Viva Film Festival Manchester: A look behind the Latin lense
Tuesday, 24th February 2009
As a company that attracts so many employees, clients and associates who are passionate about all things Spanish, Cactus is thrilled to be supporting the ¡Viva! Spanish and Latin American Film Festival in Manchester this year (6-14 March).
As part of the run-up to the big event, Rachel Haywood, programme manager at Cornerhouse (Manchester’s international centre for contemporary visual arts and film), tells us about her love of Spanish and Latin American cinema, and gives us the ‘heads up’ on some of this year’s must-see films.
1. How did your love affair with Spanish film begin? Would you say that learning Spanish has helped you appreciate the films even more?
Learning Spanish has definitely fuelled my love of Spanish language cinema. As I gain more confidence in the language the films also unlock Spanish culture.
Watching Spanish films certainly feeds into learning the language too, it’s surprising how much vocabulary (in particular slang and swear words!) that you can pick up from films, not to mention bizarre words, and authentic accents and idioms.
2. What, for you, which sets Spanish films apart from others?
The world of Spanish language cinema is so diverse, for example at the moment the Argentine industry is booming and we’re seeing numerous quality productions – this year’s festival has seven Argentine productions or co-productions.
4. What are your recommendations for films not to miss at this year’s festival?
There are so many great films in this year’s ¡Viva! Spanish and Latin American Film Festival, but to highlight a few favourites of mine:
Titon de la Habana a Guantanamera. This documentary presents the amazing contribution of film director TIton made to Cuban and international cinema – a truly inspiring piece of filmmaking.
A second documentary in this year’s selection which is not to be missed is El Ultimo Truco. Emilio Ruiz Del Rio, a behind the scenes look at traditional special effects methods which is truly magical.
Cenizas del Cielo is a wonderful, passionate story of environmentalism and traditional romance.
5. What is your favourite Spanish film of all time?
My favourite Spanish film is a quiet masterpiece – Victor Erice’s The Spirit of the Beehive. It’s a subtle, sublime film which presents a coded allegory of Francoist Spain.
6. What is the best place that you have visited in a Spanish-speaking country?
My favourite Spanish speaking destination has to be Cuba – I spent some time there last year and after this year’s ¡Viva! is over I’ll be heading off to Havana to wind down after all the excitement of the festival!
Tags: cinema, film, language, cactus, cuba, festival, spain, learning, culture
Posted by Laura Harrison 2009-02 under Experience Cultures, Movies,
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