– The Catalan filmmaker took part in the ECAM Forum alongside his producers Carlos Pardo Ros and Marga Sardá, from DVEIN Films and DEBUT Films respectively
Sandra Soro in Cinemanía
Last week, during the third edition of ECAM Forum, Catalan filmmaker Marc Ferrer (To Laugh, to Sing, Perchance to Cry, ¡Corten!, La maldita primavera) presented just over half an hour of his new feature film, Cinemanía, as part of the Last Push section (read more), dedicated to works in post-production.
“What last push does the film need?” we asked one of its producers, Carlos Pardo Ros. “The film, which was made without public funding, has had a few patrons. This Forum provides international visibility that will help us find partners, as it offers more commercial opportunities than other titles I’ve produced. We’re open to receiving enquiries from international film festivals and sales agents. I think it’s going to be a surprise, as it goes beyond the queer niche; it can be enjoyed by people from all walks of life.” Producer Marga Sardá adds: “This film was born out of a sense of urgency. To romanticise the underground and do it better.”
The film introduces Marcos, aged 40, the youngest of three siblings, who works in the film industry but cannot make a living from it. He is trapped in an unequal relationship with Álex, 22, who avoids commitment. His sister Alicia, CEO of a holiday rental company, faces a bizarre threat when two CIA agents warn her that her daughter Amália’s extraordinary intelligence could trigger an international conflict if she is not taken to the United States. Meanwhile, Alicia’s girlfriend Eva meets Marta, a film producer who deals drugs and awakens in her a desire for a more passionate life. María, married with two children, is secretly pursuing Nico, the ex-boyfriend of her best friend Sara. And Charo, the eldest sister, dreams of winning the lottery to free herself from her dependent son.
Marc Ferrer himself plays the lead role and explains that the film “stays true to my creative vision, made on a minimal budget, but one that’s been optimised to the full. I’ve surrounded myself with wonderful, incredibly talented people: La Infanta Gitana, the famous Barcelona drag queen, actress Judit Martín, Adrià Arbona, from the band Papá Topo, and Juana Dolores, and even the illustrator Jordi Labanda. The title comes from the book by cinematographer Néstor Almendros and because the central character is obsessed with film.”
“Love, family, desire and cinema: those are the film’s four main elements,” says the director. “It also speaks of the need to persevere, as the protagonist is going through a difficult time, and of hope as the driving force behind life. And while Barcelona plays an important role in all my films, here I wanted to pay tribute to it and show just how beautiful it is, as I love every aspect and every corner of it.”
“Cinemanía is also a tribute to the kind of cinema I love: Pedro Almodóvar, John Waters, Eloy de la Iglesia and Woody Allen. That’s why it’s shot in Cinemascope and black and white, like Manhattan: the character is depressed, so that’s how he sees everything. And he’s in a relationship with someone younger, just as in that film,” he continues. “It’s a satirical comedy, and beneath that I blend genres: there’s an action sequence, cannibalism, film noir, magic… but comedy is what comes most naturally to me – humour,” he concludes.
Cinemanía is produced by Carlos Pardo Ros for the company DVEIN Films, and Gema Arquero and Marga Sardá for DEBUT Films.
(Translated from Spanish)
