From Queer Activism to Squirrel Masks, Seville’s Diverse Andalusian Lineup
Andalusia boasts legendary locations, used for decades in productions from “Lawrence of Arabia” to “Game of Thrones.” Now it’s the turn of the filmmakers from the region to get attention. This year’s Seville European Film Festival ran an Andalusian Panorama. Its aim was to showcase the latest and best of Andalusian cinema. A reccy:
Antonio Canales, Dancer (Raúl Rosillo, Spain )
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A portrait of a legendary figure in flamenco culture. Rosillo’s film tracks Canales career through avant garde staging and interviews. Produced by José Carlos Conde, Antonio Carreto Cano, Victoria De Prado. A Seville world premiere.
@Buddhistandqueer: From Sari To Habit (“@Buddhistandqueer: Del Sari Al Habito”, Dani Sa-Lo, Spain/India)
Set in India, this doc short follows Tashi, a queer activist who, though now a buddhist monk, continues fighting for justice in their community. Tashi’s complete comfort in who they are is not fully shared by parents.
Eternal (“Eterna,” Juanma Sayalonga, David Sainz, Spain)
Hip Hop artist and poet Gata Cattana’s (real name Ana Isabel García) life and early death, at 26, is explored in Juanma Sayalonga and David Sainz doc. It is Sayalonga’s feature length debut and adds to a growing list of jobs for David Sainz since his success from Malviviendo as an actor, director, podcaster and producer. The doc is produced by Viva Todo Films, Different Entertainment and Cinnamon Factory.
Life Between Two Nights (“La Vida Entre Dos Noches”Antonio Cuesta, Spain)
A short film produced by El Golpe, directed and written by Antonio Cuesta and starring José Manuel Poga and Javier Delgado Pérez. This drama tracks a father struggling to make ends meet while caring for his son with cerebral palsy. The father’s day at work can’t go to plan once his son’s carer cancels.
Last Units (“Últimas Unidades,” Alejandro Toro, Hugo Cabeza, Spain)
Do small, long lived, idiosyncratic businesses have a future? This is a question traversed via Sevillan establishments such as stationers, barbers and cord makers. Toro and Cabeza direct and produce through their company La Favorita.
Como Ardilla En El Agua (Mayte Gómez Molina, Mayte Molina Romero, Spain)
Fulbright Scholar and artist Mayte Gómez Molina feature debut, co-directed with her mother Mayte Molina Romero. The film opens with a squirrel masked embrace between the mother and daughter and goes on to intimately explore self worth, what a mother’s place in society is, and the impact of eating disorder on a mother-daughter relationship.
My Life At The Beginning (Ana Puentes, Spain)
Set on New Year’s Eve, a girl makes her first strides toward asserting her independence and identity in a tight 15 minute narrative. With his dominance questioned and his wife absent, her Father struggles. A feature sequel is in development. Co-Produced By Verbena Films And White Leaf Productions.
Singing Jondo, Granada 1922 (“Cante Jondo, Granada 1922,” José Sánchez-Montes, Spain)
Flamenco’s history is brought to life with images real and animated. It takes its premise from Granada, in 1922, where Manuel De Falla and Federico Garcia Lorca put together a historical milestone gathering to showcase the deep roots of flamenco. Produced by Marina Diaz-Cabrera and Siesta Productions, with international sales by Auditorium Films.
Solitude (Margarita Morales, Spain)
Another debut, this time from Sevillan director Margarita Morales. Lola Botello plays a woman, who after a break up, returns to a town she’s not visited since the holidays of her youth. Having presented many short films at Seville with “Autorretrato” in 2016 and ‘Las manos del Viento’ in 2019, this marks Morales’ first feature presentation. Production credit goes to Viva Todo Films.
Val Del Omar, Audiovisual Poet (“Val Del Omar, Poeta Audiovisual,” Jesús Ponce, Spain)
Jesus Ponce, whose debut, “15 Days of You,” snagged a Goya acting nod returns to Seville. He brings a doc on inventor, artist and film technique pioneer José Val del Omar. Little known in his lifetime his legacy continues to grow. Produced by Magnetika Films.
Wändari (Territory) (“Wändari (Territorio),” Mariano Agudo, Daniel Lagares, Peru)
Fighting for a history and an identity against a backdrop of gold and timber extraction in Peru marks out this doc from Agudo and Lagares as a no less moving follow up to their “La Búsqueda” (2018). Guarango Cine y Video produces, distributes and handles international, with help from the E.U.
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