Pedro Almodóvar described Alauda Ruiz de Azúa’s “Lullaby” as “without a doubt the best debut in Spanish cinema in years.” Chema García Ibarra lauded “The Holy Spirit” diverse As “one of the highlights of the 2021 Locarno Film Festival”. David Perez Sanudo’s “Ane is Missing” won three Goya Academy Awards last year.
What these three Spanish films, all first features, have in common is that they passed through the incubator of ECAM Madrid Film School, a mentorship initiative for producers for a period of six months.
As its fifth edition is about a final turn, diverse It analyzes what its projects say about the state of evolving young Spanish cinema and what the talent behind it says about the state of contemporary filmmaking.
Filmmakers with Attitude
On the face of it, the five projects developed this year could not be more different in type, tone and issues addressed. Gabriel Azorín’s “The Last Night I Conquered The City of Thebes” explores male friendship, while connecting two modern teenagers and young Roman soldiers who used the same baths in the Spanish countryside 2,000 years ago. Ripley’s Plumb ADHD, Depression, and Anxiety Treatment. “Macramé” focuses on sexuality and power play, “Festina Lente” on career diversity and “disposable” on social segregation, noted “Lente” director Carlos Villavina. However, the project’s common denominator is that it is, at least in part, issue-driven. This is true for a newer Hispanic generation in general: think “Alcarràs,” “Lullaby,” or now “La Maternal.”
Fever feeding new talent?
In the new platform world, the battle for success is a battle for top-tier talent. Everyone, from CAA Media Finance – which will meet film school students as they take part in the San Sebastian Festival in September – to most small local producers are looking for new voices. “It’s very encouraging to see how the streamers are looking for emerging talent to lead original films and TV shows,” says Miguel Molina, who produced “Disposable” with Pablo Gomez Salamanca. The Spanish industry is now focusing on new sounds and a variety of cinematic bets, as “Ripley” producer Eva Moreno agrees. However, the search for new talent is now developing into feeding fever. “There are too many new voices for tight public finance budgets,” says Barbara Magdalena, producer of “Macrame.” There is also a risk of potential new talent fatigue, producer Carlos Pardo adds.
What ECAM Incubator Brings to the Table
Program director Rafa Alperola says the incubator receives more than 250 applications annually. “What’s interesting is finding those who respond to a moment in the lives of creators or the historical, social and economic context in which we live. It shows a will to talk about us and our place in the world.” If there is a lot of new talent, the Incubator acts as a root candidate. This means that the Spanish industry is standing by and taking care of the select few. Betting on stories and creators, the incubator “allows the most serious projects to resonate in industry circles and find their place,” says Evan Lewis, producer of Macrame, which explores the Japanese art of erotic slavery and people who need a “evil embrace.” ”
(LR) Miguel Molina (Jaybo Films), Evan Luis (Lasay Productions), Eva Moreno and Cristina Urgell (Not Alone Productions), Sergio Grobas (May Films), Carlos Pardo (DVEIN Films)
credit: ECAM
Animation: Building anxiety
A co-production between Colombia and Spain, the “disposable” is the incubator’s first mobile feature. It is not likely to be the last. At the Creative Investors Conference in San Sebastian, three of the ten features chosen to showcase an international industry are Toon Images. The Annecy Animation Festival in France has seen a double attendance for ten years. Animation also has creative ways, says “Disposable” producer Gomez. “The kind of cinema I want to make is as explosive and subtle as the best punk songs,” he says. “A moving, ‘disposable’ has all the ingredients I need to both narrative and visual experience in that direction.”
push envelope
“We all want the same thing – to do something different, mix genres and explore new formats and narratives,” Molina says. So, the sitter producers and directors lament some of the conservatism that goes into the Spanish film industry. “I’d like to see crazier movies with a great mastery of the narrative,” says Gabriel Azurin, director of Thebes. We’re missing out on more gritty films,” agrees “Ripley” director Elena Tara.
Will platforms return to Arthouse?
Whether this insanity is a viable option at least for larger films is another question. At the moment, the artistic presence in Spain has collapsed significantly with the Corona virus. Platform funding or international co-productions remain the two most obvious options to bridge the gap after the Spanish state’s funding of larger films. Beyond two films, the appetites of platforms in Spain seem limited in terms of their straight arrow-shaped design, which makes up a large part of the country’s film industry production. Theater action such as Carla Simone’s 2022 Golden Bear winner in Berlin’s “Alcarràs” grossed 2.15 million euros ($2.17 million) at the Spanish box office, making it the second-largest Spanish release to date in 2022. “Lullaby,” a big winner in the Malaga, he received 717,000 euros ($724,000). “‘Alcarràs’ and ‘Lullaby’ can encourage platforms, distributors and production companies to invest in independent films,” Villavina says. “He may be right. Optimism is certainly an important driver of the industry.”
John Hopewell contributed to this article.
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