28/10/2005

Spanish cinema remembers for the first time the Madrid terrorist attacks of the 11th of March. Alex Quiroga's Ilusiones Rotas 11-M (Broken Illusions) reflects the hopes and the frustrations of four characters living very different lives in the months before the attacks, until the fatal day, when they are all touched by the same tragedy. The film opens today in seven Spanish cities, distributed by Pirámide Films.
Flirting with a documentary style, Ilusiones Rotas 11-M was shot in high-definition digital video and combines the narration of the characters' experiences with real sequences from the attacks. According to the director, his work is not politically committed; he prefers "exploring territories of the reality which interest me. I do the kind of cinema I like to watch". Starring Lilian Caro, Fina Mayo, Jemi Paretas and Manuel Bocanegra, Ilusiones Rotas 11-M was co-produced by Álex Media Grupo and Laya Producciones. 50% of the sum collected in the box office will be given to the victims of the attack. However, when it comes to potential box office results, the film will have to face two very strong rivals, particularly Alberto Rodriguez's 7 Virgins, which is currently making a splash, ousting the hit Torrente 3 from first position.

Ilusiones Rotas 11-M is only one of the six European titles to open this week. Other European co-productions premieres include the Franziska Buch's German film Bibi Blocksberg and the Secret of the Blue Owls, the American-German co-production Hostage by Florento Emilio Siri, Eros by Michelangelo Antonioni, Steven Soderbergh and Wong Kar-Wai and Costa Gavras's Le Couperet [+see also:
trailer
film profile], which opened last week at the 50th Week of International Film of Valladolid.