Spanish Icons Film Festival in Delhi receives overwhelming response
New Delhi – In a unique cultural celebration, Instituto Cervantes presents the Spanish Icons Film Festival—a cinematic journey into the world of Spanish classics by some of the most iconic filmmakers—at the India International Centre. The festival kicked off with a screening of Julio Medem’s modern classic ‘Sex and Lucia.’ Alejandro Palma Allepuz, representing Instituto Cervantes, delivered the welcome note.
The festival, presented by Murtaza Ali Khan for Instituto Cervantes, promises to transport audiences to the era of Spanish classics, starting with the 1950s until the early 2000s. Khan has previously presented retrospectives on filmmakers like Federico Fellini, Pier Paolo Pasolini, João Moreira Salles, Carlos Saura and Luis Bunuel. His experience also extends to curating film festivals spotlighting Japanese Samurai classics, Ibero-American cinema, Spanish thrillers, and a festival dedicated to the city of Berlin.
Director of Instituto Cervantes, Oscar Pujol has played a crucial role in bringing this unique film festival of classics by six icons of Spanish cinema to India. Pujol said, “Directors like Buñuel, Berlanga, Saura, Medem, and Fernando Fernán Gómez truly are, each one on its own terms, giants of Spanish cinema. By putting them together in their best films we get an outstanding panoramic view of classic Spanish cinema that keeps constantly reinventing itself.”
The carefully selected lineup includes Death of a Cyclist,’ ‘Welcome Mr. Marshall,’ ‘Viridiana,’ ‘Voyage to Nowhere,’ and ‘ Cria Cuervos.’ A major highlight of the festival will be the roundtable discussion titled ‘Spotlight on Spanish Cinema: Icons and Masters’ on June 18. This discussion will offer deep insights into the contributions and legacies of these legendary directors.
The festival, running from June 11 to July 1, 2024, is a celebration of cinematic brilliance, an enriching experience for cinema enthusiasts, scholars, and anyone interested in the cultural tapestry of Spain that has shaped the landscape of world cinema with masters like Luis Buñuel, Luis Garcia Berlanga, Juan Antonio Bardem, Carlos Saura, and Fernando Fernán Gómez leading from the front.