Advent (2016) | Short Film (Ad-vientu)
The Complete Works: Roberto F. Canuto & Xu Xiaoxi
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Drama, LGBT, Independent, Mystery, Short Films, Special Interest, Fantasy
“Advent (2016, Ad-vientu)” is a Spanish–Chinese short film (2016) by award-winning filmmakers Roberto F. Canuto and Xu Xiaoxi, known for their poetic and socially engaged cinema.
Filmed entirely in Asturias, Spain, in the Asturian language — a rare creative choice in Spanish cinema — the film blends psychological drama, mystery, and fantasy to explore gender identity, repression, and rebirth.
Sinopsis: Suso, a young unemployed man without direction or future, encounters a mysterious woman on a deserted beach. Dressed in old-fashioned clothes and seemingly out of time, she warns him of an imminent danger before throwing herself off a cliff into the sea. Haunted by her image, Suso begins a desperate search for answers that awakens buried memories — and the truth about his own hidden identity.
As Suso’s inner turmoil deepens, the mysterious woman becomes a reflection of his suppressed feminine self — the voice of a truth long silenced by fear and social expectation.
Without ever stating it openly, the film suggests a deeply personal journey toward self-acceptance and the fragile awakening of a woman’s identity trapped within a man’s body.
Set against the haunting coastal landscapes of northern Spain, Advent (Ad-vientu) unfolds as a meditation on solitude, memory, and transformation.
Approaching the subjects of suicide, denial, and rebirth through lyrical symbolism, the film immerses the viewer in an atmosphere of dream and revelation, where the boundaries between the physical and the spiritual dissolve.
Produced independently and without institutional support, the film was made possible thanks to a dedicated team of Asturian actors and technicians, and features an expressive score by Andrea Centazzo, the Italian-American avant-garde composer.
🎥 Genre: Psychological Drama / LGBTQ+ / Mystery / Fantasy
🕒 Runtime: 19 min
🌍 Language: Asturian (with optional subtitles in English, Spanish, French, Italian, and other languages)
📽️ Format: 1080p Digital
🎵 Music: Andrea Centazzo
👥 Cast: David Soto Giganto, Ici Díaz, Lidia Méndez, Beatriz Meré, David Blanka
🔗 Official Website: https://almostred.com/ad-vientu/
🎞️ IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6129028
🎬 TMDb: https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/423739-ad-vientu
⭐ Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/film/advent-2016/
🎥 FilmAffinity: https://www.filmaffinity.com/es/film304329.html
▶️ Trailer: https://youtu.be/QhnV-bBtNyw
Tagline:
“All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.” — Edgar Allan Poe
#Advent #Advientu #RobertoFCanuto #XuXiaoxi #AsturianCinema #PsychologicalDrama #Mystery #Fantasy #LGBTQFilm #TransIdentity #PoeticRealism #IndependentFilm #SpanishCinema #HumanRights #IdentityAndMemory #AlmostRedProd
🔑 Advent, Ad-vientu, Asturian short film, transgender identity, poetic realism, psychological drama, Spanish independent cinema, LGBTQ cinema, Roberto F. Canuto, Xu Xiaoxi, Almost Red Prod, gender and memory, Asturias, human rights, fantasy short.
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