New Spanish Directors ?? ? Take Two. Action! Our second Director In Focus is a very special one, bringing both Atlantic and Latin flavour to #NewSpanishDirectors, straight from the Canaries… Ladies and gentlemen, the great David Pantaleón! ?️?
We are proud to dedicate a Retrospective to the short films of David Pantaleón in collaboration with Marvin & Wayne Short Films and with the support of Screen Scotland, Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) and Instituto Cervantes London. A filmmaker with an indisputable personality whose work includes essential titles of the last two decades of Spanish cinema.
Catholic religion, Western civilisation, Spanish traditions, myths and modern politics, nothing escapes the irreverent, poignant and funny films of David Pantaleón. Films that will make you laugh at times and question your perspective on core aspects of our modern societies.
Two options to attend.
- Online. Available online worldwide via Festhome platform for a week. From Friday 23th October 19:30 BST (Premiere) until October 30th 23:55 BST. Attend from the comfort of your sofa from anywhere in the world!
- In Person. Friday 30 October at Grassmarket Community Project. Doors open 7.30pm, Films start 8pm. Cinema is a safe space. We will continue offering the poetic and politic act of showing films in person, following BFI guidelines for cine-clubs with strict safety measures in place (see below).
Choose online or offline, but choose CinemaAttic. Tell your amigos, make a plan! Pre-book your tickets fast, limited spaces available.
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STRAIGHT FROM THE CANARIES
In between Spain and Latin America there is an archipelago of Islands (The Canaries). Some may know the earthy sunny perks that these islands give to tourist-goers all year round. However, fewer of those may have gone deep enough to the deep-rooted traditions of these islands and their natives. Here we are, ready to introduce you to a different sight of the Canary Islands, through the lens and cinema of the Gran Canaria-born director David Pantaleón.
The Canaries sit in a privileged geographic spot, in between Western European culture and Latin American tradition. The cinema of David Pantaleón aka ‘Panta’ is a reflection of that melting pot. Witty, radical, provocative and necessary, Panta has over 30 short films and short pieces behind. A director with a filmography built on debunking the Spanish (and Western) civilisation with humor, form and provocation. Stories that often question the worship of sacred and non-sacred Gods, and uncover the cultural realities of the Canaries – a mythical land rich on folklore and colourful traditions.
An enfant terrible, David Pantaleón has forged himself as a director with an extensive production and in a self-taught way, winning awards in Oberhausen, Alcances, Chicago or Las Palmas and participating in festivals such as Rotterdam, Vila do Conde, La Rochelle, Hamburg or Leeds. He is currently preparing what will be his first feature film, “Hombres de leche” (“Milkmen”). Before he becomes too famous, come and discover the films of David Pantaleón!
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THE FILMS OF DAVID PANTALEÓN
David Pantaleón’s cinema is one of the purest and most magical gems of all current Spanish film panorama. Gem, not because it displays an imperishable beauty and cinematographic style typical of large productions, but because it is a small treasure hidden on the margins of Spanish cinema.
The films of David Pantaleon are heavily influenced by theatre and performance (and therefore literature too), In some of his films we find references to Quevedo’s comedies or Albert Camus, but also classic Greek and Christian myths. The art of the allegory is something very present in his films, often an allegory in itself. The Gran Canaria-born filmmaker takes films as a game in which he looks for a way to represent an idea; a game in which the viewer must participate, because Pantaleón likes unfinished movies that are only completed in the viewer’s head.
Powerfully staged with a delicate use of sound and music – often with narrative connotations, working with non professional actors, choosing fixed shots with some ‘holy’ drone incursions, the films of Pantaleón instill his unique directorial imprint. Films that often seem like simple, small homemade film exercises but gather complex reflections on identity, memory, appropriation or ‘mestizaje’ inside.
Our amigos from Cortosfera said of his cinema: “Pantaleón’s cinema shows that perhaps our synchronization, or knowledge of reality, is insufficient, inconsistent, or somewhat arrogant, due to its tendency to be imposing and conclusive. The films of Panta raise other possible gazes and points of view.”
The films of David Pantaleón help us understand that we all come from water and we’re not that different despite the colour, religion, or country where we were born. We spend a hell of a lot of effort on reaffirming ourselves in those superficial differences of identity or dogma, yet we are identical and we substantially resemble each other behind the flags, religions, social clubs, football clubs, uniforms or any symbol that creates an identity. Identity is fluid, and Panta’s films celebrate that beautiful fluidity with fun and reflection.
Let the images talk, let the silence speak… Welcome to #NewSpanishDirectors. Enjoy the films of David Pantaleón!
We had the chance of talking to David Pantaleón back in June during our Cuarentena Shorts Sunday Vermuts
FILMS
PERRO ROJO (Red Dog)
Year: 2009
Duration: 04 min
Language: Russian
Synopsis: An ecological reflection shot in science fiction, that makes the audience feel like being in not such a far future in which the destroyed human race survives in underwater shelters.
Festivals & Awards: Festivalito de La Palma, Jury and Audience Awards, Winner, En Piezas 10 Caja Madrid, Best Fictional Short Movie, Winner
APOSTASÍA (Apostasy)
Year: 2009
Duration: 04 min
Language: No dialogues
Synopsis: Someone denies the beliefs in which they have been raised.
Festivals & Awards: Festivalito de La Palma, Special Mention, Winner, Festival La Boca del Lobo – Madrid, First Prize, Winner
POR LA PUERTA GRANDE (Through the Big Door)
Year: 2013
Duration: 04 min
Language: English
Synopsis: Daniel prepares to go to work. Have you ever faced reality?
Festivals & Awards: Festival de cinema de Sueca, Festival de cine de Gáldar, Notodofilmfest
MODISMOS 3D (Idioms 3D)
Year: 2010
Duration: 03 min
Language: Russian, French
Synopsis: Representation of different idioms by classical stereoscopic image.
Festivals & Awards: Festival La Boca del Lobo – Madrid
FONDO O FORMA
Year: 2012
Duration: 05 min
Language: No dialogues
Synopsis: Naïve story about the origin of conflicts. First episode of the Cardboard Tales trilogy.
A LO OSCURO MÁS SEGURO (Safer in the Dark)
Year: 2013
Duration: 08 min
Language: English
Synopsis: Three friends are hunting when one of them confesses that he has never killed an animal.
Festivals & Awards: Festival de Cine de Las Palmas, Odense Film Festival, Festival de Cine de Lima
LA PASIÓN DE JUDAS (The passion of Judas)
Year: 2014
Duration: 10 min
Language: Spanish
Synopsis: This film is based on a local tradition of some Spanish and Latin American villages in which, at Easter, a doll representing Judas Iscariot is stoned, lynched or burned for his betrayal to Christ. The third episode of the Cardboard Tales trilogy.
Festivals & Awards: ZINEBI Bilbao Festival of Documentary and Short Films, ABYCINE Festival de Cine de Albacete, Jury Special Mention, Winner, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Film Festival, Best Short Movie, Winner, DokumentART European Film Festival for Documentaries, Audience Award, Winner
FIESTA DE PIJAMAS (Pyjamas Party)
Year: 2015
Duration: 08 min
Language: No dialogues
Synopsis: Pyjamas party is a grotesque representation, a masquerade, the democracy under the rubble of lies.
Festivals & Awards: ZINEBI Bilbao Festival of Documentary and Short Films, Festival de Málaga, Rio De Janeiro Short Film Festival, Lima Independiente Festival de Cine
TRES CORDEROS (Three Lambs)
Year: 2015
Duration: 09 min
Language: Spanish
Synopsis: A tryptic on the human condition: offering or sacrifice?
Festivals & Awards: Festival de Málaga, IBAFF Festival Internacional de Cine, Best Short Film, Winner, L’Alternativa Festival de Cinema Independent de Barcelona
EL POLINIZADOR (Pollinator)
Year: 2016
Duration: 04 min
Language: No dialogue
Synopsis: What would happen if bees simply disappeared? We’d only have four years left to live. No bees means no pollination, no plants, no animals, no humans.
Festivals & Awards: Hamburg Short Film Festival, L’Alternativa Festival de Cinema Independent de Barcelona, Filmfest Dresden Short Film Festival
EL BECERRO PINTADO (The Painted Calf)
Year: 2017
Duration: 10 min
Language: Spanish
Synopsis: Those who worship the Golden Calf based his life on materialism and seek to obtain goods and wealth with their devotion. Lies and plundering become commonplace.
Festivals & Awards: Chicago Film Festival, Special Mention, Winner, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Film Festival, Best Short Film, Winner, IbizaCineFest, Jury Award, Winner, Rio De Janeiro Short Film Festival
SAFETY MEASURES FOR IN-PERSON EVENTS AT GRASSMARKET COMMUNITY PROJECT
- To ensure social distancing is possible, we will be limiting our in-person event at Grassmarket Community Project to a maximum of 30 people
- You must stay at least 2 m apart from people from other households at all times. The seating layout will be organised accordingly.
- To ensure safe distancing is observed, we will have members of staff managing any queues as well as provide floor markings and one-way flow signage wherever possible.
- To ensure the safety of our audience and staff, we strongly recommend that you wear a face covering at the busiest points of contact (box office, bar, corridors and foyers when queueing) and whenever else social distancing is difficult to observe.
- As you enter the venue, we encourage you to use hand sanitiser. Throughout the event, avoid touching surfaces and use the hand gel provided and/or wash your hands regularly.
- For the time being, we will only be accepting contactless card payments. If possible, we encourage you to preorder and buy tickets online to avoid queueing at the venue.
- If you have any further questions, feel free to ask now or during the event – all members of staff will have been briefed about the safety measures in place and will be able to advise you.
#NewSpanishDirectors is a new project organised by CinemaAttic with the support of Screen Scotland, Acción Cultural Española, AC/E and Instituto Cervantes London ?? ? Join this series of ‘spotlights’ to discover the most distinctive emerging Spanish filmmakers that are poised to be the Almodóvars, Sauras, Bollains, Laxes, Amenábars, or Coixets of tomorrow.
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