Spanish Film Week displays classic works of renowned filmmakers

Movie buffs will be treated to representative works by celebrated Spanish filmmakers at the upcoming Spanish Film Week.

The film exhibition hosted by the Shanghai International Film Festival will run from September 23 through 30 at the Wanping Theater and the Grand Cinema.

Ten films and documentaries by three renowned Spanish film directors – Carlos Saura, Victor Erice and Alejandro Amenabar – will be screened.

These works span over half a century and cover genres of family drama, war epic, musical, suspense, and art-house. Three of them are the latest 4K restored versions.

Eight of Saura's works were selected for the exhibition, being "The Delinquents," "The Hunt," "Peppermint Frappé," "Cousin Angelica," "Raise Ravens," "Oh, Carmela!," "Tango," and "The Walls Can Talk."

Saura passed away in February this year at the age of 91. The eight films provide a retrospective of the director's film career of more than 60 years.

In the past editions of Shanghai International Film Festival, some of Saura's movies were shown to wide acclaim. In 2010, Saura also attended the Shanghai screening of "Flamenco, Flamenco" at the Shanghai Film Art Center.

In "The Delinquents," Saura's first feature film, he applies both lyric and documentary-style cinematography and a style of Spanish neo-realism to depict the juvenile delinquency in Madrid's poor quarters.

His second feature film "The Hunt" won him the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 16th Berlin International Film Festival and marked Saura's first international success. The film about three veterans and a young man's hunting trip is also a metaphor for the wounds of the Spanish civil war.

"Peppermint Frappé," "Cousin Angelica," and "Raise Ravens" are three classic films on which Saura cooperated with actress Geraldine Chaplin, daughter of famous comedian Charlie Chaplin.

Documentary film "The Walls Can Talk" is the multi-award-winning director's last released work. In this film, Saura portrays the evolution and relationship of art with the wall as a creative canvas.

Different from Saura who has more than 50 films to his name, Erice is not that prolific. He usually releases one film every ten years. Many of his works are beautiful, serene, and full of poetry.

The Spanish Film Week will exhibit "The South," the second feature film of Erice. The drama film centers on a woman's reflection on her childhood relationship with her father, trying to understand the depths of his despair and the truth of his myths. Completed in 1983, this year also marks the film's 40th anniversary.

Amenabar's suspense thriller film "The Others", starring Nicole Kidman, will also be featured in the exhibition. Set during World War II, the film follows the story of a woman who lives with her photosensitive children. With many unexplained things happening around the house, they become convinced that the home is haunted.

As a representative figure of the new generation of Spanish cinema, Amenabar has expanded the boundaries of Spanish cinema in genre films and successfully combined them with Hollywood commercial films. Recently, the director personally supervised the completion of the film's restoration.

Screening info:

September 23

1:30pm "The Delinquents"

4pm "The Hunt"

7pm "Tango"

September 24

1:30pm "Raise Ravens"

4pm "The Walls Can Talk"

7pm "The Others"

Venue: Wanping Theater

Address: 859 Zhongshan Rd S2

中山南二路859号

September 28

7pm "The Others"

September 29

1:30pm "Peppermint Frappé"

4pm "Cousin Angelica"

7pm "Raise Ravens"

September 30

1:30pm "The South"

4pm "Oh, Carmela!"

7pm "Tango"

Venue: Grand Cinema

Address: 216 Nanjing Rd W.

南京西路216号

How to purchase tickets

In addition to buying tickets at the Wanping Theater and the Grand Cinema, Taopiaopiao is available for online ticket purchases for Spanish Film Week.