Marrakech Festival pays tribute to Spanish Cinema

Participants enjoy Hispanic night with Victoria Abril

By Karima Rhanem | Morocco TIMES 11/17/2005 | 6:20 pm

Marrakech---The 5th Marrakech International Film Festival has paid a special tribute to the Spanish Cinema. The delegation made up of about thirty Spanish actors and film directors was invited on stage at the sounds of Flamenco music. Spanish actress and singer Victoria Abril was the VIP guest of a Spanish night held to celebrate this tribute.


A total of 30 Spanish actors and film makers attended on Wednesday the special ceremony designed to honour the Spanish Cinema. These included José Garcia, Fernando Lara, José Juan Bigas Luna, Victoria Abril and others.

Acclaimed Moroccan filmmaker Farida Belyazid, who has just finished shooting her latest film 'Juanita de Tanger', presented the tribute ceremony.

The Director General of the Spanish Institute of Cinematography and Audio-visual Arts, Fernando Lara, told Morocco Times that “honouring the Spanish cinema in Marrakech is considered an open door for our cinema to reach Morocco and Africa.”

Talking about the Moroccan-Spanish cooperation in Cinema, Fernando Lara said “he believes there is a long way to go because there are rare co-productions with Morocco.”

“We have made several Spanish films in Morocco with the support of Moroccan producers and technicians, but this is insufficient. There must be other meetings like that of Marrakech to discuss possibilities of having strong production partnerships,” Lara told Morocco Times.

“I think we have to work together in this regard to develop our cinematographic and audio-visual relations in general,” Lara added.

The Spanish evening was marked by the screening of an out-of competition Spanish film 'Tapas'.

The film discuses simple human stories of residents of a Spanish neighbourhood; it is about love, friendship and human relations in general. Five different characters are tied to their daily routine in their places of work, mainly in bars, stores and supermarkets. These people show you their concerns, fears, hopes and dreams.

Retired, Mariano and Conchi, who live in the same neighborhood, fear diseases and loneliness; Raquel, a middle-age woman who experiences love by Internet, is both hopeful and sad. The future is uncertain for Cesar and Opo, two young men who work in the local supermarket and who are trying to organise their holidays. Lolo discovers that there is another world beyond his bar thanks to Mao, his new cook. All these feelings show us the lives of people in a working class neighborhood in a script full of tenderness, comedy and bitterness.

Wednesday evening was also marked by a special night at the “Pacha” nightclub, where the Spanish actress and singer Victoria Abril gave a vibrant concert, presenting a bouquet of her new songs.

Abril, however only performed for 20 minutes, stating that she wanted to keep the songs of her new Album a surprise for the Moroccan audience till December 1.

Victoria said she will hold a concert in Casablanca next month. The night also featured special flamenco music and dance.

The 5th Marrakech festival is holding a panorama of Spanish Cinema with a total of 41 films, emblematic of the Spanish film production of the past fifty years.

On Tuesday, Juan Vicenté Cordoba's "A golpes", a Spanish film in competition was screened. The film discusses how women continue to be marginalised in society.

Cordoba told a press conference after the film screening that he will start shooting a movie on immigration between Morocco and Spain. The film will tell the story of a young Moroccan from the town of Melillia, who immigrated to Spain.