“Alcarràs,” from Catalonia’s Carla Simón, won Berlin’s top Golden Bear in February. “One Year, One Night,” from Catalan Isaki Lacuesta, also played in main competition. This May “Pacifiction,” from Albert Serra, another Catalan, has scored a competition berth at Cannes.
Thanks to these three titles, Catalonia has more directors this year in the key section at Europe’s two biggest festivals than Italy (2), Germany (1) or the U.K. (none at all). Other Catalan productions to play at Cannes: Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The Beasts” in Premiere and Anna Fernández’s “I Didn’t Make It to Love Her,” a Critics’ Week short.
If big fest selection is any measure, with just 7.6 million inhabitants and Barcelona as its capital, Catalonia is building as an upscale European movie powerhouse.
The build, however, is far broader based. In the pipeline, all from Barcelona-based Nostromo Pictures, are major Netflix titles such as David...
Thanks to these three titles, Catalonia has more directors this year in the key section at Europe’s two biggest festivals than Italy (2), Germany (1) or the U.K. (none at all). Other Catalan productions to play at Cannes: Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The Beasts” in Premiere and Anna Fernández’s “I Didn’t Make It to Love Her,” a Critics’ Week short.
If big fest selection is any measure, with just 7.6 million inhabitants and Barcelona as its capital, Catalonia is building as an upscale European movie powerhouse.
The build, however, is far broader based. In the pipeline, all from Barcelona-based Nostromo Pictures, are major Netflix titles such as David...
- 5/18/2022
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
Last month, Catalan auteur Agustí Villaronga swept pretty much every prize out at Spain’s Malaga Film Festival with “The Belly of the Sea.”
The plaudits prized Villaronga’s large artistic ambition in re-creating arguably the most ghastly shipwreck in history — the 1816 sinking of French frigate Meduse off the coast of modern Mauritania — in a film shot in an abandoned wine cellar. It mixes historical re-creation, contemporary photo and doc footage and sea sculptures of the barnacled bodies of the drowned.
Next up for Villaronga, however, is what he describes as a tender comedy, “3,000 Obstacles,” about a former elite athlete now suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
Director of resonant features that are elliptical (“Pau and His Brother”) or pointedly meandering (“August Days”), Marc Recha is now developing a quirky comedy thriller about a blind man helping a friend to find some religious relics hidden by two Slovenian monks.
Ibon Cormenzana...
The plaudits prized Villaronga’s large artistic ambition in re-creating arguably the most ghastly shipwreck in history — the 1816 sinking of French frigate Meduse off the coast of modern Mauritania — in a film shot in an abandoned wine cellar. It mixes historical re-creation, contemporary photo and doc footage and sea sculptures of the barnacled bodies of the drowned.
Next up for Villaronga, however, is what he describes as a tender comedy, “3,000 Obstacles,” about a former elite athlete now suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
Director of resonant features that are elliptical (“Pau and His Brother”) or pointedly meandering (“August Days”), Marc Recha is now developing a quirky comedy thriller about a blind man helping a friend to find some religious relics hidden by two Slovenian monks.
Ibon Cormenzana...
- 7/7/2021
- by Emilio Mayorga and John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Leading Italian sales agent and production company The Open Reel has acquired the rights to “15 Horas” from filmmaker Judith Colell (“Elisa K”), world premiering on Tuesday June 8 in the main competition at the Malaga Film Festival, with two more screenings scheduled for the following day.
Colell long ago established herself as an important voice in the Spanish film industry chorus when in 1996 she received a Spanish Academy Goya Award nomination for her short film “Escrito en la piel.” Since then, the auteur has been nominated for a handful of Catalan Academy Gaudí Awards and in 2010 won the Special Jury Prize at San Sebastian for her mother-daughter drama “Elisa K.”
With “15 Horas,” Colell disects the story of a perfect couple, Aura and Manuel. She, a first chair violinist and he, the orchestra’s suave conductor, are the envy of their peers and standouts on the local cultural scene. Of course, not...
Colell long ago established herself as an important voice in the Spanish film industry chorus when in 1996 she received a Spanish Academy Goya Award nomination for her short film “Escrito en la piel.” Since then, the auteur has been nominated for a handful of Catalan Academy Gaudí Awards and in 2010 won the Special Jury Prize at San Sebastian for her mother-daughter drama “Elisa K.”
With “15 Horas,” Colell disects the story of a perfect couple, Aura and Manuel. She, a first chair violinist and he, the orchestra’s suave conductor, are the envy of their peers and standouts on the local cultural scene. Of course, not...
- 6/7/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Domestic violence, child trafficking, Caribbean myths, cyber terrorism and psychological thrillers were among the weighty subjects presented at the Dominican Republic’s June 25 online pitching sessions during Cannes’ virtual Marche du Film.
Some projects, however, were inspired by the millions of tourists that visit the country each year and one took on the Covid-19 lockdown that has forced families and friends to share confined spaces for months.
The pitching sessions were preceded the day before by the Dr Film Commission’s pitch to detail the country’s generous incentives and let it be known that it was opening for business on July 1, albeit with health and safety protocols in place. Film Commissioner Yvette Marichal led her team that included lawyer Boni Guerrero and Manuela German who fielded legal and technical questions. They were joined by Pinewood Dominican Republic Studio/Lantica Media COO, Albert Martinez, who expanded on the horizon water tank facility’s amenities,...
Some projects, however, were inspired by the millions of tourists that visit the country each year and one took on the Covid-19 lockdown that has forced families and friends to share confined spaces for months.
The pitching sessions were preceded the day before by the Dr Film Commission’s pitch to detail the country’s generous incentives and let it be known that it was opening for business on July 1, albeit with health and safety protocols in place. Film Commissioner Yvette Marichal led her team that included lawyer Boni Guerrero and Manuela German who fielded legal and technical questions. They were joined by Pinewood Dominican Republic Studio/Lantica Media COO, Albert Martinez, who expanded on the horizon water tank facility’s amenities,...
- 6/26/2020
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Actor cites differences with board; Costume designer Yvonne Blake appointed as acting president until election can be held.
The actor Antonio Resines has resigned as president of the Spanish Film Academy.
He had been in the post since May 2015 after producer, distributor and exhibitor Enrique González Macho resigned during his second mandate at the head of the organisation.
Vice president Edmon Roch, producer of Capture The Flag, has also resigned.
Resines, who has shot the upcoming The Queen Of Spain with Fernando Trueba, described it as an “honour” to have held the position but also explained the reason for his departure in a statement released by the Academy: “This decision has been taken due to serious differences with part of the board of directors, differences that have made our task at the Spanish Film Academy presidency impossible.”
The board of directors is formed by two representatives of 14 different specialities in the Spanish film industry. Tensions escalated...
The actor Antonio Resines has resigned as president of the Spanish Film Academy.
He had been in the post since May 2015 after producer, distributor and exhibitor Enrique González Macho resigned during his second mandate at the head of the organisation.
Vice president Edmon Roch, producer of Capture The Flag, has also resigned.
Resines, who has shot the upcoming The Queen Of Spain with Fernando Trueba, described it as an “honour” to have held the position but also explained the reason for his departure in a statement released by the Academy: “This decision has been taken due to serious differences with part of the board of directors, differences that have made our task at the Spanish Film Academy presidency impossible.”
The board of directors is formed by two representatives of 14 different specialities in the Spanish film industry. Tensions escalated...
- 7/15/2016
- ScreenDaily
Leos Carax's Holy Motors won Official In-Competition Fantàstic Selection and Carax also took home the best director award earlier today at the Sitges Film Festival. The film also won awards in two other categories as well: the International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia's Critics' jury and the International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia's Silver Méliès jury, on which our own Shelagh M. Rowan-Legg presided. Other multiple winners included Jennifer Lynch's Chained, Ben Wheatley's Sightseers and Brandon Cronenberg's Antiviral. You will find all the winners listed below. The jury of the 45th Sitges - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia's Official In-Competition Fantàstic Selection, consisting of Judith Colell, Denise Crosby, Lamberto Bava, Nacho Cerdà and William Lustig, decided on the following awards: Best in competition fantastic feature film:Holy...
- 10/14/2012
- Screen Anarchy
Credit where it's due: there's one terrific, utterly astonishing scene in Elisa K's final act. It's just a shame you have to struggle through so much misguided, poorly constructed dross to get it. Directors Judith Colell and Jordi Cadena are not without talent and clearly want to do right by some very harsh, painful subject matter. But some absolutely baffling choices in regards to how they want to communicate that earnestness mean there's every chance only the most dedicated arthouse audiences are going to last the distance.At just over seventy minutes long, it's a simple story, where the depth (supposedly) comes from what's left to our imagination or what goes unsaid between the cast. The eleven-year-old Elisa has a happy, if fairly unremarkable childhood until...
- 3/13/2011
- Screen Anarchy
2010 gave us a unique batch of films in Emilio Aragón's Paper Birds (Pájaros de Papel), Achero Mañas's Anything You Want (Todo lo que tú quieras), Jordi Cadena & Judith Colell's Elisa K. and festival circuit favorites in Javier Mariscal & Fernando Trueba's Chico y Rita, Guillem Morales' Julia’s Eyes (Los ojos de Julia) , Icíar Bollaín's Even the Rain (También la lluvia), Andrucha Washington' Lope and Alex de la Iglesia's nutty concoction The Last Circus (Balada triste de trompeta), but 2011 will be one hell of a ride. It should be a strong year for films from Spain not only in its domestic cull but on the international scene as well, and the films featured on the list appear to be more "ambitious" batch in their form and shape. These are my Top 5 Most Anticipated Spanish Films for 2011. #5. Extraterrestial This sci-fi comedy set in a small...
- 1/7/2011
- IONCINEMA.com
Best Actor winner Connor McCarron (top); Best Actress winner Nora Navas (bottom) Peter Mullan's Neds Wins Top Prize at San Sebastian Film Festival Special Mention to “A JAMA” by Daoud Aoulad-syad (Morocco-France) For the complexity achieved by a simple story. Jury Prize For Best Screenplay to Bent Hamer for “Home For Christmas“ (Norway-Sweden-Germany) Jury Prize For Best Cinematography to Jimmy Gimferrer for “Aita” (Spain) Silver Shell For Best Actor to Connor McCarron for “Neds” (UK-France-Italy) Silver Shell For Best Actress to Nora Navas for “Pa Negre” (Spain) Silver Shell For Best Director to Raoul Ruiz for “MISTÉRIOS De Lisboa” (Spain) Special Jury Prize to “Elisa K” by Judith Colell and Jordi Cadena (Spain) For the way it portrays the violence to which innocent people are exposed to in everyday life. Golden Shell For Best Film to “Neds” by Peter Mullan (UK-France-Italy) Jury: * Mr. Goran Paskaljevic (Serbia) (President) * Ms. Jo Allen...
- 9/29/2010
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
Peter Mullan's Glasgow-set drama Neds (above), about a distraught teenager who joins a street gang in the early '70s, won the Golden Shell for Best Film at the 2010 edition of Spain's San Sebastian Film Festival, which came to a close this past weekend. As the sensitive teen-turned-gangbanger, newcomer Connor McCarron was given the Silver Shell for Best Actor. [List of San Sebastian Film Festival winners.] Mullan, whose The Magdalene Sisters won the 2002 Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion (and the Vatican's wrath), is currently working as an actor on Steven Spielberg's World War I drama War Horse. Mullan's acting, in fact, has earned him honors as well, including the Best Actor award at Cannes in 1998 for his performance in Ken Loach's My Name Is Joe. Neds is one of the gala events at next month's London Film Festival. The San Sebastian festival's Special Jury Prize went to Judith Colell and [...]...
- 9/29/2010
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
The programme for this year’s festival has been announced and there are a number of literature-based films including the Opening Night Gala Never Let Me Go, Closing Night Gala 127 Hours and the provocative ‘Muslim punks’ film The Taqwacores.
With so many films in this year’s Lff programme having their origins in printed form, a discussion panel is also being held on 25th October, with a number of screenwriters discussing their adaptations in the Hollywood Reporter-sponsored event A Novel Idea: Adapting Books for the Screen.
Below a selection of the films with a literary connection screening at this year’s London Film Festival:
Literary Feature Films:
127 Hours; Dir. Danny Boyle – Gripping, adventurous film making and headline grabbing drama from Oscar winning director Danny Boyle, based on Aron Ralston’s book Between a Rock and A Hard Place (set for re-release in January).
The American; Dir. Anton Corbijn – George Clooney...
With so many films in this year’s Lff programme having their origins in printed form, a discussion panel is also being held on 25th October, with a number of screenwriters discussing their adaptations in the Hollywood Reporter-sponsored event A Novel Idea: Adapting Books for the Screen.
Below a selection of the films with a literary connection screening at this year’s London Film Festival:
Literary Feature Films:
127 Hours; Dir. Danny Boyle – Gripping, adventurous film making and headline grabbing drama from Oscar winning director Danny Boyle, based on Aron Ralston’s book Between a Rock and A Hard Place (set for re-release in January).
The American; Dir. Anton Corbijn – George Clooney...
- 9/22/2010
- by Martyn Conterio
- FilmShaft.com
San Sebastian, Spain -- A beaming Julia Roberts accepted the Donostia Award for lifetime achievement from the hands of "Eat Pray Love" co-star Javier Bardem at the 58th San Sebastian International Film Festival Monday.
"What a fortunate woman I've been in my life for a variety of reasons. If we were having dinner, I'd tell you all of them. But now, I'll just say thank you from the bottom of my heart," Roberts said on stage. "And thank you to San Sebastian, which is the most enthusiastic town."
Bardem called Roberts "fearless," "fun" and "friend."
The duo is in town, along with director Ryan Murphy and Richard Jenkins, accompanying Sony's release of "Eat" in Spain, which screened to packed theaters at the festival.
Roberts dazzled throngs that waited all day in front of the festival's epicenter, the Kursaal building, to glimpse "America's sweetheart" -- greeting them personally and taking pictures...
"What a fortunate woman I've been in my life for a variety of reasons. If we were having dinner, I'd tell you all of them. But now, I'll just say thank you from the bottom of my heart," Roberts said on stage. "And thank you to San Sebastian, which is the most enthusiastic town."
Bardem called Roberts "fearless," "fun" and "friend."
The duo is in town, along with director Ryan Murphy and Richard Jenkins, accompanying Sony's release of "Eat" in Spain, which screened to packed theaters at the festival.
Roberts dazzled throngs that waited all day in front of the festival's epicenter, the Kursaal building, to glimpse "America's sweetheart" -- greeting them personally and taking pictures...
- 9/20/2010
- by By Pamela Rolfe
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Madrid -- Four Spanish films by veteran directors are to compete in the official selection category of this year's 58th annual San Sebastian International Film Festival, organizers announced Friday.
Presented will be the ghost story "Aita," helmed by Jose Maria de Orbe; the child abuse and recovered memory drama "Elisa K," co-directed by Judith Colell and Jordi Cadena; "The Great Vazquez," about a serial bigamist and cartoonist during the Franco years directed by Oscar Aibar; and Agusti Villaronga's "Black Bread," a historical murder mystery set in post-Civil War Catalonia.
The films will be competing for the top prize, the Golden Shell, at the festival held in the northern Spanish seaside resort Sept. 17- 25.
Presented will be the ghost story "Aita," helmed by Jose Maria de Orbe; the child abuse and recovered memory drama "Elisa K," co-directed by Judith Colell and Jordi Cadena; "The Great Vazquez," about a serial bigamist and cartoonist during the Franco years directed by Oscar Aibar; and Agusti Villaronga's "Black Bread," a historical murder mystery set in post-Civil War Catalonia.
The films will be competing for the top prize, the Golden Shell, at the festival held in the northern Spanish seaside resort Sept. 17- 25.
- 7/23/2010
- by By Benjamin Jones
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.