MEXICO: Spanish directors Saura and Medem receive Luis Bunuel award in Mexico City

Record ID: 304072

  • Title: MEXICO: Spanish directors Saura and Medem receive Luis Bunuel award in Mexico City
  • Date: 26th November 2010
  • Summary: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO (NOVEMBER 24, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SPANISH FILM DIRECTOR CARLOS SAURA PREPARING TO HOLD NEWS CONFERENCE AT SPANISH FILM FESTIVAL IN MEXICO CITY BANNER FOR "3RA MUESTRA DE CINE ESPANOL" FILM FESTIVAL (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SPANISH FILM DIRECTOR CARLOS SAURA, SAYING: "Our intention was to make different cinema in which the real problems of our country are reflected, the problems with religion, the army, the police, sex, all these these themes pertaining to humanity." REPORTERS DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SPANISH FILM DIRECTOR CARLOS SAURA, SAYING: "They have given me a lot of awards at international festivals but on several occasions they have given them to me for films I thought were ok but not wonderful and when I presented a film I thought was going to be awarded it didn't receive a prize. I'm very skeptical. I'm lucky to have received awards thanks to the Cannes and Berlin festivals during the 60s and 70s -- it was difficult to make films in Spain at the time -- and thanks to these awards I could continue making cinema. Thanks to those festivals and the awards I received during those festivals." ***CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** SAURA RECEIVING LUIS BUNUEL AWARD FOR 2008 CLOSE-UP OF AWARD SAURA HOLDING UP AWARD VARIOUS OF SPANISH FILM DIRECTOR JULIO MEDEM RECEIVING LUIS BUNUEL AWARD FOR 2010 CLOSE-UP OF AWARD (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SPANISH FILM DIRECTOR JULIO MEDEM, SAYING: "We have (Spain) made good references in cinema, such as Bunuel of course, he is our greatest reference of Spanish cinema in Mexico. What I would like to see is more Mexican cinema in Spain. By what I'm told, I don't think you are going through a crisis in Mexico such as the one we are going through in Spain. In Spain we don't have an audience in the theatres and that means our relationship will grow closer with regard to the type of films we can see in Spain, more specialised cinema of the auteur, independent, more specialised cinematography, in this case Mexican, which we see less and less of." VARIOUS OF SAURA, MEXICAN ACTOR PEDRO ARMENDARIZ AND MEDEM POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS WITH AWARD
  • Embargoed: 11th December 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Mexico, Mexico
  • Country: Mexico
  • Reuters ID: LVA18HUENLTOP3PYY140VVNGYTH6
  • Story Text: Spanish film directors Carlos Saura and Julio Medem received the Luis Bunuel Award at a Spanish Film Festival in Mexico City on Wednesday (November 24).
    Saura will be staying in the capital city until Saturday (November 27) to take part in the "3ra Muestra de Cine Espanol" Film Festival "Es.cine." As well as receiving the award, Saura's film "Salome" will be shown at the Cineteca Nacional.
    He mentioned themes he likes portraying in his films.
    "Our intention was to make different cinema in which the real problems of our country are reflected, the problems with religion, the army, the police, sex, all these these themes pertaining to humanity."
    Saura said Spanish cinema was going through a "difficult" time in spite of new technology.
    He thanked the festival organisers for the award which he received in 2008, but had been unable to collect until now and said he was able to make cinema in the 60s and 70s after receiving awards at the Cannes and Berlin festivals.
    "They have given me a lot of awards at international festivals but on several occasions they have given them to me for films I thought were ok but not wonderful and when I presented a film I thought was going to be awarded it didn't receive a prize. I'm very skeptical. I'm lucky to have received awards thanks to the Cannes and Berlin festivals during the 60s and 70s -- it was difficult to make films in Spain at the time -- and thanks to these awards I could continue making cinema. Thanks to those festivals and the awards I received during those festivals."
    Saura told the media he was working on three projects, one to do with flamenco music.
    Spanish Film Director Julio Medem, who made the film "Lucia y el sexo," was also awarded the 2010 Luis Bunuel award. The award was handed over by the president of the Cinema Academy in Mexico.
    He told the media he would like to see more Mexican cinema in Spanish theatres.
    "We have (Spain) made good references in cinema, such as Bunuel of course, he is our greatest reference of Spanish cinema in Mexico. What I would like to see is more Mexican cinema in Spain. By what I'm told, I don't think you are going through a crisis in Mexico such as the one we are going through in Spain. In Spain we don't have an audience in the theatres and that means our relationship will grow closer with regard to the type of films we can see in Spain, more specialised cinema of the auteur, independent, more specialised cinematography, in this case Mexican, which we see less and less of."
    Veteran Mexican actor Pedro Armendariz also received the Luis Bunuel award and posed for photographers with the Spanish directors.
    The festival which is sponsored by the Spanish Embassy in Mexico, will show dozens of films, four of which are Latin American and will end on Friday (November 26).
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