16/03/2021 - The masterful Spanish director has once again teamed up with Vittorio Storaro to add a little extra sparkle to his latest project, filmed in Mexico and now in the home stretch of postproduction

We can hardly say that Carlos Saura is back, because he never really went away. At 89, it’s still rare to see this indefatigable filmmaker, illustrator and photographer without a camera around his neck. His new musical project has been marinating for a good while, and now, finally, The King of the Whole World [+see also:
trailer
film profile] is almost ready to hit the screen. Shot in Guadalajara and Jalisco (Mexico) in 2019, the film boasts a three-time Oscar winner, Vittorio Storaro, as director of photography. It’s not the first collaboration for this legendary dream team: Storaro has worked with Aragon-born Saura on no less than six previous projects, including Goya in Bordeaux, Tango and Flamenco, flamenco [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

Once again, dance, music and rhythm saturate Saura’s cinematic world in his first fiction film after a string of documentaries. Written by the director himself, the plot revolves around Manuel, a famous stage director who emerges from self-imposed exile to put on a new show simmering with passion and violence. For him, The King of the Whole World is not only an explosive comeback to the theatrical scene, but also a vehicle for a longed-for reconciliation with his ex-wife, Sara, an acclaimed choreographer he calls upon to assist with casting and direction. Together, they scout out a troop of talented young dancers and win their trust, all the while grappling with their own lives outside the rehearsal room, weighed down by years of anger and pain.

During casting, one young dancer, Inés, stands out as a rising star. Then, Inés’s father, a shadowy figure with dangerous dealings with the local mafia, enters the scene. As preparations for opening night continue, a feverish desire to win will push the dancers to their limits. The moment we first hear the rousing Mexican score (by Lila Downs, Carlos Rivera and Fela Dominguez), we know that we’re in for a heady concoction of tragedy, fiction and reality.

A multinational cast features Ana de la Reguera, Damián Alcazar and Manuel García Rulfo (Mexico), Manolo Cardona (Colombia) and Enrique Arce (Spain), joined by model Greta Elizondo and dancer Isaac Hernández, making his big-screen début.

“I still want my work to evolve, to avoid the old traditional tropes and take advantage of all the possibilities of new technologies, like lightweight, high-quality digital cameras, powerful low-energy projectors and the ability to record sound live on-set, with tiny microphones,” says the eternally youthful Saura of his sizzling new film.

The King of the Whole World was produced by Pipa Films (México) and Pacha Inversiones – Producciones Audiovisuales S.L. (Spain), in association with Canal 44 and COFIEJ. It will be distributed in Spain by Syldavia Cinema. Madrid-based Latido Films will be managing sales.

(Translated from Spanish)