Spanish film festival begins at Thiruvananthapuram

A five-day Spanish Film Festival organised by Ministry of Culture ,Govt. of Kerala , Kerala State Chalachitra Academy in association with Instituto Cervantes ,Casa de la India and the Spanish government as part of a cultural exchange programme between India and Spain began here on 11^th March. Ten films directed by renowned Spanish directors are being screened in the festival.
A delegation of Spanish film personalities including Carlos Saura, Ingrid Rubio, Maria Ruiz, Veronica Sanchez, Rosa Sarda, Bigas Luna, Julio Medem, Jorge Sanchez Cabezudo and Beatrice de la Gandara are attending the festival. A delegation of journalist from Spain is also accompanying the film personalities.
Mr.Ion de la Riva , Ambassador of Spain in India who attended the inaugural session informed that as a reciprocal gesture, the government of Spain is organizing a Festival on Malayalam Film at Madrid and Valadolid in June/July this year. They are also planning to screen selected Malayalam films in the Spanish cities.
“Fados” , the new masterpiece from award-winning Director Carlos Saura and the latest installment in his musical cycle initiated more than 15 years ago by “Sevillanas” (1992), “Flamenco” (1995), Oscar nominated “Tango” (1998), “Salome” (2002) and “ Iberia ” (2005) is the main attraction of the Spanish Festival.. “Fados” opens a new chapter and sets new challenges for the famous director – now 76 - as it attempts to capture the elusive nature of the Portuguese “saudade” and to depict a faithful portrait of the Portuguese soul through its most emblematic musical genre. Using Lisbon as its iconic backdrop, the movie explores the intricate relationship between the music and the city, and Fado´s evolution over the years from its African and Brazilian origins up to the new wave of modern Fadistas. Under the musical supervision of Carlos do Carmo, the movie features one of the finest “World Music” soundtracks to date, gathering the best of new Portuguese talent like Mariza or Camané, together with foreign legends Caetano Veloso and Chico Buarque or up-and-coming stars Lila Downs and Lura.the cast include Chico Buarque de Hollanda, Carmané, Carlos do Carmo, Lila Downs, Cesaria Evora, Toni Garrido, Alfredo Marceneiro, Mariza, Miguel Poveda.
‘ Pan’s Labyrinth ‘ directed by Guillermo del Toro ,winner of three academy awards, Winner of this year's Hugo Award and shown in the last IFFK and ‘Salvador’ directed by Manuel Huerga are notable films of the package .Other films are ‘Alatriste’ directed by Agustin Diaz Yanez, ‘Chaotic Ana’ by Julio Medem, ‘My Name is Juani’ by Bigas Luna, ‘The Night of the Sunflowers’ by Jorge Sanchez Cabezudo, , ‘Summer Dance’ by Antonio Banderas, ‘The Two Sides of the Bed’ by Emilio Martinez-Lazaro and ‘Vete de mi’ by Victor Garcia Leon.