ALTHOUGH HE DIDN’T PERSONALLY KNOW CARLOS SAURA, HE ADMIRES THE DIVERSITY OF HIS WORK AND, LIKE HIM, TRIES NOT TO REPEAT HIMSELF IN HIS CINEMATOGRAPHY.
THE CHILEAN DIRECTOR WILL RECEIVE TONIGHT THE CARLOS SAURA CITY OF HUESCA AWARD FROM THE 51ST HUESCA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL AND WILL PRESENT SPENCER.
Pablo Larraín recibe el homenaje del Festival Internacional de Cine de Huesca
Chilean director and producer Pablo Larraín, recognized as one of the most globally influential figures in the Ibero-American film scene, is at the Huesca International Film Festival. Very happy to receive the Carlos Saura City of Huesca Award at the 51st edition of the event, he has stated that Ibero-American cinema is experiencing a very healthy moment, but creators from the region must “learn to live with streaming services, we have to accept that our films also need to exist on platforms and this implies having less presence in movie theaters and more audiovisual presence in homes.”
During the press conference, he insisted that this is a new reality we have to face. When viewers are at home, it’s difficult to control their attention. It is a different reaction from the one we achieve in a movie theater, with the lights dimmed, a comfortable seat, and controlled temperature. “And inevitably, we have to compete” with this new way of accessing audiovisual content. “It’s a different narrative, and we have to accept it. We’re in an era where attention has shifted. It’s a new mindset that we have to assume” he added.
He pointed out that as far as he is concerned, his main worry is to preserve identity, freedom, and taking care of that art which is in crisis, as audiences for certain types of films are difficult to attract. “The majority of films shown in big theaters worldwide have a high number of stimuli; the amount of stimuli and emotions per minute is very high and that induces a different type of attention,” but he emphasizes that “we have to attract the audience and continue working.”
For Larraín, when cinema doesn’t depend on budgets and production constrains, “the result is similar in all countries, and that´s wonderful and democratic.” He pointed out: “I don’t think I have ever stopped doing something I wanted to do. I have never felt the pressure from a studio or that decisions have been made without my approval, and in that sense, I feel privileged, and I hope to continue enjoying that freedom and autonomy.” However, he indicated: “What I believe is dangerous, is to complain or blame oneself or someone else.”
LIKE THE ACCLAIMED FILMMAKER CARLOS SAURA FROM HUESCA, PABLO LARRAÍN DOESN’T WANT TO REPEAT HIMSELF IN HIS STORIES.
Pablo Larraín y Estela Rasal durante la rueda de prensa
Pablo Larraín expressed his regret for not having personally met Carlos Saura, who lends his name to the award he will receive tonight at the Olimpia Theater. “I would have loved to because I am fascinated by the diversity of his films. If you analyze all the stages of his work, there is a dazzling diversity in tone, style, and narrative, and that is something I find extremely interesting. Like him, I don´t want to repeat myself. Sometimes, when a film works reasonably well, one tends to repeat it because it’s a comfortable and safe place. One of the things I have always admired about Carlos Saura is his ability to explore though a diversity of films with a focus on the audience, some personal, others political, but always with a consistent ideological perspective,” he said.
The awarded of the evening also had words for the filmmaker from Calanda, Luis Buñuel, who also lends his name to another tribute at the Huesca International Film Festival. He described Buñuel as an essential director who has made very important films like The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and Los Olvidados. Larraín mentioned that Buñuel’s autobiography had a strong impact on him during his studies.
PABLO LARRAÍN WILL PRESENT SPENCER TONIGHT, A PARADOX FILMED IN GERMANY, WITH AN AMERICAN ACTRESS, A CHILEAN DIRECTOR, AND ABOUT AN ENGLISH PRINCESS.
The tribute ceremony for the Chilean filmmaker will culminate with the presentation of his most recent project: Spencer. He explained that the film captures some of the most turbulent days of Princess Diana, her liberation from family oppression. It is the story of a princess who doesn’t want to be a princess, of a broken family, and a mother who realizes she can be a mother without being tied to the monarchy. “It’s a paradox filmed in Germany, with an American actress (Kristen Stewart), a Chilean director, and an English princess,” he commented with a smile.
Regarding his upcoming projects, he announced that the film El Conde is already completed and will be distributed by Netflix. It is a story about Augusto Pinochet, who is not dead but an elderly vampire. After living for 250 years in the world, he has decided to die once and for all.
He is currently working on the film María, a production about María Callas in which Angelina Jolie’s participation has been confirmed. “A film about the last days of her life, exploring her musical career, her loves, her pains, and her memory,” but he didn’t want to reveal much more because “talking about a film before it’s made is bad luck.”
