For our 25th birthday edition, ¡Viva! returns with a specially selected programme of the most exciting film and theatre from across the Spanish-speaking world.
Our Opening Night Birthday Party sees the UK premiere of Tiempo después, and we’re delighted to welcome to Manchester the producer Félix Tusell for a Q&A on this very special evening. No doubt music and dancing will continue in the bar until late! The party is free and open to all, so please come along and help us to celebrate.
¡Viva! 2019 is infused with some serious fun, following the Spanish and Latin American cultural tradition of esperpento, which uses satire, the grotesque and dark humour to skewer the foibles of contemporary society. As well as some cinema classics from masters of esperpento Luis García Berlanga and Álex de la Iglesia, we also celebrate the late great Bigas Luna, in collaboration with Prof. Santiago Fouz Hernández from the University of Durham. Kicking off with his 1992 outrageous and unrepentantly fun comedy Jamón, jamón, starring a young Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz, and continuing with Huevos de oro and La Teta y la luna.
Coinciding with our year-long Celebration of Women in Global Cinema, the work of female directors, writers, producers and stars receives special attention. Look out for the logo throughout the festival.
And the festival fun continues in Theatre 1, where Señor Serrano are back with their unique cinematic style of performance. Using video cameras, scale models, video projection and live music, Kingdom continues to develop the idea of cinema-in-real-time. This production is an irreverent cocktail mixing bananas, consumerism, punk rock, King Kong, confusion, expansion, coups d’état and very macho men in an endless party.
Theatre 1 also hosts a spectacular one-off performance by Manchester Camerata and Italian violinist Francesca Dego. The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires will set HOME alight, kindling your imaginations through vivid and vibrant music.
Last but not least, don’t miss our range of talks and workshops, including the return of the Café Cervantes and the Language Lab, the One Hour Intros to Serious Fun and Contemporary Argentine Cinema, and a discussion about the environment and mass corporate agriculture.
We’re celebrating 25 years of cross-border creativity, collaborations and partnerships, which have brought the best film, art and theatre from Spain and beyond to audiences from Manchester and the wider UK. Here’s to the next 25 years!
¡Disfrutad el festival!
#Viva2019
DOWNLOAD OUR ¡VIVA! 2019 BROCHURE
In this festival
One Minute Review: Petra – English
Listen to our English language One Minute Review of Petra from Director Jaime Rosales.
One Minute Review: Alanis – English
Listen to our English language One Minute Review of Director Anahí Berneri's fifth feature film Alanis.
Blogs
Film Notes – Acción Mutante
HOME Young Programmer Ellen Smith introduces the screening of Acción mutante (Álex de le Iglesia, 1993).
Blogs
Talk Notes – One Hour Intro to Contemporary Argentine Cinema
Ignacio Aguiló introduces Contemporary Argentine Cinema.
Blogs
Film Notes – Retablo
Rebecca Jarman introduces the UK Premiere of Retablo (Alvaro Delgado Aparicio, 2018).
Previously in this Festival
Cinema
El Día de la bestia
Horror-comedy in which a priest tries to prevent the birth of the Anti-Christ.
event
Preview/ Rojo Introduction
This screening will be introduced by Dr Carmen Herrero, Manchester Metropolitan University. This talk will be BSL interpreted.
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Plácido + Intro
Introduced by Prof. Andy Willis, University of Salford & HOME’s Visiting Curator: Film. This talk will be BSL interpreted.
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Ana de día + Q&A
We are pleased to welcome Andrea Jaurrieta for a Q&A following the screening on Sun 24 Mar.
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Acción mutante Introduction & Performance
This film will be introduced by the HOME Young Programmers and preceded by a short performance from Young Identity.
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Language Lab: Miriam miente
Following an introduction in accessible Spanish, and a full screening of Miriam miente with English subtitles, attendees can practise their Spanish language skills using a…
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¡Viva! 2019 Café Cervantes
An informal gathering of Spanish-speaking film lovers. Come and practise your language skills while sharing your opinions on this year's ¡Viva! programme. We recommend language…
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One Hour Intro: Contemporary Argentine Cinema
¡Viva! 2019 is infused with some serious fun, following the Spanish and Latin American cultural tradition of esperpento, which uses satire, the grotesque and dark…
Cinema
UK Premiere/ Animal
Antonio is a conservative family man who has worked hard to achieve his perfect life, but the bubble bursts when he finds himself in urgent…
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One Hour Intro: Serious Fun
Serious Fun is our theme for ¡Viva! 2019, adding a dash of esperpento to the line up. This talk will explain the typical techniques and…
Cinema
UK Premiere / Retablo
High in the remote Peruvian Andes, 14-year-old Segundo is training to follow his father’s footsteps in the traditional folk art of retablo-making — crafting intricate,…
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El Silencio de otros Post-screening discussion
Join us for a post-screening discussion led by Dr Shivani Pal, Salford Citizens Advice, and Prof Andy Willis, University of Salford & HOME’s Visiting Curator…
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El Verdugo Introduction
This screening will be introduced by Prof. Andy Willis, University of Salford & HOME’s Visiting Curator of Film. This talk will be BSL interpreted.
Cinema
Birds of Passage
The origins of the Colombian drug trade, as seen through eyes of an indigenous Wayuu family that becomes involved in the booming business of selling…
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Huevos de oro + Intro
Introduced by Prof. Santiago Fouz Hernández, University of Durham. This talk will be BSL interpreted.
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Jamón, Jamón Introduction & Drinks Reception
This screening will be introduced by Prof. Santiago Fouz Hernández from University of Durham. This talk will be BSL interpreted. This film will also be…
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La Teta y la luna + Intro & Post Screening Discussion
Introduced by Dr Abigail Loxham, University of Liverpool. Join us for a post-screening discussion led by Dr Abigail Loxham and Prof. Santiago Fouz Hernández following…
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El Día de la bestia Introduction
This screening will be introduced by Prof. Andy Willis, University of Salford & HOME’s Visiting Curator of Film. This talk will be BSL interpreted.
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UK Premiere / Retablo + Intro
Introduced by Dr Rebecca Jarman, University of Leeds, on Wed 3 Apr. This talk will be BSL interpreted.
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¡Viva! Opening Night 25th Birthday Party
To mark a quarter of a century of ¡Viva!, join us for our opening night party featuring DJ sets, cake, sangria and fire-drawing.
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Bigas Luna Tribute Manchester
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…
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¡Viva! Festival 2019 UK Tour
¡Viva! Spanish & Latin American Festival goes on tour across the UK Mar-Jun 2019.
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UK Premiere/ Viaje a los pueblos fumigados + Post Screening Discussion
Join us for a post-screening discussion led by Alison Criddle, HOME’s Projects & Sustainability Coordinator, following the screening on Wed 27 Mar.
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UK Premiere/ Oreina + Q&A
We are pleased to welcome Koldo Almandoz for a Q&A following the screening on Sat 23 Mar.
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UK Premiere/ Tiempo después + Q&A
We are pleased to welcome Felix Tussel for a Q&A following the screening on Fri 22 Mar.
Cinema
Jamón, Jamón
A fantastically surreal combination of Spanish stereotypes and deliberately vulgar starring Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem – anyone for sex, drama, ham and naked bullfighting?
Cinema
Acción mutante
Produced by the Almodóvar brothers, the film is an entertaining, full-on assault on the senses driven by a jet-black humour worthy of Luis García Berlanga.
event
Manchester Camerata presents Upclose: ¡Viva! 2019
Manchester Camerata are going to set HOME alight, kindling your imaginations through vivid and vibrant music, searing your minds with the red hot sounds of…
Cinema
UK Premiere/ Tiempo después
In the year 9177 the whole world has been reduced to just one Representative Building and the grimy outskirts inhabited by the unemployed. A delicious…
Cinema
Ana de día
With its vibrant use of sound and colour, masterful framing and editing, plus a whole host of quirky characters, this is a thrilling journey into…
Cinema
Quién te cantará
Dive down the rabbit hole into an enigmatic hall of mirrors featuring a beloved singer and her talented fan; an amnesiac superstar and her devoted…
Cinema
UK Premiere/ Memorias de un hombre en pijama
In this classic 2D animation Paco, a 40-something bachelor from Barcelona, finally sees his childhood dream come true: a job working from home in his…
Cinema
UK Premiere/ Alanis
A young Buenos Aires mother finds employment as a sex worker and struggles to live under the same laws that are supposed to protect her.
Cinema
Miriam miente
This coming-of-age story transports you to the Caribbean to discuss class conflict in the Dominican Republic. In this conflict whiteness is aligned with higher status,…
Cinema
Jean-François i el sentit de la vida
A witty and whimsical take on the growing pains of adolescence, following a young teenager Francesc who finds solace in French existential philosophy.
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Jean-François i el sentit de la vida Q&A
We are pleased to welcome Sergi Portabella for a Q&A following the screening on Sat 6 Apr.
Cinema
El Silencio de otros
The film captures the first attempt to bring to justice those accused of political crimes committed in the name of General Franco’s government. In a…
Cinema
UK Premiere/ Viaje a los pueblos fumigados
From the clearing of ancient forests, to the indiscriminate fumigation with pesticides that poison land and people, Solanas crosses the country with furious determination to…
Cinema
La Teta y la luna
In a small town in Catalonia, nine-year-old Tete frets at the arrival of his new baby brother, and jealously dreams of drinking from his mother’s…
Cinema
Las Niñas bien
A vicious and delicious social satire set amongst Mexico’s country club elite during the 1982 debt crisis, telling the downfall of a queen bee socialite.
Cinema
Huevos de oro
A characteristically melodramatic black comedy about the rise and fall of a loathsome lothario. Through a decade of sexual adventures packed with machismo and misogyny…
Cinema
UK Premiere/ En las estrellas
Struggling to cope with his current reality, grieving husband Víctor takes his devoted nine-year-old son on flights of fancy using some delightful animation and 2D…
Cinema
UK Premiere/ Formentera Lady
An aging hippy eking out an existence as a banjo player on the tiny island of Formentera, is suddenly left in charge of the 10-year-old…
Cinema
El Verdugo
José Luis is a young undertaker whose personal ambitions have to take a back seat when his path crosses that of an ageing executioner. Frequently…
Cinema
UK Premiere/ Oreina
Khalil is a rootless young man living in the city’s margins, where shabby industrial estates meet the beautiful Saria marshland, brimming with nocturnal wildlife.
Cinema
UK Premiere/ El Motoarrebatador
Miguel makes a living as a motochorro, a thief snatching bags from his motorbike. But when a victim ends up badly hurt Miguel is plagued…
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UK Premiere/ Alanis Q&A
We are pleased to welcome Anahí Berneri for a Q&A following the screening on Thu 4 Apr.