The Edinburgh Reporter October 2023

20 WHAT’S ON

In an exclusive interview we chat with producer

Diane Henderson and the director of the Edinburgh

Spanish Film Festival, Marian A. Aréchaga

Keeping it reel

proud to stress that ESFF has consistently

showcased the work of female directors, and

this year is no exception. In relation to our

cultural events, I am particularly excited about

our masterclass in creative writing by novelist

Ignacio Martínez de Pisón, a fantastic Spanish

novelist who had a first-hand experience of the

Spanish transition to democracy. I’m a big fan

of his and I hope those who meet him in

person will become his fans as well.

Diane: In the Company of Women is simply

wonderful! It’s an impressive coming-of-age

drama with a really strong central performance

from young acting star Alicia Falcó at its heart.

What primary focuses does this year’s

festival have?

Marian: This year’s programme has a special

focus on the Spanish transition to democracy,

a significant period in history that set the

foundations of today’s Spanish government and

society. This historic backdrop and its social

implications are depicted by four films. We start

off with a screening of Carlos Saura’s

quintessential Cría Cuervos (1976), which is

partly as a posthumous tribute to the legacy of

this Spanish director. The remaining films are

more contemporary but equally relevant to

reflect about this period: Alberto Rodríguez’s

Prison 77 (2022), which explores the collective

fight for a general amnesty for Francoist

prisoners, Silvia Munt’s In the Company of

Wo m e n (2023), which vindicates the fight

of feminist activists in the Basque Country,

Alejandro Marín’s Love & Revolution (2023)

which conveys the struggle of the first openly

queer activists in Andalusia.

We are offering a new chance for cinephiles in

Edinburgh to catch Spain’s most recent

blockbusters such as The Good Boss (2021),

The Beasts (2022) and Lullaby (2022). As part of

our Latin American offerings this year we have

the Peruvian steampunk sci-fi The Shape of

Things to Come (2022) and the Bolivian rural

drama Utama (2022). Our closing film this year

is 20.000 Species of Bees (2023), a Basque drama

centred on a transgender child that has been

pre-selected as Spain’s official submission for

next year’s Oscars.

Did you think you would reach this

milestone when you started ESFF? Where

would you like to see the festival in

another 10 years?

Marian: When someone starts an adventure like

this you are never 100% sure about what is going

to happen. I have prepared and lived through

every edition as if it were the last one, and

making it special as such.

So to reach this milestone is certainly incredible

and I can only thank my fellow team members

throughout the years because this is a collective

effort. Ten years from now? It is quite daring to

think about it. I would love to continue with this

work, but if that isn’t the case I can only hope that

somebody continues this legacy of promoting the

cinema of my home country and of the Hispanic

community worldwide, on the big screen and

always with a communal spirit in mind.

Diane: I remember Marian’s first ever festival and

I marvel at her passion and commitment. This is

a top quality film festival - I salute Marian and

the programming team and very much look

forward to the next ten years!

Edinburgh Spanish FIlm Festival takes place

in Edinburgh from 5 to 20 October.

http://www.edinburghspanishfilmfestival.com

What can audiences expect at

this year’s festival?

Marian: This year marks ESFF’s 10th

anniversary. It marks ten years of hard work

bringing the best of Spanish and Latin

American cinema to cinephiles in Edinburgh

and across Scotland.

This year we will continue to focus on

strengthening the cultural connections

between Spain and Scotland through a mixture

of titles including historic dramas, comedies,

family films and a couple of great cultural

events. As always, we hope to have something

for everybody, to satisfy our current followers

and to build new links with the wider

Scottish community.

ESFF is more than a form of cultural

immersion through cinema. It is about

learning historical lessons, appreciating

diversity in all its forms, and, most important

of all, having fun.

Diane: As well as early preview screenings for

some forthcoming new releases, Marian and

her programming team have put together a

truly eclectic mix of brand new titles and

classics from Spanish cinema – many of

which will not screen in the UK outside of

this festival.

Marian: All our films in our programme have a

special motive behind them. There are

wonderful debut films from very talented

people, as well as second or third titles from

up-and-coming directors. I am particularly

Marian A.

Aréchaga

Diane

Henderson

A still from

Prison 77

A still from

The Kids Are

Alright