Focus on Spain - From Doodles to Pixels

The programme starts out with a short film by Segundo de Chomón, the illustrious pioneer who worked in Spain, France and Italy. His short The Gold Spider is one of the most admirable pieces in his filmography with some stunning animation sequences for the time. Some vintage promotional spots using nitrate film were collected for this event, such as Radio RCA (ca. 1935) by Enrique Ferrán, created in Barcelona during the Second Spanish Republic. A few ads by the prolific Mr. Serra i Massana and other satirical artists whose names are unknown, La bronca (The Scolding) and Cambo i l’autonomia (Cambó and the Self-government, ca. 1918), were also restored. These films demonstrate the strength of on-screen graphic humour. K-Hito (En los pasillos del congreso, 1932) and Josep Escobar (El fakir Gonzalez) were both writers and directors. During this period, political, social comics were all the rage. Later, Javier Mariscal (Chico & Rita) and Calpurnio Pison, two other popular contemporary cartoonists, started making animated films based on the trademark characters Los Garriris and Cuttlas.

L’Araignée d’or | The Gold Spider, Segundo de Chomón, 1908, 8 min 40 sec

En los pasillos del congreso | The Corridors of Congress, K-Hito (Ricardo García), 1932, 2 min

Alimentos de régimen Santiveri | Santivery Diet Grocery, Josep Serra i Massana, 1932–35, 2 min 11 sec

Tabú, colorete en polvo | Tabú Face Powder, Josep Serra i Massana, 1933, 1 min

Radio RCA, Enrique Ferrán, kolem / circa 1935, 2 min

El fakir González buscador de oro | Fakir Gonzáles, the Gold-digger, Joaquim Muntañola, 1942, 8 min 12 sec

Juanito va de caza | Juanito Goes Hunting, Salvador Mestres, 1942, 8 min

El cascabel de Zapirón | Zapirón’s Cascabel, Josep Escobar, 1943, 8 min

Don Cleque flautista | Flautist Don Cleque, Jaume Baguñà, 1944, 8 min 12 sec

Garabatos: Manolete | Doodle: Manolete, Jaume Baguñà a Manuel Díaz, 1943–44, 8 min

Los tambores de Fu-Aguarrás | Drums of Fu-Aguarrás, Josep Escobar, 1945, 9 min 10 sec

El bueno de Cuttlas | The Good Cuttlas, Calpurnio Pisón, 1991, 8 min 48 sec

Amarillo verano | Yellow Summer, Javier Mariscal, 2013, 4 min 40 sec

The visuals and partially also the plot of this film are reminiscent of comic books. It is a romantic story of a jazz musician called Chico and his love interest, singer Rita. Their love story begins in the late 1940s in Cuba and gradually moves to America and Europe. Their adventure of eternally searching for mutual love unfolds in tradition of the best melodramas. Their lives are also affected by the Cuban revolution of 1959. A very important role in the film is played by its soundtrack, whether we hear jazz or popular Latin American songs. Jazz has been chosen deliberately by the authors as it was an important source of inspiration for Cuban music and culture in general. The film adaptation of this classical romance made use of contemporary musicians who excel at their instruments in the way the musicians of the 1940s and 1950s did. The film is an expression of the passion for Cuban culture shared by directors Fernando Truebo, Tono Errando and Javier Mariscal, one of the most successful Spanish artists and animators. But as Trueba says: "You don't have to be an expert in the history of Cuba and American jazz to enjoy our film." The film was nominated for the world's most watched award, the Oscar.

The film tells the story of an escaped convict named Ramon who takes the Way of St. James to get to a remote village in the mountains where he wants to retrieve loot he hid there years ago. At first glance, it may seem that the abandoned village is inhabited only by a few old people but in the end it turns out that the village has been cursed for over 600 years. Ramon soon figures out that the seemingly harmless elders are in fact looking for souls they could trade with Death himself and that he has jumped out of the frying pan right into the fire. And that is only the beginning of Ramon’s adventures on his quest to retrieve the treasure.

The story is told in a very thrilling way reminiscent of detective stories by Agatha Christie. It also briefly touches on the values and traditions of a culture several hundred years old adhering to the myths and the stories of the millions of pilgrims who have walked the Way of St. James to Santiago de Compostela since the 11^th century.

The Apostle was nominated for Goya Award in 2013, and has won numerous awards including the audience awards at the Annecy, Cinanima, and Monstra festivals.

This hand-animated story is based on a comic book by Paco Roca which won the Spanish National Award for Best Comic Book of the Year in 2008. The film won the Goya Award for Best Animated Film and Best Screenplay. The comic book author Paco Roca himself helped to create the film’s artistic style.
Wrinkles portrays the friendship between Emilio and Miguel, two aged gentlemen shut away in a care home. Emilio, a new arrival in the early stages of Alzheimer, is helped by Miguel and colleagues to avoid ending up on the dreaded top floor of the care home, also known as the “lost causes” or assisted living floor. Their wild plan infuses their day-to-day tedium with humour and tenderness, because although their lives are coming to an end, this is just a beginning.
The graphic artists managed to convincingly portray the characters’ gestures and facial expressions and faithfully depict life in a care home. The film’s realistic score significantly supports its believability so the viewers get a chance to realise what people in such institutions feel and what it's like to be old and discarded.