11/07/2008

Good weather has arrived and with it come a host of film shoots across the length and breadth of Spain. Currently in production are two titles that stand out due to their originality, one from a technical point of view and the other thematically.

Linko is an innovative film which combines real images with 3-D animation (as in A Scanner Darkly and Sin City), making it the first project of this kind to be produced entirely in Spain. Despite the complex production process – which required several years of preparation and the acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment – the film’s budget only amounts to €1.5m.

The film – co-directed by David Valero and Xosé Zapata – is produced by IB Cinema, Jaibo Films and Nadir Films. The shoot will take place in different phases: the first will last four weeks, during which the scenes in real images will be filmed at the Ciudad de la Luz studios. The next phase will involve rotoscoping the actors and integrating the animated sequences. The title is expected to be completed by February 2009.

Ander is the first film with homosexual subject matter to be shot in the Basque language. Berdindu (the Basque Association for the Rights of Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transexuals and Intersexuals) – which is dependent on the Basque government – chose Roberto Castón to direct the film. He heads the Zinegoak de Bilbao Festival (of gay and lesbian cinema) and is making his feature film debut.

Unusually, Ander is set in a rural area, where the 40-year-old protagonist of the title works as a caretaker and meets José, a Peruvian immigrant who awakens in him feelings that were previously suppressed.

(Translated from Spanish)