PREMIERES
Palm Trees in the Snow
25.12.2015

AKA · Palmeras en la nieve
DIRECTOR · Fernando González Molina
SCRIPT · Sergio G. Sánchez — based on Luz Gabás’ novel
CAST · Mario Casas, Adriana Ugarte, Macarena García, Daniel Grao, Emilio Gutiérrez Caba, Celso Bugallo, Laia Costa, Berta Vázquez
MUSIC · Lucas Vidal
CINEMATOGRAPHY · Xavi Giménez
RUNTIME · 87 min
PRODUCTION · Nostromo Pictures, Atresmedia Cine, Waner Bross

Palm Trees in the Snow

The accidental discovery of a long lost letter drives Clarence — Adriana Ugarte — to travel from the snowy mountains of Spain to Africa, to visit the land where his father Jacobo and uncle Kilian — Mario Casas — spent most of their youth, the island of Fernando Poo. In the heart of a land as lush and seductive as dangerous, Clarence unearths the secret of a forbidden love story framed within turbulent historical circumstances whose consequences will have repercussions in her present-day life.

Palm Trees in the Snow
Palm Trees in the Snow
Palm Trees in the Snow

Related Premieres

  • The Bride
  • 8 apellidos catalanes
  • Anacleto
  • Extinction
PREMIERES
The Bride
11.12.2015

AKA · La novia
DIRECTOR · Paula Ortiz
SCRIPT · Javier García, Paula Ortiz — based on Blood Wedding by Federico García Lorca
CAST · Inma Cuesta, Asier Extendía, Álex García, Manuela Vellés, Consuelo Trujillo, Leticia Dolera, Carlos Álvarez Novoa, Luisa Gavasa
MUSIC · Shigeru Umebayashi
CINEMATOGRAPHY · Migue Amoedo
RUNTIME · 100 min
PRODUCTION · Get In The Picture Productions, Mantar Film, Televisión Española

The Bride

Two men, one woman, a love story and a desire stronger than the law, wilder than the land around them. Leonardo — Asier Extendía, The Groom — Alex García — and The Bride — Inma Cuesta, have been an inseparable triangle since they were children, but Leonardo and The Bride share a special and almost invisible bond that cannot be broken … Years go by and The Bride, unhappy, prepares for her wedding day with The Groom in the middle of the bleak white desert, where she lives with her father. The day before the wedding, an old beggar knocks on her door offering her a gift and some advice: ‘Don’t marry him if you don’t love him,’ as she gives her two glass daggers.

The Bride
The Bride
The Bride

Related Premieres

PREMIERES
8 apellidos catalanes
20.11.2015

DIRECTOR · Emilio Martínez Lázaro
SCRIPT · Borja Cobeaga, Diego San José
CAST · Clara Lago, Dani Rovira, Carmen Machi, Karra Elejalde, Rosa María Sardá, Berto Romero, Belén Cuesta
MUSIC · Roque Baños
CINEMATOGRAPHY · Gonzalo F. Berridi, Juan Molina
RUNTIME · 95 min
PRODUCTION · Lazonafilms, Kowalski Films, Telecinco Cinema

8 apellidos catalanes

Some time after the events of Ocho apellidos vascos, Rafa — Dani Rovira — and Amaia — Clara Lago — have parted ways and now she is dating a Catalan man named Pau — Berto Romero. After having given in to the idea of his daughter dating an Andalusian, Koldo — Karra Elejalde — decides this is too much and ventures outside the borders of Euskadi for the first time in his life to search for Rafa in Seville and convince him to try and win Amaia’s heart back.

8 apellidos catalanes
8 apellidos catalanes
8 apellidos catalanes

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  • Extinction
PREMIERES
Anacleto
04.09.2015

AKA · Anacleto, agente secreto
DIRECTOR · Javier Ruiz Caldera
SCRIPT · Breixo Corral, Fernando Navarro, Pablo Alén
CAST · Quim Gutiérrez, Imanol Arias, Carlos Areces, Berto Romero, Alexandra Jiménez, Rossy de Palma
MUSIC · Javier Rodero
CINEMATOGRAPHY · Arnau Valls Colomer
RUNTIME · 87 min
PRODUCTION · Zeta Audiovisual, Warner Bross Spain

Anacleto

Adolfo — Quim Gutiérrez, a thirty something security guard, is going through a bad patch. Not only his lifetime girlfriend — Alexandra Jiménez — has just to finished with him to be a guy with no ambition but, moreover, he becomes the target of a series of thugs led by Vázquez — Carlos Areces, a dangerous criminal who has just escaped from jail. Also he discovers that his father has a double identity. He is not a farmer engaged in the production of cold meat – as Adolfo has believed all his life, but Anacleto — Imanol Arias, a secret agent who is a bit down and the man who locked Vázquez up in jail thirty years ago. Adolfo will have to leave his comfort zone and work with his father, the person that Adolfo get on worse with in the world to survive the revenge of Vazquez and while, between shootouts and chases, trying to get his girlfriend back.

Anacleto
Anacleto
Anacleto

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PREMIERES
Extinction
14.08.2015

DIRECTOR · Miguel Ángel Vivas
SCRIPT · Alberto Marini, Juan de Dios Garduño, Miguel Ángel Vivas
CAST · Matthew Fox, Jeffrey Donovan, Quinn McColgan, Clara Lago
MUSIC · Sergio Moure
CINEMATOGRAPHY · Josu Inchaustegui
RUNTIME · 110 min
PRODUCTION · Laokoon Cinema, Ombra Films, Telefónica Studios, Vaca Films

Extinction

Nine years after an infection turns most of the humanity into rabid creatures, Patrick — Matthew Fox, Jack — Jeffrey Donovan, and Lu — Quinn McColgan, a nine-year-old girl, survive in seeming peace and calm in the forgotten snow-covered town of Harmony. We nonetheless sense that something terrible happened between Patrick and Jack because a deep hate keeps them apart. When the infected appear again, Patrick and Jack will have to leave behind all rancor to protect the one being who means more to them than anything else.

Extinction
Extinction
Extinction

Related Premieres

  • 8 apellidos catalanes
POSTS
If I Were an Actor

A good screenplay is a necessary condition for making a good film. It is not, however, a sufficient condition. Other elements need to be added , in the long a difficult process that is required to produce a small miracle: the transformation of not a small quantity of pages into a piece of work filled with life and emotion. Actors are vital elements and Daniel Sánchez Arévalo enjoys working with them.

José Antonio Félez
01.12.2014
If I Were an Actor
Daniel Sánchez Arévalo at Gordos shotting, 2009

It is my belief that every film must begin with a good storyline and a few well-constructed characters. Daniel Sánchez Arévalo is a fantastic screenwriter, and he has proven it in the four feature films he has made in addition to all his shorts.

A good screenplay is a necessary condition for making a good film. It is not, however, a sufficient condition. Other elements need to be added, like pieces of a giant puzzle, in the long a difficult process that is required to produce a small miracle: the transformation of not a small quantity of pages into a piece of work filled with life and emotion.

Actors are vital elements. It has always surprised me that there exist directors, some sacred, who give little importance to the work of their actors. Daniel Sánchez Arévalo is an example of the complete opposite. His process of selection, the casting, is meticulous and painstaking. He usually demands exhausting rehearsals, always trying to bring out the best in each actress of actor.

I think that actors, when they face a particular role, are taking a plunge almost as great as that of Felix Baumgartner. It gives you vertigo. Daniel knows how to accompany them and convince them that he is going to be there when needed, that nobody will hit the floor hard. The empathy that he fosters with the actors makes them take risks that with other directors would be unthinkable. Daniel is always on hand.

Daniel does this part of his work with conviction and enthusiasm. It catches your eyes how he enjoys working with actors. He insists on rehearsing as much as is needed in order to gain the most from every character in every situation. He encourages them to participate actively. Advice is always well received and he incorporates that which improves the characters or dialogue.

It is not rare for Daniel to establish stable links with actors who he works with. Antonio de la Torre, Raúl Arévalo, and Quim Gutiérrez are good example of this. Some of them made their debut on film under his direction and a good part of the highlights of their careers are alongside Daniel. With this in mind, we can explain why the actors have set out on risky and long adventures such as that of Gordos, doing it convinced that it is going to be worth it, not only for the end result, but also for the journey.

If I Were an Actor
Daniel Sánchez Arévalo with the actors Patrick Criado and Arancha Martí at the shooting of La gran familia española, 2012

We have just finished filming La gran familia española. There are a lot of characters, all different and all attractive in their own way. All chosen after a long and careful selection process. Daniel worked tirelessly with those who were chosen. There were some who had extensive experience: Antonio, Quim, Verónica Echegui, Héctor Colomé … Others, good actors but with less film experience: Roberto Álamo and Mikel Fernández… And lastly, there were some freshmen. Patrick Criado, Arancha Martí, Sandra Martín and Sandy Gilberte. I think that he has been able to get the most out of all of them. He has made them all feel secure, he has guided them and made them feel the importance of their parts in the film. I am convinced that all of the actors in La gran familia española, like those in his previous films, will hang onto memories of the film and all, without any exceptions, will be happy to work with Daniel again.

It must have something to do with the fact that his mother, Carmen Arevalo, is an actress. I think that part of his love and sensibility when the time comes to work with actors and actresses comes from this relationship, this deep respect for the profession.

Since AzulOscuroCasiNegro I have thought that if I were an actor I would like to make my debut with Daniel Sánchez Arévalo. Without the slightest exaggeration, he is truly an authentic director of actors.

 

Recent Posts

  • About Actors … and Agents
  • Let the Show Begin
POSTS
About Actors … and Agents

Trust means not doubting if your agent is doing for you what you really deserve; having the certain that your agent will play you the right hand. In this slippery and insecure profession, a good agent is someone who will remind you that it is never a bad idea to study and to train, that strokes of luck exist but it is always a good idea if they catch you when you’re ready.

Paula Ponga
01.11.2014
About Actors … and Agents
Cannes Festival red carpet, 2014

The invitation to write this post came with only one condition … that it would be about actors. I am going to obey, but taking some license and taking the opportunity to publicly give thanks to Antonio Rubial for his generous complicity over so many years, so many that it’s best not to count, for my sake. During numerous preparations for the Fotogramas de Plata party, having him close by, always on hand, even on the occasions when he was on the other side of the Atlantic at the time; and still closer on the day, in Joy, following one step behind his actors but clearing the path ahead without every making the slightest fuss, with that smile of his that in the heat of the moment has a tranquilizing effect on me. The Fotogramas de Plata awards would not be the same without him. Nor would those long-winded telephone conversation for the news section of the magazine, where actors read what others who aren’t them are filming, recording, preparing or working on abundant projects — if the projects are theirs they don’t usually seem so abundant.

Well then, this ritual of going over and over the present and future agendas of the actors with their agents in order to be able to inform the readers has also allowed me to familiarize myself with the varying typologies of agents and, therefore, of actors. Because each actor looks for something different in an agent: there are some who seek a confessor, a mother, or a father, someone who is waiting on them 24/7, without set working hours or limits; for others it is enough to have someone who is a good contract negotiator; others seek a sleuth who can get them a spot at all the castings and/or introduce them to St. Louis — St. Narciso — ; others, a stylist who knows all the showrooms and can work their magic for the red carpet; others, an agent in Hollywood. And the majority want an agent that is all of the above in one, like a matrioska.

If we take Marlon Brando’s word that an actor is this kind of person who doesn’t listen unless they are the subject of the conversation — there are other more generous definitions, such as the ones that equate them with gods, because they have been sainted by the public on the first public pulpit-the stage, and there are also some that are far worse, such as a celebrated one from Hitchcock, who didn’t exactly hold them in high esteem — then without a doubt one must posses a silk glove and fist of iron to gain their loyalty. This can be achieved, at least as far as i can see from this side, when there is complete trust from both parts.

Trust means not doubting if your agent is doing for you what you really deserve, a classic element which has dissolved many relations between actors and agents, only because you have heard of such a such script and still havn’t been informed. And although you share an agent with another actor who could also have possibilities to play that character that you desire so much, you are certain that your agent will play you the right hand. And also put the breaks on if he doesn’t see it as clearly as you that this project that fascinates you so much but in fact is more of the same and doesn’t even pay that well. Or encourages you to step forward for something that doesn’t interest you that much because it is good to be selective but that we are in the bad habit, even in times of crisis, of having to eat every day.

About Actors … and Agents
Quim Gutiérrez with Antonio Rubial in San Sebastian International Film Festival Festival, 2010

In this slippery and insecure profession, something — as Fernán-Gómez said — to which you get used to like a fireman does to smoke, a good agent is someone who will remind you that it is never a bad idea to study and to train, that strokes of luck exist but it is always a good idea if they catch you when you’re ready. And that glamour does matter. And that cinema, always, always, is a team effort.

Recent Posts

  • If I Were an Actor
  • Let the Show Begin
POSTS
Let the Show Begin

It isn’t more than ten percent of his work. Probably less. And when the show begins, the most important decision — the wardrobe — has already been made. There is no going back. It’s the red carpet, or the green carpet, or the photo call. Cameras and dilettantes. And there — watching over everything calmly but without even a single frayed nerve — is Antonio.

Gregorio Belinchón
03.09.2012
Let the Show Begin
Oscar statuette, 2014

It isn’t more than ten percent of his work. Probably less. And when the show begins, the most important decision — the wardrobe — has already been made. There is no going back. It’s the red carpet, or the green carpet, or the photo call. Dresses. Nerves. Cameras and dilettantes. And there — watching over everything calmly but without letting even the smallest of details slip, without even a single frayed nerve — is Antonio. I have always marvelled at his absolute serenity in those moments, a Buddhist approach to social events. Antonio is tall … like myself, and during a decade we have been waving to one another over the heads of others, smiling ironically at the absurd- but inexcusable- ceremony of the awards. It is with a certain ‘tono Fosse’ that I say, ‘let the show begin:’ We won’t let our whispered analysis stop us from enjoying it.

It may be that all the above is what is we call professionalism. It may be that receiving a text with the names of the designer of Penelope Cruz’s dress and the designer of her jewels 30 seconds before her appearance at these events is something normal, it may also be the case that getting your clients to be punctual shouldn’t come as a surprise … But in times like these the work of Antonio shines. As a journalist, I for one don’t ask for smiles, or politeness. I only ask for a little professionalism. And Antonio is professional. And polite. And all smiles. And a lot of silent hard work — work that goes beyond the red carpet, work that the public doesn’t even suspect — the type that can hurt actors: telling them the truth; telling them what is in their best interest; struggling with them and their work, for their contracts: convincing them of the importance of self-promotion — that you can be the best actor in the hallway at home but if the public doesn’t see you, it matters little; the importance of constantly training; of not allowing oneself to be swept away by a quick success or dwell at the bottom after a big let down; not lying to them; not lying. He has never lied to me. Of course, I have never asked him about somebody’s rumoured pregnancy.

Let the Show Begin
Cannes Festival, 2011

He has been at Kuranda for years, for the low points and for the moments of glory- That Oscar … for the crazy working hours and draw-dropping successes, enjoying his clients’ successes with them. And the time had come for a move. It will work well for him. No, we know it will be work out very well. For him and his clients, and the projects that he is about embark on …. The new kid on the block from León — with the experience of a veteran — has just arrived on the block.

Recent Posts

  • If I Were an Actor
  • About Actors … and Agents