We’re delighted to welcome to Manchester in March 2019 the Bigas Luna Tribute, a series of events to celebrate this unique Spanish filmmaker and his outrageous cinematic style. Curated by Prof. Santiago Fouz Hernández, University of Durham, and Betty Bigas, multidisciplinary artist and daughter of Bigas Luna, the Bigas Luna Tribute Manchester will include four film screenings, two receptions and an exhibition.
The free exhibition, taking place at the Instituto Cervantes on Deansgate, showcases some of Bigas Luna’s controversial video artwork, including the famous short Necklace of Flies and the five-piece video installation Barbaric Comedies, which was inspired by the work of Spanish dramatist and esperpento originator Ramón María del Valle-Inclán. The exhibition preview on Thu 28 Mar, 18:30, includes a drinks reception and the UK premiere of the documentary Bigas x Bigas (2017), with a post-screening Q&A with co-director Santiago Garrido Rúa. The exhibition will remain open for the duration of ¡Viva! Festival, until Sat 13 Apr.
Bigas Luna’s Iberian Trilogy, screening at HOME, kicks off on Fri 29 Mar with the unrepentantly fun comedy Jamón, jamón, which launched the careers of Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz. The fun continues on Sat 30 Mar with Huevos de oro, another black comedy starring Javier Bardem, as an ambitious lothario in the Benidorm building boom. Not only is this the 25th ¡Viva! Festival, but it’s also 25 years since the release of Catalan coming-of-age comedy and surreal fantasy La Teta y la luna, drawing our Bigas Luna Tribute to a close in charming style on Sun 31 Mar.
The Bigas Luna Tribute is a series of international events organised by the filmmaker’s daughter, Betty Bigas, and Bigas Luna specialist Santiago Fouz Hernández that aims to disseminate as widely as possible the important work of the late Spanish artist and filmmaker. Starting in San Francisco in 2015, it has already visited 11 cities in six different countries. It has collaborated with festivals and venues on a total of 60 film screenings to date, including sold-out events in San Francisco, Barcelona, Sydney and San José.
The Bigas Luna Tribute Manchester is produced in collaboration with Durham University, ¡Viva! Spanish and Latin American Festival at HOME, and the Instituto Cervantes in Manchester. For more information about this and previous events, please visit www.bigaslunatribute.info or email bigaslunatribute@gmail.com.