04-07-2014

MECEFF 2014 GUEST COUNTRY: SPAIN PART I

    After celebrating, in the past three years, Israeli cinema, Romanians' century-long contribution to the glory of Hollywood and Germany, the fourth edition of MECEFF – THE CENTRAL EUOPEAN FILM FESTIVAL which will take place between August 31 and September 6, has as special guest a country whose cinema continues to surprise us and to bring forth great directors: Spain.

    Here are the first titles in the Guest Country: Spain section:

    23 F: La pelicula (Chema de la Pena, 2011), a documentary-reconstruction about the February 23, 1981 coup that offers a clear examination of the crucial moment of Spanish Transition. The film was released in the Warsaw Film Festival official competition and was nominated for a Goya Award in the "Best Actor" category.

    Patrimonio nacional & National III (Luis Garcia Berlanga, 1981, 1982) – a saga which looks, with a critical eye, at the decadence of Franco's power oligarchy. The first part, Patrimonio Nacional, was launched in the official competition of the Cannes Film Festival.

    Raza, el espiritu de Franco (Gonzalo Herralde, 1977), a documentary made immediately after Franco's death and which offers a series of interviews both with the general's sister and with Alfredo Mayo, the protagonist of the propaganda film Raza (J.L. Sáenz de Heredia, 1942), which was based on a story developed by Francisco Franco himself.

    Los santos inocentes(Mario Camus, 1984). Evoking the films of Carlos Saura in its allegorical portraits of culturally entrenched social and psychological landscapes coupled with Buñuel's wry excoriation of the bourgeoisie, Camus' film presents a caustic and potent indictment of the inhumanity (and corruption) of class stratification.

    Sé quién eres (Patricia Ferreira, 2000). This impressive psychological drama provides an excellent analysis of the State and Army coordinated terrorist repression during the period of transition from dictatorship to democracy. Patricia Ferreira's film won dozens of awards, including a Goya for best Score.

    Torremolinos 73 (Pablo Berger, 2003), a dramedy that perfectly reflects the consumerist and disoriented society during the transition period in '70s Spain, with a strong emphasis on the porn culture of that era. The film brought Pablo Berger the Best Debut Award at Palm Springs and turned him, quite instantly, into one of the leading voices of the new Spanish cinema, a status confirmed in 2012 by his splendid take on Snow White, Blancanieves.

    MECEFF – Medias Central European Film Festival is organized by Ecran Cinema Management, the Medias Town Hall, the Ministry of Culture, CNC, and the Tarnave Region

    Co-producer: TVR

    Website: www.meceff.ro

    Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/MeCEFF

    Main partners: ROMGAZ, Luxten, Kromberg & Schubert

    Supporters: BACHMANN, The Federation of Romania-based Jewish Communities, Ambient.

    With the support of: Magyar Institute in Bucharest, Polish Institute in Bucharest, The Slovak Embassy, The National Center for Jewish Film, The Austrian Cultural Forum, The Slovenian Embassy, Czech Centre, The Cervantes Institute.

    Media partners: Nova TV, Monitorul de Mediaș, Mediaș news, Mediaș news Blog, Adevărul Verde-n Față, Feri Teglas Blog, Tango, revistatango.ro, Aarc.ro, Cinemagia, Film New Europe, CinemaRx, Liternet, Cinefan, Film Reporter, Blog de Cinema, România Pozitivă, infestival.ro, ArtActMagazine, Studentie.ro, Observator Cultural, infestival.ro