Carol Rodríguez Colás, director of ‘Chavalas’
It has been a fantastic experience to see the reaction of the audience in Edinburgh towards the screening of the film ‘Chavalas’. It has been my first time presenting the film outside Spain (in person).
The organisation has been excellent, and I feel very grateful for the invitation to the Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival.
Santiago Bertrán, BA Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Warwick
I was honored to attend the Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival in its 9th edition – this year in person, back at the magical site of the Edinburgh Filmhouse. What a wonderful way this festival has been to leave behind (if only briefly) the difficult times we have gone through. I was amazed at the level of professionality, talent, attentiveness, and warmth. The curated program was fantastic (including Alejandro Amenábar’s provocative historical film ‘While at war’, which I was invited to present!), the people and the audiences were amazing, and the organization was just perfect. As a long-time friend of Marian Aréchaga and her team, I am just impressed with the incredible cultural event they have put together, and I am just impressed with the incredible cultural event they have put together, and I am very grateful that this year I have been able to take part in it! Long live the ESFF!
Mariana Barassi, director of ‘Crónica de una tormenta’
I am infinitely grateful for your invitation to be part of your festival and to be able to show the film to such a wonderful audience, in a wonderful city. It has been an unforgettable experience.
In these pandemic times in which we -women directors- have been very limited to have access to present our films, I find it very valuable to be able to count on your work to give visibility to our projects. In addition, I believe that your city is a very fertile framework to be able to show Ibero-American audiovisual work, mainly because of how central the University is to the city and the very nature of your project, which arises and is managed from the University of Edinburgh. I have always believed that the field of training and education should be closely linked to the audiovisual, to bring and generate thought, to open new and different ways of looking, thinking and representing.
Your work is essential for this link to happen, so I hope you continue for many more years.
Once again, thank you very much for your closeness and professionalism. Thanks also to the professionals involved in the development of the colloquiums, everyone was so involved.”
José Cano, director of ‘A Conversation with Spain’
It has been a great few days in Edinburgh. I want to thank you and all the festival team for your kindness towards me and the film.
Without your effort and help, ‘A Conversation with Spain’ would still be sleeping on the shelves of a film archive.
What a great time I had with you all!”
Professor Duncan Wheeler, Chair of Spanish Studies and Director of International Activities
A delightful opportunity to savour Spanish cinema with friends old and new in the centre of Edinburgh, a welcome antidote to challenging times. Expert programming and viable selection of invited guests and enthusiastic audiences have made the Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival a reference point at national and international levels.”
Guillermo Benet, director of ‘The Blameless’
The ‘Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival’ has been a great experience. It is a close festival where the contact with the audience is maximized. It also allows you to share experiences with other Spanish filmmakers who premiere films at the same time as you. The venue where it takes place is perfect, with excellent facilities and an ideal environment to watch and talk about cinema. The organisation of the festival has been perfect, the treatment has been very personal and at all times I have felt accompanied and well cared for.”
Bernabé Rico, director of ‘El inconveniente’
VIP treatment, great audience & curated films shown in a 1st class venue. That is all you can ask from a film festival and the ESFF hits it right on the mark. Congrats to organisers and sponsors that made this possible.”
Marta Díaz de Lope, director of Hopelessly Devout
The fact is that my visit to the Edinburgh festival has been a very good experience, both because of the way I was treated in every respect by the organisers and because of the way the film was received. For me it was very rewarding to have the film shown outside Spain, and the subsequent colloquium was of particular interest. It’s very pleasing to hear the views of the audience, and even more so when the reception is so positive. So I only have words of thanks to the festival for including me and, above all, my beloved group; and to all the people who are part of the team that treated me so nicely and warmly, and who made me feel so relaxed throughout.
Good luck with the Festival, you are doing a great job and I hope I can come back soon, maybe with my next film.”
Jon Garaño, director of Handia
It was a pleasure for me to inaugurate the ESFF2018 with our film Handía. The screening in Edinburgh’s Filmhouse was perfect (in terms of the audiovisual quality) in a highly agreeable environment. I had an interesting dialogue with the audience in the Q&A, which continued into the opening night party afterwards. To be honest, I can’t say anything negative about the ESFF. From the outset, the treatment I received was excellent and I felt very comfortable.”
Lorenzo Silva, writer
My impression of the Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival could not be better. Good organisation, good location, two screenings with the auditorium completely full, more than half of the audience staying for the colloquium afterwards and making comments showing insight and extreme interest. The screening was also reflected in local media, leading to a reception in Scotland of one of those Spanish films that might have gone unnoticed were it not distributed in cinemas in the United Kingdom. To complete the value of the experience, a session with the University’s Spanish students, another informed and motivated group, with whom, thanks to the excellent guidance of staff from the department, it was posible to have a wide-ranging and rewarding conversation about literature. In short: 10 out of 10.”.
Rod White, Head of Filmhouse cinema
The festival continued to attract a new audience to Filmhouse, connecting with Edinburgh’s Spanish community. 17% of customers attending ESFF in 2016 had never attended Filmhouse before and 18% were returning from ESFF in 2015. Over 4,000 brochures were picked up by customers at Filmhouse in the run up to the festival, demonstrating the appetite for Spanish language cinema in Edinburgh.
The Festival hosted a number of Question and Answer sessions after their screenings, with 20 of the 24 screenings having a post-show discussion, allowing audiences to further engage with Spanish filmmaking and culture.
The decision to include Maya and Catalan language films as part of the 2016 festival was particularly appreciated by our existing art house film audience who appreciated a very rare opportunity to experience these languages and the films themselves.
We look forward to working with ESFF again in the future”.
Diego Gallegos, Michelin Star Chef
A great experience to be able to talk about the concept of sustainability outside Spain. I had a great time, the audience was magnificent and the films well liked. Many thanks for the invitation and congratulations for such a great festival.”
Lara Izaguirre, director of ‘An Autumn Without Berlin’
Returning to Edinburgh to this festival has been for me one of the best surprises of my year. Here I have found a team of passionate people eager to make our stay as warm and easy as possible. They managed to do so and I will forever cherish this festival. I will remember the team, the audiences, and of course the beautiful city.”
Diego Mas Trelles, director of ‘Sex, Maracas and Chihuahuas’
The Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival is a great platform to promote Spanish Cinema as it shows films that would otherwise never reach the Scottish public.
A fantastic organisation supported by a wonderful team of volunteers who inform the public, assist the guests and introduce the films. An audience full of cinema lovers that come together to this venue to see a great selection of films and stay for the Q&A full of eagerness. I was happy to see so many students of Spanish enjoying the films.”
Paula Ortiz, director of ‘The Bride’
It is an honour to be able to come to Edinburgh and show my work here. You are a wonderful team and I hope you keep your zest and enthusiasm because it is worth it. I am looking forward to returning to Edinburgh and any help that you need, please give me a shout.”
LINCS department of Heriot-Watt University
The LINCS (Languages and Intercultural Studies) department of Heriot-Watt University participated as a supporter of the Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival in its 3rd edition. We provided one of our most valuable assets: language professionals, more specifically interpreters. Some of our alumni have delivered interpreting services before and after films and events during the ESFF. We have also advised the Festival on how to use these language professionals in the most efficient way. Additionally, Dr Pedro Jesús Castillo Ortiz has introduced one of the featured films (Rumbos) and led the subsequent Questions and Answers session.
We are delighted to support the ESFF and hope this collaboration will continue in the coming years
Professor Gustavo San Román from St Andrews University
It was a pleasure to attend the ESFF this year, and to present, and lead a Question and Answer session with Uruguayan Director Alvaro Brechner and his friend the Glasgow-born actor Gary Piquer, who played one of the protagonists in Brechner’s first feature film, Bad Day to Go Fishing. We also presented and discussed with the audience, Brechner’s second film, Mr Kaplan.
It was clear from the reaction from the audience that they very much enjoyed both films and that they welcomed the opportunity to engage in conversation with the two guests. The questions were plentiful and showed the interest on the part of local people, both Spanish- and English-speaking, in these two films in particular, and evidently in the film festival at large. On both occasions I was present the cinema was full or nearly full, and we had to interrupt the second Q&A session because there was another film coming up – otherwise the conversation would have gone on for another while. It was evident that the shows and the Q&A sessions proved useful and relevant to the local community.
Prof. Nuria Capdevila from Exeter University
The festival is a key milestone in my impact strategy. By providing a forum to engage with audiences and film practitioners, the festival is instrumental in the development of new pathways to impact. In particular, the 2016 edition has led to new impact and knowledge exchange collaborations between key directors (Paula Ortiz) and myself.”
Rosie Crerar, Screen Officer at Creative Scotland
The Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival offers a diverse, innovative and exciting programme of film and events. The festival provides a platform to showcase some of Spain’s most talented filmmakers and is an excellent opportunity for people from across Scotland to discover and celebrate the rich cultural history of Spanish Film.”
Eduardo Rodríguez (Co-director of SALT)
Our experience with the first edition of ESFF could not have been better. Besides being very happy to be part of a successful project, cooperation with the organisers has been superb, a rewarding experience which has provided SALT Edinburgh with huge visibility. Our company logo was everywhere in the city, on posters, programmes and at the cinema where the movies were screened. We are undoubtedly looking forward to be part of the second edition of this festival”.
Georgina Harris 1B Student at The University of Edinburgh (Volunteer during the ESFF)
I’m really glad that I got the opportunity to volunteer at ESFF as it really opened my eyes as to how large and active the Spanish community in Edinburgh is, which is extremely beneficial for a student like me who is studying Spanish and hoping to improve my language skills. I also was lucky enough to watch a few of the films that were being shown, which I really enjoyed and I think that the range of films being shown demonstrated how diverse Hispanic cinema is. The ESFF was definitely a success from my point of view as I was surprised at just how many people attended, and many asked me whether it would be repeated again any time soon. Also, I really think that it definitely increased the people of Edinburgh’s awareness and interest in Spanish film, and I’m glad to have been able to help out”.
Francis Keep, Spanish 4th year at The University of Edinburgh (attended In a Foreign Land)
Through the Spanish film festival’s extensive links with Edinburgh University, a classmate and I were provided with the hugely enriching opportunity to interview the renown Spanish filmmaker, Icíar Bollaín on her latest documentary, ‘In a Foreign Land’. This unique opportunity provided me with the opportunity to make fascinating connections between issues studied on my course and their effect on Scottish life”.
Ian Irwing (attended Mugaritz)
I had no idea this festival was kicking off, but it sounds like a great initiative and I hope it will continue!”
St Dominic’s Primary (attended Tad, the Lost Explorer and the animation workshop)
The teachers and the children thoroughly enjoyed their day and all the experiences .We look forward to hearing from you if you are running anything like this in the future”.
Heriots (attended 15 Years and a Day)
Perfect for our pupils and the new N4 national exam (internal value added unit assessment) when they have to speak & write about a film”.
Level of language and pace just right for this age group”.
Story line -very good- lots for the pupils to talk & write about”.
Although there was ‘bad language’ in the English subtitles, the pupils said that this is ‘normal’ among many teenage boys!”
Acting – superb – the boys were so convincing in their roles- the adults too, of course!”
All emotions awakened throughout- pupils found it funny, shocking and also very sad too”.
All in all, an excellent venture- we would certainly do this again”.
Richard Bath (Scotsman food critic, attended Mugaritz)
The Mugaritz event, which formed part of the Spanish Film Festival, was one which genuine foodies greatly enjoyed. Not only was the hour-long documentary on the fabled Basque restaurant an interesting treatise on the nature of food, and an entertaining experiment in meshing food and music, but quietly-spoken super-chef Andoni Luis Aduriz captivated the audience during the question and answer session which followed the documentary. Speaking through an interpreter, he was witty, insightful and humble, ever ready to share his secrets with the audience but never taking himself too seriously. A fantastic event, well done!”
David Trueba, director of ‘On this Side of the World’