EGEDA AND FILMOTECH SPONSOR THE SECOND ANNUAL AUSTRALIA SPANISH FILM FESTIVAL

Spanish cinema continues to generate great interest internationally. At least that appears to be the case from the large number of festivals dedicated to Spanish cinema in numerous countries around the world. In Australia the Second Annual Spanish Film Festival known as La Mirada recently came to a close. La Mirada featured a selection of recent Spanish films like Ladrones, Los crimenes de Oxford, Mataharis, La Soledad, En la ciudad de Sylvia and Candida. It also included, as it does each year, a selection of films chosen by Pedro Almodovar, Almodovar being one of the best known Spanish directors internationally. Thanks to the director from Spain’s La Mancha region, Australians could enjoy some of Spanish cinema’s best known classics including: Muerte de un ciclista, Placido, El pisito, La vida por delante and El desencanto. In addition, the American writer and poet Paul Auster (who also had the opportunity to choose a Spanish film for Australian spectators) chose Viridiana for the festival. The schedule was completed with a section dedicated to flamenco dancing, composed of seven screenings and a selection of short films, which included pieces by directors Fernando Leon de Aranoa, Victor Erice and Julio Medem. The sponsorship of EGEDA and Filmotech is part of a policy of fostering and diffusing of Spanish cinema internationally, which these organizations have been defending and developing since their beginnings.