Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival Returns for Its 8th Edition
The Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival welcomes film fans to its 8th Edition. The festival is delighted to be back in the cinema and offer audiences a new hybrid event of both in-person and online screenings and events featuring a total of 21 feature films and 8 short films in Spanish over the month of October.
The 2021 festival has a vibrant and varied programme, offering something for all ages and tastes. It will be held from 1st October until10th October in person and from the 14th _17th October online.
The opening film is Erlauntza/Enjambre, the debut feature film by new director and well known-actress Mireia Gabilondo, a comedy featuring a group of friends enjoying a hen party. What could possibly go wrong?
The festival will feature a great selection of theatrical adaptations: Crónica de una tormenta (Mariana Barassi) and El inconveniente (Bernabé Rico) among others. ESFF are committed to showcasing debut directors, and the 2021 programme includes debut features Karen (María Pérez), Chavalas (Carol Rodríguez),Ane (David Pérez Sañudo) Los inocentes (Guillermo Benet), El despertar de las hormigas (Antonella Sudasassi) and El despertar de Camila (Rosario Jiménez).
There will be a showcase of the work of the highly acclaimed director: David Trueba, A este lado del mundo and Cesc Gay, Sentimental, andAlejandro Amenábar, Mientras dure la guerra, and new TV Series Maricón Perdido (created by Bob Pop).
Films will be screened at a variety of venues including Filmhouse and The French Institute in Edinburgh and the Belmont Picturehouse in Aberdeen.
Audiences will be joined by a variety of award winning directors and film industry professionals such as David Trueba, Mariana Barassi, Carol Rodríguez and Bernabé Rico, alongside a number of academics including Professor Nuria Capdevila, Professor Phillip Swanson and Professor Duncan Wheeler who will be leading Q&As and panel discussions throughout the festival.
This year ESFF is hosting a range of discounts and packages for young people, including an online pack of four films tailored to young audiences, covering a range of subjects. There are also discounted prices for young audiences for all of physical film events.
The ESFF schools programme returns with a special screening of The Wolves for schools at 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday the 6th of October, and Klaus on Thursday the 7th, at 10.30 a.m. ESFF schools programme will also be in Manchester this year, at the Instituto Cervantes, as well as in Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
The ESFF programme will feature a strong focus on regional cinema, giving a glimpse of Basqueand Catalan cinema. Additionally, a selection of films will look at the Spanish Civil War. The festival also features a number of Latin American films.
Special events
The 4th of October will see the premiere of Cartas Vivas. Professor Nuria Capdevila-Argüelles (University of Exeter) will present this audio-visual project. In Cartas Vivas, relevant voices from women’s history come back to haunt us, embodied in leading actresses from the Spanish-speaking world.
ESFF is proud to join the institutions that are commemorating the centenary of Luis García Berlanga with the screening of EL Verdugo.As well as a documentary A Conversation with Spain, where he talks about his professional career and Spanish society in the second half of the 20th century. This will be followed by a round table discussion (cinema director David Trueba, Prof.Duncan Wheeler and director José Cano) highlighting the importance of Berlanga, not only in cinema but looking at the cultural legacy he has left behind.
Jim Welsh