Protecting homegrown talent
The Spanish system of film funding relies largely on
public cash, for which film-makers must apply. Not all
of them get it. Subject matter, box office receipts and
regional language all play a part in deciding who feels
the benefit. Increasingly, Spanish films look abroad
for supplementary income, generating co-productions
likeThe Machinist(2004) andGoya’s Ghosts(2007),
both essentially Spanish films despite their use of
the English language. Legislation has also been
used to boost the domestic film industry, although
governmental input isn’t always welcomed. In June
2007 most of Spain’s 4,000 cinemas went on strike,
protesting against a law that would ensure every fourth
film shown in cinemas is of European – ideally Spanish- origin.The Federation of Spanish Cinemas (FECE),
to which most movie houses belong, claims the law
could prove financially ruinous, particularly when most
Spaniards seem to prefer American films.The FECE
went so far as to gloomily comment: “A cinema where a
Spanish film is shown is an empty cinema.”
Give me some action
Spain, like the rest of the world, doesn’t go to the
movies as often as it used to. In 2006 just over 120
million cinema tickets were sold, a drop of nearly five
per cent on the previous year and part of an ongoing
decline in Spain. But don’t start crying into your popcorn- the Spanish are still among the most enthusiastic
filmgoers around. On average they go to the cinema
just over three times a year – as often as the French
and more often than the British. Alas, they don’t usually
go and watch Spanish films. Only around one in seven
tickets sold is for a homegrown production.
In this respect, France, Italy and the UK all perform
significantly better. And, while the majority of Spanish
films tend to be character-led pieces, most filmgoers,
216- Identity: the
building blocks of
2. Literature
and philosophy
3. Art and
architecture
4. Performing
arts
5. Cinema
and fashion
6. Media and
communications
7. Food and drink 8. Living culture:
the details of
Taking on Tinseltown
Directors, actors and
producers recently
collaborated on a television
advert drawing attention to
the dominance of American
films in Spanish cinemas.
A child stepping up to the
plate in a crucial baseball
game looked up at the
stands and said “shucks”,
spying the empty seat
where his father should
have been. A spectator
then whispered from behind
him: “Psst – are you stupid
or what? ‘Shucks’? This is
a Spanish film, okay?
That rubbish doesn’t
happen here.”
In 2006 only three out of the
20 films that headed Spain’s
box office best-sellers list
had Spanish input. Of these,
onlyVolver(at number 12)
was a bona fide Spanish
production. BothAlatriste
(number four) andEl
Laberinto del Fauno(number
14) were co-productions.
5.1.1 Shooting pains: the Spanish and their films