12th Spanish Film Festival presents
BUÑUEL – RETROSPECTIVE & EXHIBITION
BUÑUEL - AMIGOS Y PELICULAS (FAMILY & FILMS)
A comprehensive exhibition and film retrospective honouring the work of Spanish surrealist filmmaker Luis Buñuel will be presented by the Spanish Film Festival in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne in April 2009, marking the 25th anniversary of his death.
Considered one of the most important directors in the history of cinema, Luis Buñuel Portoles died in July 1983 aged 83, having directed, written and edited over 30 films (including features, shorts and documentaries) in his native Spain, France, USA and Mexico.
The exhibition, BUÑUEL – AMIGOS Y PELICULAS (FRIENDS AND FILMS) is a collection of 30 never-before seen in Australia B&W portraits of friends, family and location shots selected from the collection held at the Centro Buñuel de Calanda, Spain, his birthplace. Included in the selection are photographs of Buñuel with such luminaries of the arts world as Salvador Dali, Federico Garcia Lorca, Max Ernst and Igor Stravinsky. Also part of the exhibition are film posters, letters and an A/V presentation with Buñuel’s insightful anecdotes about his 32 films.
The Director and Curator of the Centro Buñuel – and co-director of the documentary about Buñuel, Javier Espada - will visit Australia for the opening of the exhibition.
As the father of cinematic surrealism, Buñuel’s body of work was often controversial and pre-occupied with breaking social conventions. His style has had an enormous influence on filmmakers, prompting Alfred Hitchcock to call him “the best director ever”. He has won numerous awards, including: an Academy Award® (the first Spaniard to win an Oscar) and a BAFTA Award for Charme Discret de la Bourgeoisie (The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie) (’72) and many film festival and critics’ awards in Mexico, Berlin and Cannes. His film Los Olvidados (’50) (The Young and the Damned) was one of the first two films recognised by UNESCO in 2003 in its Memory of the World Register, which promotes the preservation of valuable archival holdings.
“The Buñuel Retrospective, exhibition, masterclasses and panel discussions - will appeal to film festival-goers, critics and the wider film community already familiar with his work, as well as others who will discover him for the first time,” said Director and Founder of the Spanish Film Festival, Natalia Ortiz.
As a tribute to one of cinema’s most influential filmmakers, The Buñuel Retrospective and Exhibition aims to complement Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne’s film festival calendars and, with its provocative and challenging content, contribute to the cities’ lively screen culture.
Films screening in the Retrospective include:
UN PERRO ANDALUZ An Andalusian Dog (1929) France
THE GOLDEN AGE (1930) France
LAS HURDES Land Without Bread (1933) Spain
WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1953) Mexico
CRIMINAL LIFE OF ARCHIBALDO DE LA CRUZ (1955)
NAZARIN (1959) Mexico
VIRIDIANA (1961) Spain/Mexico
El Angel Exterminador The Exterminating Angel (1962) Mexico
DIARY OF A CHAMBERMAID (1964) France
SIMON DEL DESIERTO Simon of the Desert (1965) Mexico
BELLE DE JOUR (1967) France/Italy
LA VOIE LACTEE The Milky Way (1969) France/W.Germany/Italy
LE CHARME DISCRET DE LA BOURGEOISIE The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) France
CET OBSCUR OBJET DU DESIR That Obscure Object of Desire (1977) France/Spain
Complementing the Retrospective is a recent documentary THE LAST SCRIPT: REMEMBERING LUIS BUÑUEL El ultimo guion: buñuel en la memoria (2008 Germany/Spain), directed by Gaizka Veresti and Javier Espada, and featuring his son Juan Luis Buñuel).
The Exhibition, BUÑUEL – AMIGOS Y PELICULAS (FRIENDS AND FILMS):
Sydney: 28 April – 30 May at Customs House Gallery
Canberra: 29 April – late August at National Film & Sound Archive launching with a special screening of the Documentary on 29 April.
Melbourne: 2 May – 29 May at City of Melbourne Library
The Retrospective screens:
Sydney: 6-18 May as part of the Spanish Film Festival at Palace Academy Twin, Palace Norton Street & Chauvel
Canberra: 21 May – 7 June at ARC Cinema (National Film & Sound Archive)
Melbourne: 13-25 May as part of the Spanish Film Festival at Palace Cinema Como, and Kino Cinemas
The 12th Spanish Film Festival screens the best in contemporary Spanish features, documentaries, shorts and animation throughout May.
Tickets and further information: www.spanishfilmfestival.com <http://www.spanishfilmfestival.com>
The 2009 Spanish Film Festival exhibition and retrospective is produced with the support of The Spanish Embassy, The French and Mexican Embassies, The Consulate General of Spain in Sydney and Melbourne, National Film and Sound Archive, Customs House, The City of Sydney as well as private Spanish and Australian companies.
12th Spanish Film Festival presents BUÑUEL – RETROSPECTIVE & EXHIBITION
