Spanish Film Festival

Brisbane audiences can indulge in some delectable Spanish films, wine and food with the annual Spanish Film Festival hitting Palace Barracks and Palace Centro Cinemas, 27 April – 14 May.

It’s the 20th edition of the popular festival and there’ll be a specially selected program of films and events to help celebrate all things Spanish. Here are some of the highlights:

Opening Night Fiesta – Kiki, Love To Love (Kiki, El Amor Se Hace), described as a ‘sexy and daring’ Spanish box office hit from director Paco León – who’s regularly compared with Pedro Almodovar – kicks off the festival. You’ll receive Freixenet cava on arrival, and there’ll be an after-party featuring Torres Wines, Stella Artois, tapas courtesy of Moda Restaurant and live entertainment. Palace Barracks, 27 April, 6.30pm. $50 - $55.

Closing Night – Another celebratory evening with drinks included sees the film, The Trip to Spain screening. It’s the third instalment of a hugely popular series directed by Michael Winterbottom and starring the hilarious Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon improvising as they tour around Spain. Palace Barracks and Centro, 14 May, 6.45pm. $25 - $20.

Special Event – The Queen of Spain. Presented by Lolea Sangria, and with a glass on arrival as well as Spanish tunes included, The Queen of Spain (La Reina de Espana), directed by Fernando Trueba (Belle Epoque), stars the always watchable Penélope Cruz. She plays an actress travelling to 1950s Spain to make a big-budget Hollywood movie. Palace Centro, 4 May, 7.15pm. $24 - $28.

Summer 1993 (Estiu 1993) – An Australian premiere, this film was a critical success at the 2017 Berlinale where it was named Best First Feature. It’s a sensitive autobiographical work from Carla Simón about a six year-old girl who has to go and live with relatives after her parents’ death and the strange and intimidating things that await her.

Sara Baras: All Her Voices (Sara Baras: Todas La Voces) – This documentary takes us inside the world of the famous diminuitive dancer of flamenco, Sara Baras, as she prepared for her world tour, Voces, which visited Melbourne last year.
Both of the above films will have more than one screening, so for more information and to book tickets and view the program, go to the WEBSITE

FULL PROGRAM & TICKETS

By Vicki Englund