# Rita (2024 Spanish film)

Rita is a 2024 Spanish drama film written and directed by Paz Vega (in her directorial debut feature) which stars Sofía Allepuz as the title character alongside Alejandro Escamilla, Paz Vega, and Roberto Álamo.

## Plot

Set in 1984 Seville, against the backdrop of the craze about the UEFA Euro 1984, with the Spain's team making inroads in the knockout stage, the plot follows siblings Rita and Lolo (respectively 7- and 5-year-old), as the former dreams about going to the beach.

## Cast

* Sofía Allepuz as Rita
* Alejandro Escamilla as Lolo
* Paz Vega as Mari
* Roberto Álamo as José Manuel
* Daniel Navarro as Nito
* Paz de Alarcón [es] as Chari
* Amada Santos as Tita Merche
* Margarita Asquerino [es] as abuela Carmen

## Production

The film was produced by Áralan Films and Rita la Película AIE, with the association of Oda Films and Arte Sonora Estudios, the participation of Canal Sur, RTVE, and Movistar Plus+, and the funding from ICAA, AAIICC, Triodos Bank, and Crea SGR, boasting a budget of around €2 million. It was fully shot in Andalusia, with Seville as the prime shooting location.

## Release

Rita had its world premiere at the Piazza Grande [it] during the 77th Locarno Film Festival on 16 August 2024. It also made it to the official selection slate of the 69th Valladolid International Film Festival (for its Spanish premiere), to the New Directors Competition slate of the 60th Chicago International Film Festival (for its North-American premiere), and to the International Competition of the 39th Mar del Plata International Film Festival (for its Argentine premiere). Distributed by Filmax, it was released theatrically in Spain on 25 October 2024.
Signature Entertainment acquired United Kingdom and Ireland rights to the film.

## Reception

Marko Stojiljković of Cineuropa wrote that Vega "demonstrates a knack for storytelling, both as a writer and as a director. Her script is cleverly written and masterfully controlled by her directing, with a good sense of visual narration".
Jonathan Holland of ScreenDaily deemed Rita to be a "subtle and potent" directorial debut.
Enid Román Almansa of Cinemanía rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, declaring it not only a love letter to the past, but also a return to innocence.
Juan Pando of Fotogramas rated the film 3 out of 5 stars, considering it a "promising" directorial debut.
Marta Medina of El Confidencial rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, writing that Vega "has shown that she has the gaze, the taste and the pulse to pull off not just a film, but a good film".

## Accolades

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| 2025 | 4th Carmen Awards | Best Film | Best Film | Nominated |
| 2025 | 4th Carmen Awards | Best New Director | Paz Vega | Won |
| 2025 | 4th Carmen Awards | Best Original Screenplay | Paz Vega | Nominated |
| 2025 | 4th Carmen Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Amada Santos | Nominated |
| 2025 | 4th Carmen Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Paz Vega | Nominated |
| 2025 | 4th Carmen Awards | Best New Actress | Paz de Alarcón | Won |
| 2025 | 4th Carmen Awards | Best Editing | Ana Álvarez-Ossorio | Nominated |
| 2025 | 4th Carmen Awards | Best Original Score | Pablo Cervantes | Won |
| 2025 | 4th Carmen Awards | Best Art Direction | Amanda Román | Nominated |
| 2025 | 4th Carmen Awards | Best Production Supervision | Amanda Román | Won |
| 2025 | 4th Carmen Awards | Best Costume Design | Fernando García | Nominated |
| 2025 | 4th Carmen Awards | Best Sound | Daniel de Zayas, Jorge Marín | Won |
| 2025 | 4th Carmen Awards | Best Makeup and Hairstyles | Rafael Mora, Ángela Moreno | Nominated |
| 2025 | 4th Carmen Awards | Best Special Effects | Luis Melga | Nominated |
| 2025 | 39th Goya Awards | Best New Director | Paz Vega | Nominated |