Spanish Film Festival

Few people can boast about having watched over 1000 Spanish films in just 11 years, but this precise achievement is Natalia Ortiz’s unusual claim to fame. As the founding director of Australia’s Spanish Film Festival, she’s spent over a decade jumping through Spanish cinemas on the lookout for that special “something.” Her years are now marked by the familiar build-up to another festival, by seasonal trawls through DVD previews, and annual trips to international film festivals in search of cinematic goodies. And every year she emerges with a wide-reaching selection of the best that Spain has to offer.

“It never gets dull,” she explains, in her rich Spanish accent. “The most interesting thing about putting the programme together is that you always have to consider the wide audience. On the one hand, you have your Australian audience. On the other, you have to think about the Spanish community, and not only the young Spanish community who are really up to date with what is happening in Spain, but also the older part of that community, who feel as if they don’t understand what’s happening in Spanish cinema these days. So I try to bring in some classical films for them. And for me that’s the exciting part; that the audience is really wide and we have kids who are 7 years old through to 70 year-olds, and we’re trying to reach all those people, and present all of them with fresh films every year.”

No where are these conflicting intentions better exemplified than in Ortiz’s choice to include a ‘spotlight’ on Spanish actress Maribel Verdu. An icon for Spaniards, Verdu has produced over 50 films of varying genres, so this showcase offers ex-patriots the chance to get a little nostalgic. Simultaneously, Verdu is on the verge of Hollywood success, so in a way this is Ortiz’s pre-emptive attempt to familiarise Australians with her image. “Normally people do tend to present these spotlights at the end of an actor or actress’s career, but I can see that she is going to be a huge star internationally. She’s shooting now a film with [Francis Ford] Coppola, so I thought it was about time for us to show off to Australia that we’ve got a ‘new’ actress coming up. And now she’s reachable like never before, so it’s the perfect time for us to share this icon that we grew up with, with the rest of the country.”

Such specific focuses are, however, not usually sufficient for drawing in a non-Spanish Australian crowd. So, this year, the festival’s promotional buzz has instead focused around its inclusion of a few high-budget horror films, sending hype to an all-time high. As Ortiz notes, however, Spain has long been infatuated with the genre, especially with thriller and horror. She snorts congenially at the idea of a horror film emerging from France, and thus reflects Spain’s long-standing cinematic identity as one of the only European countries not to shy away from genre.

“We’ve always been interested in thrillers and horrors in Spain, and this year it just coincides that the ones that have been released have been well received internationally. You’ve got films like [REC] and The Orphanage that are being viewed all over the world, so I think that’s what makes it seem different, as if we’re producing more. Maybe some people who have not been following Spanish cinema will assume that this is new for Spain, but in fact we’ve already had previous films from the director of [REC] in this festival. We have been producing these kinds of films from years.”

Despite some remaining misconception, it’s with an obvious pride that Ortiz describes her festival’s role in familiarising Australian cineastes with Spain’s own filmic traditions. She clearly associates cinema with a loose form of cultural education, adding, “At the beginning [11 years ago], the vast majority of the audience did not know much about Spanish cinema, but now you can see, from responses and questions, that they are getting a greater knowledge and understanding of the cinema. It’s a process.”

For Ortiz, though, that more educational function of the festival can only ever be a bonus. It’s obvious that her primary focus is instead on uncovering powerful stories that Australians might not otherwise see. When she’s watching movie after movie, Ortiz isn’t so much looking for a film that reflects contemporary Spain as she is for a film that is honest in its storytelling. “In the end, I just want honesty,” she stresses. “You can see, and the audience can feel it straight away too, if the film director is trying to hard to please someone and is not honest with the story. For me, it doesn’t matter if it’s a big or small production, or from a film school in Madrid or Barcelona, I don’t mind where it comes from, so long as it’s honest and has that minimum quality.”

It’s this hunt that has increasingly lead Ortiz towards Spanish co-productions. “A lot of the most fascinating films in Spanish cinema are emerging from this co-operation with not only Latin America, but also places like Morocco and European countries. It makes sense, I mean, at the moment people are moving all over the world, so to limit your people’s stories to particular places and cities would be very restrictive and very unrealistic. In fact, I think the richness of what is happening at the moment comes from the fact that we’re living all over the world yet we all enjoy the same sort of stories. Making films with other people and telling trans-national stories is the richness of our current reality. For me, not only in terms of finance, but also in terms of storytelling, the future is co-production.”

And it’s also this search that often draws Ortiz towards debut directors, with almost half of 2008’s programme coming directly from first-timers. With a laugh, Ortiz admits that she’s gotten pretty at good at intercepting talent over these past 11 years. “What’s really great is we’re now starting to see the first or second film released from directors whose short films we screened years ago. So I look at that and say ‘Oh I was not so wrong there!’ and it’s very satisfying, of course.”


Director’s Picks:
Spanish festival director Natalia Ortiz chooses her favourites.

1. Seven Billiard Tables :: Screening as part of the spotlight on Maribel Verdu, Seven Billiard Tables is the tale of Angela (Verdu)’s attempts to restart the local billiard hall her recently-deceased father left behind.
2. The Orphanage :: In this top-earning horror film, a young boy befriends some disconcerting playmates when his family moves into an abandoned orphanage. From first-time director Juan Antonio and producer Geillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth).
3. Scandalous :: This comedy/musical charts the disgruntled Luis’s attempts to understand the women in his life (wife, daughter and grand-daughter), after each of them abandons him within a single day.
4. Desperate Women :: Another comedy about hunting lost lovers, Desperate Women sees two ladies madly chasing after their dream man and son, who had previously been thought dead. This film’s appearance in the festival marks its world premier.
5. Under the Stars :: In his first feature film, Félix Viscarret presents a mediocre trumpet player whose life is complicated after his father’s death throws him into a whole new reality. It’s a warm drama, with an edgy quirkiness.

Crossing Borders, Go Away From Me, Hecuba: A Dream of Passion

For the first time in four years, the Spanish Film Festival arrives at Cinema Paradiso. Commencing on a resoundingly high note, the festival opens with Crossing Borders (Un Franco Catorce Pesetas) a drama sprinkled with reality’s comedy, and accented by shades of social criticism. It focuses on Martin (Carlos Iglesias) and Marco (Javier Guiterrez), two friends who leave behind the rife unemployment and faltering economy of 1960s Madrid in favour of picturesque Switzerland. There, they quickly become accustomed to modern technologies and steady wages, and, after being joined by their families a year later, they learn to call this Alpine village their home.

This film is nothing short of an absolute pleasure – the warm, exuberant performances are a joy, and the story remains intensely involving until its conclusion. Weaving effortlessly through the six years these families spend in Switzerland, the plot intersects all manner of life experiences – some joyful and lightly humorous, others harsher and more profound. Tackling themes of migration and home sickness with an appropriate complexity, this is a film that will speak not only to Spanish migrants now living in Australia, but to all those who are caught in limbo between two countries. The personal pick of festival director Natalia Ortiz, this film is a definite highlight.

Rating: 8.5


The festival also presents Go Away From Me (Vete De Mi), a satirical comedy from director Garcia Leon (No Pain, No Gain), about Santiago (Juan Diego), a seemingly satisfied professional actor, (relatively) content with life and his live-in girlfriend, Ana (Christina Plazas). That is all until his hedonistic thirty-something son, Guillermo (Juan Diego Botto), arrives at his doorstep. After initially attempting to dispel Guillermo from his house, Santiago soon finds himself trying to offer advice, and, unexpectedly, ends up questioning his own direction in life.

This film could be easily cut in two. The first half is slow moving, mundane and lackluster, while the second half is entirely bizarre and will most likely leave you somewhat confused. If you are strong enough to push through the first half, the second is relatively intriguing, particularly as the two men begin to influence each others’ perspectives on life. The performances progress in a similar manner; initially they are utterly unremarkable, and grow stronger as the film continues. Overall, however, despite several pleasing moments, this film is largely forgettable.

Rating: 6.7


Spanish cinema is desperate to prove that it is not all comedy and drama, though, and does so in this festival with the inclusion of short films, co-productions and a couple of documentaries, including Hecuba: A Dream of Passion (Hecuba, Un Sueño De Pasión). This documentary features interviews with about a dozen Spanish actors (including Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderas and Javier Bardem), all of whom speak about the joys and pitfalls of acting as a profession. They discuss, amongst a myriad of topics, the merits of acting school, the reality stage fright, the process of generating emotion on stage and popular myths about actors (such as their inherent vanity), and their spiels are interspliced appropriately with visions from various Spanish films that have explored acting as a subject or theme.

The strength of this film is its selection of interviewees. All the actors are also interesting, inspiring speakers, who liven up the film with intriguing anecdotes and moral lessons. Certainly, this film would probably satisfy anyone with an interest in acting, or with a connection to the Spanish film industry. Unfortunately, for the rest of us, it has very little to offer. The filmmakers have not done anything particularly creative with the documentary form, and, coupled with the fact that the subject matter is also actually not very interesting, the film quickly grows tiresome. While the passion of the speakers is evident, it seems a bit more passion could have been invested into this film as a project.

Rating: 4.5

Spanish Film Festival comes to Perth

Spanish cinema is more than a casual interest for Natalia Ortiz, the director of the Spanish Film Festival, which this week makes its way to Perth for the fourth time. For Ortiz, Spanish cinema is more than an art form, more than an industry and more than a passion. It is a link to her past.

“I arrived in Australia [from Spain] about 12 years ago,” she explains, “And this festival is a way for me to stay connected to my country, as well as to film. I always thought that if there existed a way to connect those two interests then I would be a very, very happy woman. And I have, so it’s all happening!”

Ortiz laughs at this point, and, with the festival now in its tenth year over East, she has plenty to smile about. While the festival is doing its bit to strengthen Spanish communities within the country, it is also helping to spread the word about Spanish cinema and culture amongst other Australians – and to contribute to Ortiz’s dream vision of a multicultural Australia.

“Despite any political agendas, these kind of festivals are important,” she asserts, “It’s one thing to talk about multiculturalism, but if you don’t actually see it reflected in culture, in music or books or in any part or form of art, then it doesn’t really exist. And I like to feel that, with the festival, I am achieving that. For me that’s what multiculturalism is all about – accepting people who come to Australia with a different outlook and a different way of telling stories.”

Reflecting on her first days in Australia, Ortiz comments, “The one thing that surprised me was that there were not many Spanish films in the cinema, and if there were they were the usual suspects like Pedro Almodovar.” Again, Ortiz laughs at commonly held expectations that Spanish cinema is “all about comedies and Flamenco and hysterical Spanish stereotypes.”

She continues, “I think that things, in this regard, have changed, perhaps because the distributors and the television companies are looking for something different… And it’s also the fact that the audience has changed… now they see that the stories are so different from one film to another that to define them as one is like summarising gastronomy with paella only.” Ortiz then adds, with a cheeky grin, “I don’t know if the festival is totally responsible… but I’d say we’re maybe 75% responsible for this change?”

She suggests that another cause for this shift could well be the concurrent change in film policy with Spain itself. “I’ve watched quite a few films over the past years, and I think finally we are deciding to be a bit more…” she hesitates momentarily, before finally hitting the right word, “honest with our stories. We’re not so worried about selling the films…Finally, directors and, more importantly, the Spanish funding boards are applying more freedom. They’re happy to risk it more. “

This risk-taking extends to increased support for first and second time directors, which, according to Ortiz, is inspiring the development of a “very young and vibrant film industry,” as well as to co-productions with other countries in Europe and in Latin America (a few of which make their way onto the festival programme.) Spanish filmmakers of all ages and origins are opening up now, and finally telling “the stories that they have always needed and wanted to tell,” with a satirical irreverence marking films across the board. Honesty has been on the table since the end of Franco, but now, filmmakers are finally being encouraged to embrace it.

And what this means, for Ortiz, is that the industry is able to share distinctly Spanish stories with people across the world. For her, such film festivals should always be driven precisely by the notion of shared storytelling.

“It would be an interesting exercise to give the same script to, say, a German a French person and an Aussie, and see how each of them would tell the story,” she suggests, “The interesting thing, and the good thing, about it is that we would all tell the story in a different way, but it would essentially remain the story. And that for me is the most interesting part of it all.”


Published in Drum Media Perth, May 2006