Spanish Film Festival

Samana Sunrise at the Spanish Film Festival

Opening Gala - Spanish Film Festival (Samana Sunrise)

Opening Gala – Spanish Film Festival (Samana Sunrise) Rating

★★★★★

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The HSBC Spanish film festival opened recently across the country and I was lucky enough to attend the opening night Gala in Sydney. Taking over all 4 screens at the Palace Cinemas in Moore Park, they started the party with endless prosecco, Spanish cocktails, delicious paella, and a lively band that inspired guests to hit the dance floor. It was so much fun the film almost became an afterthought, but eventually the party had to stop as everyone meandered into their respective screens in a suitably Spanish way, well after the advertised starting time.

Directed by Rafa Cortes, Samana Sunrise (Amanece en Samaná in Spanish), is a romantic-comedy based on the play Cancún by Jordi Galcerán. Two married couples, Ale and Santi (Luisa Mayol and Luis Tosar), and Natalia and Mario (Bárbara Santa-Cruz and Luis Zahera), go on holiday in a Dominican resort to celebrate two decades of friendship. The carefree holiday quickly changes when Ale drunkenly confesses to a small deception that led to Santi dating and eventually marrying her instead of his original interest, Natalia. The next morning, Ale wakes up in shock to find Mario in her room and Santi acting as if he’s married to Natalia. The rest of the film (yes, really) is Ale slowly coming to realise her friends truly believe this new reality and are not just playing a lavish prank.

Opening Gala - Spanish Film Festival (Samana Sunrise)
Opening Gala - Spanish Film Festival (Samana Sunrise)
Opening Gala - Spanish Film Festival (Samana Sunrise)

This ‘what if’ alternate reality device was the perfect set-up to explore deeper themes of fate and love, and how small decisions can dramatically impact our own lives and those of the people we care about. To its credit, the film was a lot of fun, and funny, with outstanding performances from the cast, especially Luis Zahera and Luisa Mayol.

The cinematography adequately captured both the beauty of the Samana landscape and the intimacy of the relationships. I’d like to have seen Cortés dive into the deeper themes that were set up so perfectly at the start. Spain has always had an extraordinary film culture, full of talent and inventiveness, so I’m excited to see more of the festival.

The HSBC Spanish Film Festival is on in Sydney until the 9th of July all around Australia. To book tickets to this years Spanish Film Festival (Samana Sunrise), please visit https://spanishfilmfestival.com/.

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Small Sparkles and Little Pearls

Spanish Film Festival - Mugaritz. No Bread, No Dessert

Spanish Film Festival – Mugaritz. No Bread, No Dessert Rating

★★★★★

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Paco Plaza’s “Mugaritz: No Bread, No Dessert” is a poetic documentary that explores the inner workings of one of the world’s most inventive restaurants – Mugaritz. Led by chef Andoni Luis Aduriz, a self-proclaimed non-leader steering his energetic staff with generosity and “stepping back”, the restaurant closes from November to April each year to recreate its thematic menu. For 2025, the culinary concept is “What Cannot Be Seen”.

Plaza’s wobbly, handheld camera is distracting as it allows us to observe the detailed process of creation, trial and perfection through the eyes of what appears to be an overly caffeinated voyeur. There are many scenarios which could have been left out, minimised or replaced with more moments of tension (more than the one shown) to alleviate the feeling of being in an hour-and-a-half board meeting.

The music, composed by Mikel Salas, is bizarre. Salas uses cutlery and frying pans in an effort to match the poeticism of the cuisine, yet ends up making one feel as if they are listening to an Apple iPhone alarm instead of a sumptuous musical score. However, visually, the documentary delights.

Spanish Film Festival - Mugaritz. No Bread, No Dessert
Spanish Film Festival - Mugaritz. No Bread, No Dessert

The pastoral Basque countryside, the streamlined, cosy restaurant and the new ways in which the fragile dishes are put together all combine to give the audience a real feast for the eyes. There is an entrée tea ceremony where the cups are made from frozen, green tea leaves; then comes a broth only reachable by breaking into an edible bone with a rock and notably a soup-like-substance whereby the diner has to lean down and lick it out of a mould made to look like…well, it’s naughty.

Although “No Bread, No Dessert” has been applauded for its appeal to the masses, this reviewer feels this will appeal especially to the restauranteur and food lovers. It is fascinating for the risk-taker-chefs and those who are interested in combining cooking with storytelling. As Aduriz himself says, it is “…small sparkles and little pearls”.

To book tickets to this or any other film at the Spanish Film Festival, please visit https://spanishfilmfestival.com/.

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Marco, The Invented Truth – 2025 HSBC Spanish Film Festival

Spanish Film Festival - Marco, The Invented Truth

Marco, The Invented Truth Rating

★★★★★

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Based on a true story, and what an exceptional tale. Marco, The Invented Truth tells of the deception that charismatic Enric Marco unrelentingly and unapologetically carried with him for most of his life. Premiering in Australia at the 2025 HSBC Spanish Film Festival, this film is a gem that is well worth the investment of a packed 100 minutes of time.

A Spanish factory worker in Germany during World War II, Marco contrived the story of being a Holocaust survivor, in his mind to highlight the plight of approximately 9000 Spanish deportees who were imprisoned in concentration camps during the war – less than half of whom survived. Enric Marco was appointed as president of the Amincal Mauthausen, the association set up to defend the rights of the 9,000 Spanish people who were sent to Nazi concentration camps. His tireless work, which included giving numerous talks to school children, was revered.

His courage while suffering the horrors of Flossenbürg, the camp in which he claims to have been held prisoner, was given great respect and admiration, and through his efforts, Marco brought the organisation to great heights. That was until his false assertions were uncovered by historian Benito Bermejo who declared him a fake; he had never been in a concentration camp. The reality was that Enric Marco volunteered to travel to Germany in 1941 to work for the German war machine.

Spanish Film Festival - Marco, The Invented Truth
Spanish Film Festival - Marco, The Invented Truth

Although in fact Marco was imprisoned in Germany, it was not in a concentration camp but rather a Gestapo jail, accused of spreading Communist propaganda. A master storyteller who never apologised for his indiscretions upset many, although he was unrelenting in his belief that what he did, he did for good reasons.

Written by Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño, Jorge Gil Munarriz, and Jose Mari Goenaga, the building of the lie was directed believably by Aitor Arregi and Jon Garaño as they work to take the audience on a roller coaster of emotions that fall somewhere between sympathy and dismay. 2025 Spanish Cinema Writers Circle Award winner for Best Actor, Spanish born Eduard Fernández’ depicts Enric Marco with extraordinary poise. If for no other reason, and there are many, Marco, The Invented Truth is worth watching for Fernández’ stunning performance alone.

To book tickets to films at the Spanish Film Festival, please visit https://spanishfilmfestival.com/.

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Spanish Film Festival: El 47

El 47

El 47 Rating

★★★★★

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The timing of the Spanish Film Festival could not be better, as Sydney plunges into winter, the warmth of the stories, the sun drenched cinematography, and the hot stories from Spain, are truly what the soul needs.

One of the stand outs of the program is the critically acclaimed, multi award winning film about a humble bus driver in charge of route 47 in Barcelona. Little did I expect to be so emotionally moved by a story about a bus driver! But what Manolo stands for is much more than his job, his bus route or career. He comes from a suburb on the outskirts of Barcelona, where each house was built by hand, brick by brick, by Spanish refugees escaping the impoverished and corrupt Andalusian and Extremaduran communities.

Even though the locals bought the land in the Torre Baro district with their own money, they have lived for years as second class citizens of Barcelona, with barely any access to running water, paved roads or political representation.

El 47
El 47

When Manolo, driving for the city Transport Services, sees the neighbourhood losing its young people, with his own home beginning to crumble away and his wife begging to move away, he decides on one last act of rebellion. After all other politically correct avenues fail – he decides to hijack his bus and take it up to the suburb which politicians labelled unreachable.

The beautiful subtlety of the main actor tugs on the heart strings as you witness what one man’s act of rebellion can achieve. Too often we are told one ‘man’ cannot achieve anything against the ‘greater machine’ but in this true story, that one man’s act of rebellion changes everything!

I stand with Manolo! I want to hijack my own proverbial bus and make a change for the better.

Follow this link to book tickets to El 47 or any other Spanish Films Festival showings @ https://spanishfilmfestival.com/.

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