It’s hard to believe we’ve reached the final few days of ¡Viva! 2014 already – time flies when you’re having fun!
Friday night saw the welcome return of formerly Manchester-based filmmaker Mariela Artiles, with her directorial debut 24 cines por segundo: Sábanas blancas. As expected, the film prompted an interesting debate amongst local cinema fans, and we heard excellent contributions from both the general public and those within the industry.
At Saturday’s Adult Study Morning we had 40 eager language learners enjoying Barcelona sci-fi film Los Últimos días and putting their linguistic skills to the test in a specially designed study session. And there’s more to come for those keen to put their Spanish knowledge to good use, with the repeat performance of ¡Hola Manchester! this Sat 22 March, a Spanish language tour of Manchester with our wonderful guide Jean Bailo.
We’re very sorry that two events have had to be cancelled this week – the One Hour Intro/ Wicked Women in Spanish Cinema and the post-screening discussion following Wednesday’s matinée classic, but rest assured the screening of Los Golfos is still going ahead.
The star attraction of the final weekend of ¡Viva! 2014 is the UK premiere of Catalan film Menú degustació (Tasting Menu) on Friday, for which we are delighted to welcome director Roger Gual and actress Marta Torné. Part comedy of errors, part homage to the culinary heights of contemporary Catalan cuisine, this is one for the romantics that is sure to make your mouth water – so make sure you’ve booked somewhere nice for dinner afterwards!
And the fun doesn’t stop there, the final weekend is in fact full of music, comedy and UK premieres, including Ni un hombre más (Iguana Stew) from Argentina and La Pasión de Michelangelo from Chile. And if you haven’t seen it yet, check out our interview with director Martín Salinas, before or even after you watch Ni un hombre más!
Enjoy the last few days of ¡Viva! 2014, until next time.
Disfrutad el resto del festival – ¡hasta la próxima!
Jessie Gibbs
¡Viva! Festival Coordinator