11/09/2006

The London Spanish Film Festival (September 8-20) is taking place for the second consecutive year at the Ciné Lumière, bringing Londoners a selection of contemporary Latin films and paying special homage to Spanish star actress Carmen Maura.

A dozen new and recent Spanish features are part of the programme as well, for the first time, documentary and animation titles. The latter include Mercedes Alvarez’s moving documentary about rural Spain, The Sky Turns [+see also:
film review
interview: Isabelle Dubar
interview: Mercedes Alvares
film profile], and Olentzero and the Magic Log by Juanjo Elordi, the animated screen version of a classic Basque folk tale.

Last weekend, Agentinean actress Natalia Verbeke took to the stage to present Marcelo Pineyro’s Goya-winning film El Método [+see also:
trailer
film profile] which opened the festival. Established filmmaker Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón presented his Virgin Rose and Catalan director Jol Sol presented The Taxi Thief.

Tomorrow, filmmaker Joachim Oristrell will present his award-winning Unconscious [+see also:
trailer
film profile] before the film’s UK release through Maiden Voyage Pictures on September 15. Last, but not least, next Saturday, iconic Spanish actress Carmen Maura will take part in a Q&A session to talk about her 30-year film career, following the UK premiere of one of her latest films, Searching for Love.

The London Spanish Film Festival is organised in collaboration with the Cultural Office of the Spanish Embassy, the Institut Français and the Instituto Cervantes in London, with support from the national lottery through the UK Film Council and Film London’s Audience Development Fund.