16/12/2022 - The man behind Spanish audiovisual gems such as The Spirit of the Beehive is poised to finish the shoot for his new film, starring Manolo Solo and José Coronado

Director Víctor Erice (right) on the set of Close Your Eyes (© Manolo Pavón)

Several months ago, an exciting return was announced that has now become a reality: Víctor Erice is coming back to mainstream cinema after three decades taking a break from the domain, albeit still devoting himself to other artistic creations. Right now, one of the most prestigious names in the field of Spanish audiovisual – the man behind marvels such as The Spirit of the Beehive, El sur and Dream of Light (which took part in the 1992 Cannes Film Festival) – is shooting Close Your Eyes [+see also:
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It tells of how a famous Spanish actor, Julio Arenas (played by José Coronado, whom we saw recently in Stories Not to Be Told [+see also:
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The shoot for Close Your Eyes has been taking place in Granada, Almeria and Asturias, and will wrap in Madrid. The cast is rounded off by Ana Torrent (who was discovered by Erice as a girl and chosen to star in 1973’s The Spirit of the Beehive), María León (who will soon appear in Piety [+see also:
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In addition, as its DoP, the movie has been able to count on Valentín Álvarez, with whom he worked previously on the short film La Morte Rouge and on Vidros partidos, Erice’s contribution to Historic Centre [+see also:
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Close Your Eyes is a co-production by La mirada del adiós AIE, led by Cristina Zumárraga through Tandem Films, the company she runs with Pablo E Bossi, together with Jose Alba and Odile Antonio-Baez’s Pecado Films, with Pampa Films on board as a co-producer in Argentina. Erice himself is also producing with his outfit Nautilus Films. The film boasts the involvement of TVE, Movistar Plus+, Canal Sur and EiTB, and it has secured backing from the ICAA, the Andalusian Regional Government and the Community of Madrid. It will land in Spanish movie theatres in 2023, courtesy of Avalon, and Film Factory will take care of managing the international sales.

(Translated from Spanish)