17/09/2007

Emilio Martínez Lázaro's Las trece rosas [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Juan Antonio Bayona's The Orphanage [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and José Luis Garci's Luz de domingo have been pre-selected by Spain’s Academy of Arts and Sciences to represent the country at the 80th Academy Awards.

The members of the Academy chose the films from a list of 70 titles although none of the three have been released locally yet. The final Spanish Oscar candidate will be announced on September 27 while the Hollywood Academy will unveil the shortlist features on January 22, 2008.

Las Trece Rosas marks Lázaro’s return after the success of the musicals The Other Side of the Bed and The 2 Sides of the Bed [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Álvaro Curiel
interview: Emilio Martínez Lázaro
film profile] (see Focus). The new film, based on real events (see news), was produced by Enrique Cerezo PC and Pedro Costa PC and brings together a cast of young female talent, including Pilar López de Ayala (En la ciudad de Sylvia [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), Marta Etura (DarkBlueAlmostBlack [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], see interview) and Véronica Sánchez (Camarón).

Luz de domingo is based on a novel by Ramón Pérez de Ayala and is Garci’s first film after Ninette (2005). Produced by Nikel Odeon Dos, the film is set in Spain in the early 20th century and stars Paula Echevarría, Alex González, Alfredo Landa, Kiti Manver and Fernando Guillén Cuervo.

Bayona’s feature debut The Orphanage (see news) made a splash in its "very special" one-time screening at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Produced by Guillermo del Toro, the horror film may be the favourite of the three titles if the members of Spain's Academy of Arts and Sciences decide to take advantage of the success of Pan's Labyrinth [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], which won three Academy Awards.