FEAST OF HISPANIC CINEMA (PAST TENSE)
Apr 1st, 2008 by Sean Baite
In a perhaps extreme example of my reactivity and nose for what’s topical, I’m telling you about a festival that ended last sunday. Maybe that’s why this is Dublin ‘Opinion’ and that other lot are called Dublin ‘Event Guide’… In any case, according to the DEG, you have just had the opportunity over there to see 20 odd films from the (currently) prolific world of Spanish-speaking cinema : Spanish Film Festival write-up DEG in a festival that ended on the 30th. Unfortunately, the site for the festival itself adverted to in the write-up doesn’t seem to have been finalised.
I hope that some of you took the opportunity to get along to see these films - from what I can see, Hispanic (or Lusophone) cinema seems to be fairly infrequently scheduled in Dublin - even by Dublin’s only wholly arthouse cinema. It’s somewhat of a pity to get 95% of the year’s opportunity to see this kind of production over just 3 or 4 days.
[ Still from ‘The Pope’s Toilet’ - a Uruguayan construction without proper planning permission, no Sodger of Destiny involvement ]
Of the films mentioned in the write-up, I have only managed to see the Pope’s Toilet - an endearing wee film from Uruguay set in 1988 but still sadly pertinent to the macro and micro-economic realities of that part of the world. A good film, not a great film , as Dunphy might put it - I expect the rest of the schedule were of a similar standard (I am rarely disappointed by Spanish-speaking films put on in my local cine-club).
In the hope that the IFC schedule some of the films in the coming months, or that you manage to track them down on DVD, I hope that that denizen of Parisian fleapits, Seanachie, can shed some light on the other films included in the festival’s programme.
As a parting shot, I think Philip Roe (author of the DEG write-up) deserves to have his typing fingers dipped in a jar of Spanish Fly for use of the phrase ‘tasty-looking smorgasbord of Spanish cinema…’ - a heinous crime against prose (in anyone’s language), methinks..
Hi Sean,
While I agree that there should be more Spanish-language films on Irish screens and “tasty-looking smorgasbord of Spanish cinema” does display a clear lack of geo-culinary nouce, if nothing else, I think that the Spanish film festival this year was well run, well promoted, and well attended for something that would have been supported by a modest enough budget!
Indeed, it actually went on for two full weeks and showed several screenings a day. Also, I went through the IFI website to access the festival news and had zero issues with it in terms of quality of information or hassle-free booking. I even logged on through my phone once and that went smoothly.
There were some good, but not great, films, as you say, and one or two that I am trying to forget about, but it must be said that “The Orphanage” is scream-out-loud terrifc and do not miss the chance to go see it, if you are interested by great world cinema.
Cheers,
LO.
(Disclaimer - No association with the festival or those running it, unless you include the odd Instituto Cervantes language class over the years!)
Thanks for the comment Longman, and the light shed on some of the rest of the festival’s selection - will keep my eyes peeled for the Orphanage (I see you review it on your own blog). Must have been that the DEG URL link for the festival was dodgy - I looked at the IFI’s site but didn’t persist in following their link.
Also, welcome to the blogosphere - good touch to launch it on April Fool’s day (I’m sure there’s a Flann O’Brien parallel there but I can’t immediately think of it). Judging by the number of World Cinema films you review - the frequency of their screening in Dublin is better than I thought - or have you taken advantage of the glut of films in the festival ?
Must get the great and venerable bearded one around here (Donagh) to add you to the blogroll.
all the best
Báite
Thanks for all that. Will reciprocate on the link this evening.
To answer your question, the Spanish films were part of the festival, although The Orphanage is currently on general release. However, in fairness, the IFI puts on some great world cinema throughout the year. For example, there are a couple of French films that I hope to see there this month - The Bell & The Butterfly (missed it in January) and Persepolis. Both have been very favourably received by people who’s opinions I have grown to trust.