Interview with senior Spanish producer Antonio Saura
Antonio Saura, one of the leading producers in Spain and in Europe came to
Israel in October 2008 as a guest of the Sam Spiegel Film School. Saura gave
a 3-days seminar about "Obsessions in Spanish Cinema" and presented a wide
personal program of films that took the audience to a fascinating journey to
the history of Spanish culture and society.
Saura who comes from a Spanish cultural-nobility family (and he is the son
of the legendary director Carlos Saura), produced in recent decades dozens
of films that have changed the face of modern Spanish cinema. In addition to
being a senior producer and a scriptwriter, Saura founded and directed the
prestigious Madrid Media Business School.
The seminar was divided into two main pillars:
* Spanish History - the central discourses of the 20th century Spain - the
Civil War, living under the oppression and the memory of dictatorship.
* The New Spain -represented current issues in modern Spanish society
through the elements of fear, humor and new social agendas.
The arrival of Antonio Saura was made possible with the kind assistance of
Caesarea Foundation, Ostrovsky Foundation and the Spanish Embassy in Israel.
FILM, HISTORY AND CURRENT OBSESSIONS
IN SPANISH CINEMA
By Antonio Saura
I have always felt that Israel and Spain share many elements in common: both placed geographically in civilizations crossroads, both home to different cultures and religions, with somehow conflictive results, both with a strong multicultural past.
Spain is now under its longer period of peace and democracy after 40 years of dictatorship. The current constitution is the longest one in our conflictive relationship with democracy. From an economic point of view, we have never been better: from a country of emigrants, to a country of immigrants. Spain is now a model country; but it was not like that 50 years ago. How we came forward? How did we cope with our past? Those questions and others I have tried answer while using films. I believe that our identity and how we (and you) perceive it - can be traced in the films we make.
Considering that my field of work is production and not film history or theory, I decided to portray a very personal view of Spanish cinema and how it tells my country’s history. The limitation in time, scope and availability of titles (we needed proper authorization, subtitled copies, availability etc), have forced me to be rather selective with the titles and the directors. Although all the films and directors that I am presenting here are relevant, there are a considerable number of directors from Spain whose brilliant films could or should have been chosen. From this text I want to send a strong homage of admiration and respect to those I did not select, but that I believe that every film student in Israel should have the curiosity to look at directors such as: Alejandro Amenabar, Fernando Trueba, David Trueba, Bigas Luna, Victor Erice, Gonzalo Suarez, Jaime Chávarri, Manuel Gutierrez Aragón, Imanol Uribe, Manuel Gomez Pereira, Daniel Sánchez Arevalo, Alex de la Iglesia, Daniel Calparsoro, Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza, Jaime Bajo Ulloa, Ines Paris y Daniela Fejerman, Gracia Querejeta, Enrique Urbizu, Pilar Miró, Achero Mañas, Fernando Leon de Aranoa, Bernito Zambrano, Jose Luis Borau, and, of course, Pedro Almodóvar to name but a few. They are responsible for intense, funny, emotional, sexy, scary, provocative films that have fascinated me with their very personal voices. They are all creators of images, moments, situations and emotions that have touched me. I would have loved to share that feeling, but, alas! Time being time is not that flexible: so maybe another time.
My choice was very much related to the idea I wanted to convey in this course: Spanish History can be mirrored in its movies. They can tell us were we were, and were we are now. Through them, we discover things about ourselves and our people that otherwise would have remain uncovered, hidden. I want the films to explain where do we come from (“Vacas”), what went on in our terrible Civil War (“Ay Carmela”), how did we deal with the scars of that war (“La Prima Angélica”, ”Amantes”) and how are we coping with the past now (“En la ciudad sin límites”), and with our present and future: our sense of humour “Dos tipos Duros”), our search for ourselves in genre films (“El Orfanato”), and how we deal with the topics that worry us now (“Te Doy mis Ojos”).
Two films are by my father, Carlos Saura. Two movies have been produced by me. I must confess I was biased. But I have produced two films of Carlos Saura, and none are here! In the past Jerusalem film Festival I had the fortune of having two films in the official selection: none of them are here as well…
Only one film by a female director has been selected. I do not believe in artificial quotas but there are at least four of five female directors that could have been here. I have a particular admiration for Iciar Bollain’s work.
As you can see, it has been a tough process to select these films. In a whole, they tell a lot about Spain. They may also tell a bit about myself, I will find out during the course of the conferences. My hope is that after the event, you may have a deeper understanding of the complex, elusive, conflictive, and fascinating country that I am so proud of coming from: Spain.
Yours
Antonio Saura
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