In a mix of documentary and fiction, Emotional Architecture 1959 explores several Madrid neighbourhoods in the wake of Sebas and Andrea, two literature and philosophy students who fall in love during the 1958-59 academic year. Their love affair is marked by differences in social class and in outlook on life.

Elias León Siminiani’s characters are initially conceived as small figures against the backdrop of a big city, but as the film progresses, they claim their own space. The film had its international premiere at the Rotterdam Film Festival earlier this year.