Closing this year's UMFF is Still Afloat, the feature debut of Spanish director Gonzaga Manso. Serving as director, screenwriter, and cinematographer all at once, Manso brings to the screen, with remarkable polish, the visual sensibility honed through his years in advertising and short filmmaking. The film began with the story of his own grandfather. The familiar scene of children worrying over their aging parents while the elderly fight to keep their pride and independence resonates strikingly with Korean family sentiment, making this Spanish story feel anything but foreign. Like the films of Yasujiro Ozu and Shohei Imamura, it contemplates the passage of time and the persistence of memory with an intimate, tender gaze and gentle humor. Goya-winning actor Saturnino García, approaching ninety, takes the lead role with the undimmed passion of a veteran before the camera, while a retired fisherman making his acting debut holds his own opposite the master with a quietly powerful presence. The story of an 89-year-old setting out to sea once more proves that age is no barrier to challenge. We present this warm-hearted adventure, winner of the Audience Award at the 29th Málaga Film Festival, as this year's Closing Film.

― Jinna Lee, Programmer​