11TH LONDON SPANISH FILM FESTIVAL. Soon in Town.
This is the final count down. London Spanish Film Festival (24-30 September 2015) is already here. This annual event — together with other events — opens a new cultural season in London.
A wide programme of films, documentaries and short films, some of which are in competition, will be shown at Ciné Lumière, Institut Français in South Kensington. As a novelty, this year the festival will also take place at the historic Regent Street Cinema. The cinema was first opened in 1896 and then closed 35 years ago. This year, after a major restoration, it re-opened its doors. It was the first place to show a film in the UK thanks to the Cinématographe by the Lumière Brothers. As a matter of fact, one of their films was shown to the public for the first time at that small cinema in Central London. Is it a coincidence that the Lumière name coincides with that of the cinema, which since its beginnings has welcomed and supported the London Spanish Film Festival? It’s certainly magical. It’s a good sign.
At Artttnow, we are excited about the entire programme of the 11th London Spanish Film Festival, but we would like to have a closer look at the Catalan Window, which this year celebrates its 7th edition and is once again an exemplar of talent and creative freshness. The Catalan Window is supported by the Institut Ramon Llull in London and Catalan Films & TV, which is the platform for the international promotion of the Catalan audio-visual industry.
Among the films that will be screened at the Catalan Window, UK Premiers in competition, are ‘Marseille’ by Belén Macías (Ciné Lumière – Thursday 24 Sep – 8:45 pm), ‘Requirements to be a Normal Person’ by Leticia Dolera (Ciné Lumière – Friday 25th Sep – 8.30 pm), and ‘Death in La Alcarria’ by Fernando Pomarés Piñol (Regent Street Cinema – Saturday 26 Sep – 4:30 pm).
The festival’s program also includes the documentary ‘Snacks: Bits for a Revolution’ by the Catalans directors Cristina Jolonch and Verónica Escuer (Ciné Lumière – Tuesday 29 Sep – 6:30 pm), which shows and reflects on how Spanish cuisine has revolutionised its dining scene in terms of quality, creativity, and inspiration.
However, the most anticipated part of the festival — at least by us — is a special session, which this year is dedicated to the Catalan director Isabel Coixet, who will present her film ‘Learning to Drive’ (Regent Street Cinema – Sunday 27 Sep – 8:00 pm) as UK premiere out of competition. The film will be preceded by an interview between the director Isabel Coixet and Maria Delgado, Professor of Theatre and Screen Arts at Queen Mary University of London. “Learning to drive” is a comedy that moves away from personal dramas that tend to be the leading subject in the latest movies of the director.
As a great connoisseur of the broad human universe, in this movie, Isabel Coixet touches upon such interesting topics as friendship, love, relationships with immigrants, respect for family and traditions, as well as education. There is no time to lose. Learn to drive, pay attention to life and move forward. But also, don’t forget to take part in the London Spanish Film Festival this year…
M.A.
THE LONDON SPANISH FILM FESTIVAL
CINÉ LUMIÈRE
(Institut français)
17 Queensberry Place
South Kensington
London SW7 2DT
020 7871 3515
www.institut-francais.org.uk
REGENT STREET CINEMA
309 Regent Street
London W1B 2UW
020 7911 5050
www.regentstreetcinema.com
