The Night of the Sunflowers

The Night of the Sunflowers (La noche de los girasoles) is a 2006 rural thriller-drama film directed and written by Jorge Sánchez-Cabezudo. The cast features Carmelo Gómez, Judith Diakhate, Celso Bugallo, Manuel Morón, Mariano Alameda, Vicente Romero and Walter Vidarte. It is a Spanish-French-Portuguese co-production.

Plot
Set in the village of Angosto, in the heart of rural Spain, the plot follows Esteban and Pedro (two speleologists) and Gabi (Esteban's girlfriend), as Cecilio, an elderly villager, is killed in the wake of a misunderstanding in the aftermath of the attempted sexual assault on Gabi by a salesman and ensuing violent confrontation.

Production
The Night of the Sunflowers is a Spain-Portugal-France co-production. Production companies included Alta Producción, Stop Line Films, The Film SAS and Arte France Cinéma. Locations in the province of Ávila (San Bartolomé de Béjar and Becedas) doubled as the fictional village of Angosto.

Release
The film was theatrically released in Spain on 25 August 2006. It also screened at the Venice Days section of the 63rd Venice International Film Festival in September 2006.

Reception
Jonathan Holland of Variety deemed the film to be a "gripping, assured debut", managing to find an "unlikely home for film noir in the forgotten hinterlands of the Spanish interior".

Accolades

 * rowspan = "13" align = "center" | 2007 || rowspan = "8" | 62nd CEC Medals || colspan = "2" | Best Film || Nominated || rowspan = "8" |
 * Best Director || Jorge Sánchez-Cabezudo || Nominated
 * Best Original Screenplay || Jorge Sánchez-Cabezudo || Nominated
 * Best Actor || Carmelo Gómez ||1 Won
 * Best New Artist || Jorge Sánchez-Cabezudo || Won
 * Best Supporting Actor || Celso Bugallo || Nominated
 * Best Cinematography || Ángel Iguácel || Nominated
 * Best Editing || Pablo Ribeiro || Nominated
 * rowspan = "3" | 21st Goya Awards || Best Original Screenplay || Jorge Sánchez-Cabezudo || Nominated || rowspan = "3" |
 * Best New Director || Jorge Sánchez-Cabezudo || Nominated
 * Best New Actor || Walter Vidarte || Nominated
 * 16th Actors and Actresses Union Awards || Best Film Actor in a Minor Role || Manuel Morón || Won || align = "center" |
 * 51st Sant Jordi Awards || colspan = "2" | Best Debut Film || Won ||
 * }
 * Best Editing || Pablo Ribeiro || Nominated
 * rowspan = "3" | 21st Goya Awards || Best Original Screenplay || Jorge Sánchez-Cabezudo || Nominated || rowspan = "3" |
 * Best New Director || Jorge Sánchez-Cabezudo || Nominated
 * Best New Actor || Walter Vidarte || Nominated
 * 16th Actors and Actresses Union Awards || Best Film Actor in a Minor Role || Manuel Morón || Won || align = "center" |
 * 51st Sant Jordi Awards || colspan = "2" | Best Debut Film || Won ||
 * }
 * Best New Actor || Walter Vidarte || Nominated
 * 16th Actors and Actresses Union Awards || Best Film Actor in a Minor Role || Manuel Morón || Won || align = "center" |
 * 51st Sant Jordi Awards || colspan = "2" | Best Debut Film || Won ||
 * }
 * 51st Sant Jordi Awards || colspan = "2" | Best Debut Film || Won ||
 * }