08/10/2003

Tonight sees the start of the 8th edition of the Cinespaña festival. It is being held at the Tolosa Film Library and will be continuing until October 19. There will be 12 recent Spanish films shown in competition and a section dedicated to the “actors of democracy”, as well as a tribute to Imanol Arìas and a retrospective featuring the works of Manuel Gutiérrez Aragòn.

The films competing for the Golden Violette, will be judged by a jury made up of cinema professionals and another jury whose members are students. The works competing are Al sur de Granada by Fernando Colomo, Rencor by Miguel Albaladejo, El Caballero Don Quijote by Manuel Gutiérrez Aragon, La luz prodigiosa by Miguel Hermoso, Torremolinos 73 by Pablo Berger, El traje by Alberto Rodriguez, Besos de gato by Rafael Alcazar, 800 Balas by Alex De La Iglesia, La vida de nadie by Eduard Cortes, Octavia by Basilio Martin Patino and Smoking room by Julio Wallovits and Roger Gual.
The tribute to the actors of democracy will feature 8 films made during the transition period from dictatorship and democracy (from the death of Franco in 1975 to the last failed coup by Franco’s supporters in 1981), with films like Victoria Abril<7b>Ana Belén and Carmen Maura. Cinespaña’s focus on the actor Imanol Arìas who became famous thanks to two films by Vicente Aranda, and his performances in the films by Pedro Almodovar (Labyrinth of Passion, The Flower of My Secret). The other famous name of Spanish cinema being celebrated this year will be the filmmaker Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón who has directed 13 feature length films over his career spanning 20 years, including the famous trilogy from the ’80s: Camada negra, Sonámbulos e El corazón del bosque.

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