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VENICE 2010 Awards

Alex de la Iglesia: “Don’t call me master"

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Alex de la Iglesia bursts into the press conference and embraces jury president Quentin Tarantino, who awarded his film A Sad Trumpet Ballad [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Álex de la Iglesia
film profile
]
two gongs, the Osella for Best Screenplay and the Silver Lion for Best Director.

“Don’t call me master, it makes me feel like a teacher, whilst I’m still trying to learn. I feel happy, I’m totally drunk. I’ve always written my films with my regular co-screenwriter. For the first time I worked alone, I usually have to share the awards! You’ve played a wonderful joke on me. Thanks”, said the director of La Comunidad.

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Regarding the similarities some people saw between his film and Tim Burton’s early work, he explained: “If you mean copying or being influenced, I’d say it’s more Lon Chaney Jr. Nowadays, nobody does anything new: postmodernity is really using other people’s work, we must be aware of this. Festivals reward the best barman, the best cocktail preparer. The trick is mixing the ingredients well”.

What does this award mean for Spanish cinema, in a year of sporting success that has brought Spain international glory? “It’s a joy, because not everything can go badly all the time. To the jury members, I’d like to say that the moment has arrived to think about cinema from a truly postmodern perspective. The talent of the jury members, who don’t try to do new things, is to do things well. There comes a time when we distinguish between talent and know-how, and finding one’s place between these two concepts is the secret of success. Someone like me, who often hasn’t felt at ease at festivals, has a right to say this”.

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(Translated from Italian)

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