It’s that timeof year again - for three weeks Perth will be able to view some of the bestfilms to come out of Spain. That’s right, the SpanishFilm Festival will run from April 27 until May 17, and will showcase 39 films. Thefestival will be kicking off with Kiki, Love to Love (Kiki, El Amor se Hace) – a film which smashed the Spanishbox office and happens to be based on the Australian film, The Little Death by Joshua Lawson. From crime thrillers to dramaticcomedies, the festival will present an array of Spanish hits across multiplegenres – so there will be a little something for everyone! For details on scoring a double pass for you and a friend - keep reading.
A little British humour
Closing out thefestivities will be the sequel to the slow-beat British Comedy The Trip, starring the hilarious duoSteve Coogan and Rob Brydon. Cue an unsurmountable number of impressions ofMichael Cane and a sibling-like bickering as the two travel around the countrytasting various dishes in The Trip to Spain (2014) all for the UK Observer#werkperks.
Criticising the corporate culture
Honourablementions also go out to The Tip of the Iceberg (2016), a film inspired by trueevents when in 2009, 20 employees committed suicide at France Télécom (now known as Orange).The film explores the rigorous nature of corporate culture and the veryreal-life problem of profit at any cost. The film features an investigationinto a multinational company after three of its employees commit suicide. Anail biter sure to have you questioning the line between hard-working andoverworked, with a mysterious Iceberg Project at the centre of the conspiracy.The film acts as a warning and is a must watch for those who feel the daily 9-5grind weighing a little too heavily.
Nothing beats hometown glory
Next up is a dark comedic drama centred around a Nobel Prize winningauthor who finds the prestigious accolade a travesty on his career. Instead ofbeing grateful, Daniel Mantovani found the award offensive, as it meant he hadcreated a piece of writing that has been widely accepted and agreed upon. The Distinguished Citizen (2016) follows the life of novelistMantovani five years since denouncing the critically acclaimed prize, as hecontinues to turn down numerous awards until finally, one peaks his interest.He chooses to accept an award from his home town of Salas, honouring him as aDistinguished Citizen. The only catch is, he left the small town 40 yearsearlier and never looked back until now. The film covers the full circle of thewriter back to the very town that inspired his award winning work, and the“Characters” who are heavily entwined throughout his writing. This awardwinning film, which won Best Foreign Film in the Spanish Language, asks theaudience to question how success is measured, and shows that the ones we seekapproval from are not always in the spotlight.