18/09/2007

Filming kicked off yesterday in Galicia on José Luis Cuerda's new film, Los girasoles ciegos. After The Education of Fairies, adapted from Didier Van Cauwelaert's novel of the same name, Cuerda is directing, from a script he co-wrote with Rafael Azcona, the adaptation of the first and last book (entitled The Blind Sunflowers in English) by Spanish author Alberto Méndez, a close friend of the director’s who died in 2004.

Set in post-civil war Spain, the film focuses on the internal, hidden conflicts of an apparently normal family, with Maribel Verdú – soon to be seen on San Sebastian screens in Siete mesas (de billar francés) – in the role of the mother.

The cast includes Javier Cámara (Talk to Her [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), Raúl Arévalo (DarkBlueAlmostBlack [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]) and eight year-old Roger Princep, whose first film, The Orphanage [+see also:
trailer
film profile], is one of the three possible candidates to represent Spain at the upcoming Academy Awards (see news).

Cuerda confessed that after Méndez's death several friends urged him to adapt Los girasoles ciegos. The plan received a definitive push when Sogecine CEO Fernando Bovaira decided to back the production. Later, Producciones A Modiño, E.O.P.C. and Producciones Labarouta also boarded the project, whose crew will include some of Cuerda's regular collaborators, such as DoP Hans Burmann, artistic director Balter Gallart and executive producer Emiliano Otegui.

Cuerda is also known in Spain as the producer of Alejandro Amenábar’s first two features, Thesis and Abre los ojos.