Viva cinema Espana as film festival set to appear online

Some 16 movies, 11 short films, and a series of lockdown monologues bring the best of Spanish cinema to the Capital next month.
Edinburgh Spanish Film FestivalEdinburgh Spanish Film Festival
Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival

Under the banner ESFF@Home, the seventh Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival is the first to take place online, making it accessible to more people than ever before.

Festival Director Marian A Aréchaga said: “It has been big challenge for us to adapt – the physical cinema experience will be greatly missed this year – but I am thrilled to share our vibrant and varied programme, with something for all ages and tastes.

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“The main objective of the festival is to support Spanish cinema and use cinema as a vehicle to promote the Spanish language and culture beyond our borders. I am grateful to the institutions that have helped us to create a platform where Spanish and British audience can enjoy the pleasure of cinema.”

The festival, which will run from 6-25 October, includes a selection of films directed by women, documentaries covering everything from literature to gastronomy and more, films by new directors and Chatting Heads, a series of monologues created by Nuria Benet during the Covid-19 
lockdown.

“ESFF began in 2014, seven years later, it has expanded across Edinburgh becoming a key part of the autumn cultural scene and one of the most important and powerful platforms for promoting Hispanic culture and language in Edinburgh,” says Aréchaga.

She adds: “We are excited to introduce ESFF@HOME, where we give our audiences the chance to watch some of the best recent Spanish and Latin American films and participate in panel discussions and Q&A’s with directors.”

Of those films, Aréchaga has selected three comedies and two thrillers to recommend as not to be missed. They are the comedy El Plan, a funny depiction of male friendship in which three unemployed friends arrange to meet to carry out a perfect plan, only for an unexpected setback stopping them from leaving the house. The friends find themselves facing uncomfortable truths that will shape their friendship forever.

Thriller Out in the Open is a chilling but gripping tale with stunning cinematography, she says. A boy escapes from home to embark on a treacherous journey which he must make in order to leave behind what made him flee. His steps are crossed with those of an old shepherd, from that moment, nothing will be the same for either of them.

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The Weasels’ Tale, described as “a classic ‘Ealing’ comedy full of twists and turns, is the story of a group of four old friends; a film director, a film writer, an actress and her husband who all share a big country mansion and are menaced by a young couple.

For crime fans, the thriller Spider focuses on three friends who are part of an opposition group in the chaotic Chile of the early Seventies. Finally, there are more laughs to be had in The Invisibles, a story of true female friendship and the joy and challenges that it can present.

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A range of Festival Passes are available from www.edinburghspanishfilmfestival.com/en/ and cost £40 (all films), £20 (five tickets), £5 (one ticket), with audience members getting access to each film for either 24 or 48 hours.

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