04/07/2002 - This year´s event focused its spotlights on Spanish cinema, offering a selection of works of the past decade

This year´s event focused its spotlights on Spanish cinema, offering a selection of works of the past decade. The films often had little in common, from Juanma Bajo Ulloa´s disturbing Alas de Mariposa (1991) with its subtle touches of horror, where we find a little girl with penetrating glance who kills her own brother, to Daniel Calparsoro´s Asfalto (1999), a story of love, friendship, and betrayal; from Barrio (1998) by Fernando Leon De Aranoa, who paints interesting portraits of youths who live on the outskirts of the capital city, their yearnings, and their ambitions, to Monos como Becky (Monday Like Becky, 1999), a film set in an institution for the mentally ill that analyzes the life of Dr. Egas Monis, the inventor of the lobotomy.

The program on Spanish cinema also featured the showing of El bola (2000) by Achero Mañas, a film which has won various awards and deals with the controversial theme of abuse of minors. Pablo, a 12-year-old boy, lives an isolated life and only sporadically frequents friends who enjoy playing games that put their own lives at stake. One day he meets a new classmate who, because he is more sensitive than most, understands that Pablo, who is nicknamed the «cue ball» has problems of his own as well as with his family. Pablo is beaten badly by his father, and even though he hides the bruises, his tragic situation is discovered by his friend and his family, who sympathize with Pablo and help him to press charges. Young Mañas´ debut is still touching and well-worth seeing in spite of its defects, thanks to the performance of the boy who plays the leading role of «El Bola». Homage was paid to Spanish cinema by El Bola´s winning of the Audience´s Award, as well as a special prize in honour of the Spanish actor Eduardo Noriega, the star of many Spanish films like Amenabar´s Tesis, who is currently in Pesaro as the star of a Mexican-Spanish production entitled El Espinazo del Diablo (2001), directed by Guillermo Del Toro.

In addition to Spanish cinema, Pesaro also witnessed the presentation of a personal show of Swiss director Daniel Schmid, the refined esthete and lover of melodrama; and a tribute to the Frenchman Alain Flaischer, photographer, director and extravagant author of numerous experimental films and creator of an important, permanent, audiovisual laboratory. Then, between special events and new programs, there will also be a series entitled «60 + o -2» which collects unique, brief films that include the most successful Nachtreise (Nightime Voyage, Austria 2002, 63´) by the Turkish director Kenen Kiliç, and a tribute to Jay Rosenblatt for his masterful use of «found foutage», the trendiest technique that uses previously filmed images to make new films.

The festival will also be enriched by the Docs in Europe series that will screen European documentaries presented by five countries of the European community: Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Portugal, and Great Britain. This feature will soon be joined by films from other European member nations. Each country has proposed a title from the past as well as a more contemporary film, which has resulted in a complete and eclectic program. Luchino Visconti represented Italy with Appunti su un fatto di cronaca (1951), a short subject that introduces the viewer into the lower class Roman neighborhood of Primavalle where a 12-year-old girl was murdered, as did Maria Martinelli`s recent Gladiatori - Reportage sul cinema hard italiano (2000), which presents a series of interviews with actors and directors of porno films.

The Danish film Før Gæsterne Kommer (Before the Guests Arrive, 1986) by Jon Bang Carlsen was recognized as the most moving documentary, while the most original was certainly another Danish film entitled 66 Scener fra Amerika (66 Scenes from America, 1981) by Jørgen Leth, a series of postcard-like frames that portray suggestive American landscapes. Belgium flanked Joris Ivens and Henry Storck´s famous documentary Misère au Borinage (1933), a role model for documentary film making, with Patrik Jean´s 1999 effort entitled Les enfants du Borinage - Lettre à Henry Storck, a film that returns to the areas of its 1933 predecessor and once again meets with poverty and despair. Portugal was present with As pedras e o tempo (Milestones, 1960) by Fernando Lopes, a documentary about the city of Evora, and with the original version of No quarto da Vanda by Pedro Costa (2000). Basil Wright and Harry Watt represented Great Britain with their 1936 creation entitled Night Mail, about mail distribution by means of railways, while the contemporary entry would have been Tales From Hard City (1994) by Kim Flitcroft, which was not screened due to organizational difficulties.