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Marta Etura • Actress

Shooting Star 2006 – Spain

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From thrillers (Thirteen Chimes) to romantic comedies (Entre vivir y soñar) and melodramas (Something to be remember me by, for which she received a Goya nomination); Marta Etura has built the reputation of being one of the most solid young acting talents from Spain, always exploring different genres and registers. The 27-year old actress tells us about her experiences and projects and expresses her disappointment about the low distribution of European films in Spain.

Cineuropa: In a few short years of your career, you took part in over ten films, some directed by young directors like Daniel Sánchez Arévalo, other by experienced filmmakers like Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón. To what extent have these different experiences enriched your work as an actress?
Marta Etura: Young directors have little experience but a lot of enthusiasm, which is extremely motivating for the team. Veteran directors are more experienced and less enthusiastic but this leaves space to focus on your character and feel more secure when you want to make suggestions. I guess they both have their pros and cons, just like everything in life.

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Your character in Something to be remember me by is one your best performances so far. What attracted you the most in Patricia Ferreira's script and how did you approach the character?
I loved the way Patricia approached the theme of mourning, showing how each one of us deals with it a very different way, and keeps on living. To prepare the character, memory (which is another of the film's theme) was very important to me. I suppose that all of us, in one way or another, have already gone through that experience in our lives, we have all suffered because someone died, or we were afraid of losing someone. I tried to transfer those emotions to the story.

Spanish film results in the national box office is a current talking point. When you are about to choose a part do you take into consideration if the film is a potential box office hit, or are you merely interested in that particular experience as an actress?
I never think about whether it will be a hit or not. I tend to think how it will affect the audience. What interests me the most is the story we are about to tell, and what we want to show to the moviegoers. My final decision is based on the emotions the script provokes in me. Generally I participate in films I would like to see on the big screen. I am also interested in the character, I wonder if it is a challenge and if I will really gain further experience by playing it.

What is your view about films currently produced in Europe?
I was always fond of European cinema. It is a kind of cinema that tells stories closer to our history, our societies and our lives. However, it is very hard to judge because in Spain unfortunately there are very few European films. Let's hope the film market changes and we will be able to see more films from Europe and from other places, not simply from the States.

What are your forthcoming projects and your expectations towards the Shooting Stars events at the Berlinale?
My new project is a film by Shawn Garry called Desierto Sur. It will be shot in Barcelona and Chile next Spring and it tells the story of three young people of different nationalities who, for different reasons, end up discovering more about themselves.
In Berlin, I hope to meet interesting people from my profession and to establish contacts for the future. I hope it will be a place to open new doors for upcoming films, coproduced or not, with other European countries. I also think it is an interesting place to enhance the European film market and bring it closer to us.

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