SCAT – Scotland Catalan Film Festival opening night brings the Scottish premiere of LA CHANA, award-winning documentary film about flamenco legend La Chana.
The film brings us under the skin and into the mind of La Chana, a Barcelona-based talented Gypsy flamenco dancer – ‘taconeadora’ to be more specific- as she returns to the stage to give a final seated performance after a 30-year break. Along the way, La Chana (sometimes referred as ‘The Seated Diva’) reveals the secret behind her disappearance when she was at the peak of her career.
The film will be preceded by a cuadro flamenco performance inspired by La Chana famous seated dancing adapted by prestigious Flamenco Company Maria “La Serrana”.
A complementary Estrella Damm and/or a glass of Cava will be given to celebrate the opening of SCAT – Scotland Catalan Film Festival.
Both the film and the flamenco performance invite audience to discover Barcelona long standing tradition with Flamenco as well as the importance of Andalusian migrants and gypsy populations forging today’s plural Catalan culture.
Date: Tuesday 13th November (SCAT Opening Drinks from 6pm, Show starts 7pm)
Place: Scottish Storytelling Centre – 43-45 High St, Edinburgh EH1 1SR
THE FILM
The film brings us under the skin and into the mind of La Chana, a talented Gypsy flamenco dancer based in Barcelona as she returns to the stage to give a final seated performance after a 30-year break. Along the way, La Chana reveals the secret behind her disappearance when she was at the peak of her career.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Antonia Santiago Amador, alias “La Chana,” was a hugely popular flamenco dancer – until she suddenly vanished from the public eye, at the height of her career. After she played a role in the Peter Sellers film The Bobo (1967) the star invited her to Hollywood, but it wasn’t to be. In her baroque boudoir in Barcelona, the frail and elderly dancer now reveals the reason her career came to such an abrupt end. Supported by abundant footage of spectacular dance and outstanding flamenco music, this intimate portrait is an ode to the elderly gypsy artist, for whom swirling skirts might be a thing of the past, but whose passion burns as strongly as ever.
LA CHANA
Director: Lucija StojevicGenre: Documentary
Language: Spanish with English subtitles
Duration: 82′
FLAMENCO PERFORMANCE
Flamenco Company María “la Serrana” from Seville, Spain will perform for the first time in Edinburgh with her show Los Hombros de Hércules on Wednesday 14 November.
Moved by their deep respect to the figure of La Chana, the company will join us for a 30-minute show adapting their sheer inner talent to some of La Chana most celebrated “Seated dances” and taconeo performance. A warm up performance to reclaim the Barcelona – Seville connection in the history of flamenco.
This time the dancer will bring singers Juan José Amador and Pepe de Pura with her, rythmical guitarrist Luis Amador, and as a special guest don dance Antonio Moreno “Polito”who is a descendant from the Farruco family.
A night to celebrate the art of the great Gypsy dancer La Chana! BOOK YOUR TICKET HERE
#SCAT18
Scotland Catalan Film Festival. A festival organised by Cinemaattic. Catalan productions have once again topped film festivals around the world and it’s time to gather some of those in Glasgow. CCA Glasgow, GFT and University of Glasgow host a new edition of SCAT18. The festival is supported by Institut Ramon Llull and Estrella Damm.
#CINEMAATTIC
CinemaAttic is an organisation specialised in pop up film screenings, distinctive underground events and retrospectives on Spanish & Latin American cinema. We promote independent cinema in an interactive and socially engaged environment. With particular regards to short films (we defend the value of short-film as an artform), classic Spanish cinema and rare cult movies from Spain and Latin American countries
