Page 11 - CMN6_web

DAY 6
Sunday 19 May 2019

FIVE PRODUCERS TO WATCH FIVE FILMS IN THE PIPELINE

JAIME GONA dramas (Agustín Díaz Yanes’s Gold); thrillers WHILE AT WAR
(Tu Hijo, by Miguel Ángel Vivas); horror
Gutsy enough to get behind Victor Garcia (Veronica, by Paco Plaza) and genre-bending Directed by the hugely popular Alejandro
León’s cult fi lm Selfi e, Gona is now attached gems (Quién te Cantará, by Carlos Vermut). Amenábar, who struck box-offi ce gold with
to the director’s current project, Los The Others, Agora and drama The Sea Inside
Europeos. Back in 2016, his company Gonita BEATRIZ BODEGAS — winner of the Oscar for Best International
produced Sergio Villanueva’s Los Comensales. Feature Film in 2005 — this historical drama
Gona is currently working on Daniel Castro’s Having nabbed a Goya for her work on The features Karra Elejalde as author Miguel de
second full-length fi lm, El Profesor. Fury of a Patient Man, Raúl Arévalo’s Unamuno, as he locks horns with the Spanish
directorial debut, Bodegas is now engrossed authorities and questions his own decisions
LEIRE APELLANIZ in producing a comedy by another actor, in his role as Rector of the University of
Daniel Guzmán, a fellow Goya-winner for Salamanca.
Head of the technical department at the San Nothing in Return. Through her company La
Sebastián Film Festival, Apellaniz took the Canica Films, she has also been a champion of MADRE
plunge into production and direction in 2015 Jota Linares work, producing both Animales
with her debut fi lm El Último Verano, a sin Collar and Who Would You Take to a Sharing a title with director Rodrigo
documentary shortlisted by festivals Deserted Island? Sorogoyen’s earlier, Oscar-nominated short fi lm,
including Karlovy Vary. In 2017, she co- this full-length spin-off centres on the ordeal of
produced Mudar la Piel, by Ana Schulz and MARTÍN SAMPER a women who receives a disturbing phone call
Cristóbal Fernández. At present, she’s busy from her son. Earlier this year, Sorogoyen was
co-producing Chema Garcia Ibarra’s fi rst After cutting his teeth with Filmax, Samper awarded the Goya for Best Director for
feature-length project, Espíritu Sagrado. founded his own company, No Hay Banda, in The Realm, a fi lm about political corruption
2008. Samper is a devotee of arthouse that clearly struck a chord with audiences
ENRIQUE LÓPEZ LAVIGNE cinema and was an associate producer on outside Spain.
Sergi Pérez’s El Camí Més Ilarg per Tornar a
Through his company Apache Films, Lavigne Casa and on Ana by Day, by Andrea Jaurrieta. A THIEF’S DAUGHTER
has just wrapped up work on Paco Cabezas’ His latest project, 7 Reasons to Run Away
latest offering, Adiós. His impressive résumé (from Society), was directed by Gerard The directorial debut of Catalan fi lmmaker
includes musicals (Holy Camp!, directed by Quinto, Esteve Soler and David Torras and is Belén Funes reunites real-life father and
Javier Ambrossi and JavierCalvo); period set to premiere at SXSW in Austin. daughter Eduard and Greta Fernández. The
younger Fernández plays a mother whose daily
routine is turned upside down by the return of
her father, following years of silence. The fi lm
explores the irreparable harm that families can
editing, always with the aim of bringing out the best in each tries to convince her daughter not to kill herself, but his big- infl ict.
moment,” Triola says. screen debut took place back in 2010 with Finisterrae, a film
The Galician mountains provide the backdrop for Fire Will that follows two ghosts as they set off on the Camino de EL AÑO DEL DESCUBRIMIENTO
Come, the latest film from Oliver Laxe, who shone at Santiago, and winner in Rotterdam. He went on to stun
Directors’ Fortnight in 2010 with You All Are Captains, filmed audiences for a second time with The Distance, in 2014. This co-production between Spain (LaCima
in Morocco. He returned to African climes with Mimosas Producción) and Switzerland (Alina Films) is
(winner of the Grand Prize at Critic’s Week in 2016) and will TORRAS ON THE MOVE the latest offering from Luis López Carrasco,
now grace the Un Certain Regard section with this exploration Another Catalan filmmaker, Carles Torras, is taking part in who was part of fi lm collective Los Hijos and
of the conflict between a pyromaniac and a firefighter. Andrea 2019’s Producers on the Move, organised by European Film later he´d direct El Futuro. Using amateur
Vázquez is making her debut as one of the producers of a film Promotion with support from the MEDIA Programme. actors from La Unión and Cartagena (Murcia)
that’s set to take the world by storm: “Making a film is an Torras pocketed the Golden Biznaga at the Malaga Spanish and his familiar blend of reality and fi ction,
opportunity for personal growth; it has to be something of a Film Festival in 2016 for the disturbing Callback, filmed in Carrasco’s new project revisits the
challenge, with obstacles to overcome. Laxe is demanding; his NYC. He is now on the hunt for partners for his latest film contradictions of Spain’s recent past.
films need that rigour to come to life. If you want to work in the role of director–producer: The Paramedic, a project that
with non-professional actors, in real settings and in real time, he describes as “still my kind of film, with a darkness to it — a EYE FOR AN EYE
if you’re looking for that truth, you have to break the mould psychological thriller that’s also about people”. Through his
when it comes to production. Our greatest achievement as company Zabriskie Films, Torras says, “I like having Backed by the MEDIA Programme and
producers on this film is that we were able to resist the connections to the industry and helping other talented young co-produced between Spain and France,
conventional production model and preserve the creative filmmakers with unique perspectives — supporting high- Paco Plaza’s thriller sees the Valencian director
interest of the project, adapting our work to the demands of quality films that have a chance of being selected for the decamp to Galicia, where a nurse (played
the film and questioning ourselves every step of the way and festival circuit while still achieving commercial success. Like by Luis Tosar) is drawn into a life-altering
at every automatic industry reflex. In many cases we ended other directors, I like having my own company so I can have relationship with a drug dealer. Violence,
up working in a very unorthodox way, but with the conviction tighter control over my projects.” He also feels that “the public betrayal and fractious family relationships
that we owed it to our vision to be brave. None of this would institutions that safeguard filmmaking in Europe are very abound in this sure-fi re hit from the director
have been possible without the mutual trust between Oliver important, because they ensure that better-quality films can of [REC 3].
and the entire cast and crew.” get off the ground”. At Cannes this year he’ll be looking for
partners for the television series La Invasión, created by Héctor
CABALLERO ON THE ROAD Hernández Vicens (The Corpse of Anna Fritz) and the film
A different kind of festival, Sonar — the music festival Upon Entry, to be directed by Alejandro Rojas y Juan S.
launched in Barcelona in 1994 — has always enjoyed an Vázquez.
avant-garde image in keeping with its programme. Sergio Finally, Spanish cinema’s disregard for thematic or genre limits
Caballero, one of Sonar’s founders, has set himself the deserves a mention: Manuel Cristobal, through his company
challenge of reworking his audiovisual works into a concept Dragoia Media, is currently working on an ambitious 3D
that transcends advertising. Caballero has brought the latest animation film that will premiere in China, a production
of these projects to this year’s Directors’ Fortnight Je Te Tiens partner on the film, sometime next year. It’s called
takes us on a car journey through a breathtaking tundra Dragonkeeper, it’s directed by Ignacio Ferreras and Li Jianping
landscape, during which a mother (played by Ángela Molina) and it’s based on the novel series by Carole Wilkinson.✦

11
NEWS