller Circle by Aaron Hann and Mario Miscione. "I have a weakness for American and genre films, but behind this plot I have tried to do the same as the master of suspense, to show characters debating about life and death, about whether one life is worth more than another or how far to go, but avoiding lessons, as I hate films with a message", admitted Ruiz, adding that: "I think that we directors sometimes err on the side of arrogance."

In contrast, Javier Ruiz is one of those who proclaims that "the most important thing is that the spectator enjoys himself." That is why he is so keen to stress that, while his film is of a certain genre: "I try to make the audience see something different, that is why I like to say that it is independent cinema." A label that is not only limited to the paltry budget of 5,000 euros for this unsubsidised production that was wholly financed through private means, but also in terms of cinematography. "We skipped a lot of script structures and broke the traditional set-ups in visual language. 'You've got 24 hours' is a film that combines the classic with the modern, but not with criticism in mind, for me the first thing is to surprise the viewer", explains this ambitious filmmaker. He then lists all the locations where his film has already been screened at 13 festivals (New York, Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Toronto, Punta del Este and Calcutta, among others), as well as the awards in London and Israel.

A long journey for a modest but aspirational film. Like its author. "I started with a borrowed camera and now I make productions with a team of 50 people", said the filmmaker, who remembers the help he received years ago from the director Pablo Lavado (author of Al Óleo, which competed in the official section of the Malaga Festival), who was fundamental for his debut. Several shorts, a series and a feature film later, he continues to direct thanks to those who have collaborated with him, although he is already clear that the next thing he wants to do is "generate income." Something he hopes to do with Tienes 24 Horas and its release on cinema screens or streaming platforms. "We are in talks with three distributors", said the director, scriptwriter and producer. He screened a preview of his debut feature in February in Torremolinos and does not hide the fact that he has a thorn in his side about the radio silence from the Spanish film festivals.

Malaga features heavily in this film. From the popular bar Oña (opposite Carlos Haya) to El Limonar, passing through Bailén-Miraflores, Carlinda, San Alberto, the PTA (Andalucía Technology Park) and a farmhouse in Comares, this psychological thriller uses Malaga locations to compose a measured film. So much so that its running time is 61 minutes, one more than the limit for it to be considered a feature-length film. "When I wrote the story I didn't know if it was going to be an hour long, but the actor Manuel Jordán came up with a scene that I loved and we included it. It turned out to be crucial and the film became a feature film", he said triumphantly. The intrigue surrounding that sequence is left dangling in the air, but he hopes to reveal all very soon with the premiere. Despite this, Ruiz is not one of those who just sits back and watches it all happen. Not only has he been busy preparing his second feature film for months, but he already has a title and a shooting date. In October he starts shooting Perros y Diablos (dogs and devils) with his usual crew. He also hopes he can film that with a little more than 5,000 euros.