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PRODUCTION Spain

José Sacristán stars in Formentera Lady

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- The celebrated Spanish actor takes on the central role in Pau Durà first feature film as director; filming for the comedy-drama wrapped just days ago in the Mediterranean

José Sacristán stars in Formentera Lady
Jordi Sánchez, José Sacristán and Sandro Ballesteros on the set of Formentera Lady

Actor and director Pau Durà (Alcoi, Alicante, 1972) has written and directed his first feature, following a TV film and four shorts (including El cerdo and El hambre): it’s called Formentera Lady [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
and, as the title suggests, most of the action takes place on the small but captivating Balearic island that Julio Medem portrayed so well in Sex and Lucia [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
. This incomparable setting is home to the hero of the story, a blend of comedy and drama, played by José Sacristán; a figurehead of Spanish cinema fought over by directors and most recently seen in The Furies [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, Toro [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kike Maíllo
film profile
]
and Quatretondeta [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
. Filming, split between Formentera itself, Valencia and Dénia, came to an end on 15 April.

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Starring alongside Sacristán are Nora Navas (The Distinguished Citizen [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
), Jordi Sánchez and young newcomer Sandro Ballesteros. The film tells the story of Samuel, who arrived in bohemian Formentera in the seventies and never left. He remains firmly ensconced on the island, living without electricity and playing the banjo in a local bar. His days unfold peacefully, with little excitement until his daughter Anna and grandson Marc show up on his doorstep. Having been unemployed for far too long, Anna has accepted a job in France and can’t take Marc with her, and so finds herself obliged to park the boy with his grandfather. Feeling like an island within another island, Samuel will have to adapt his life to the needs of a ten-year-old boy as, impelled to examine his past, he embarks on a journey through the shadows of his supposed “paradise”.

Formentera Lady is being produced by Fosca Films and Sunrise Pictures, in co-production with Good Machine Films AIE and La Periférica Produccions. The project is backed by Televisió de Catalunya, the ICEC (the Catalan Institute for Cultural Companies), IVAC-Generalitat Valenciana, Balearia and the Island Council of Formentera. Juli Mira, Ferrán Rañé, Pepa Juan and Nuria Mencía round out the cast.

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(Translated from Spanish)

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