24/08/2016 - The Fury of a Patient Man, the astounding directorial debut by established actor Raúl Arévalo, leads the Spanish contingent at the Italian festival

Venice really loves Spanish cinema: directors of the calibre of Álex de la Iglesia, Dani de la Torre and Daniel Sánchez Arévalo have successfully trodden the Lido over the years. One of the latter filmmaker’s pet actors, Raúl Arévalo, is heading up the national delegation at the imminent edition of the gathering – in the official Orizzonti section (read the news) – with the first film that he has made on the other side of the camera: The Fury of a Patient Man [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Raúl Arévalo
film profile], a brutal story of love and revenge starring Antonio de la Torre, Ruth Díaz and Luis Callejo, and produced by Beatriz Bodegas (of La Canica Films).

“It’s a dream come true being invited to Venice. I love it, because if I go on to make more films and they don’t work, at least I’ve already got one that made it there,” jokes Raúl Arévalo. “When I shot it, I wasn’t expecting anything big – I was content to just enjoy it, and I wasn’t thinking about festivals. I wanted to make a movie that I would enjoy, and that’s why I’m grateful for the freedom I was afforded. Then I realised that I’m more demanding as a director than I am as an actor. I had been dreaming of it for so many years and, being an actor, I was used to being on set.”

“Raúl can’t quite believe it, but I already had a feeling that Venice was going to select us. When I confirmed the news to him, he found it hard to take in,” confesses Bodegas, who, after producing films by such names as Bigas Luna and Jorge Torregrossa (The Unexpected Life [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jorge Torregrossa
film profile]), staged her fifth movie, The Fury of a Patient Man, trusting completely in Arévalo’s directorial talents. “He was very clear about everything during the shoot; he was decisive and never hesitated. He’s a performer who does a terrific job of directing actors, and that’s why I was so laid-back and didn’t doubt him, because Raúl knows how to get the best out of each member of the cast and crew.”

In addition, a co-production between Spain (A contracorriente Films) and Argentina, El ciudadano ilustre [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], is competing in the official section of Venice 2016, while the new Sorrentino project, The Young Pope (read more), a TV series financed by Italy, the USA, France and Spain (Mediapro), is set to screen out of competition.

(Translated from Spanish)