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Samana Sunrise at the Spanish Film Festival

23/06/202523/06/2025 Steve Willems🥉

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.

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

14/06/202513/06/2025 Hazel Hall🆕

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.

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

11/06/202511/06/2025 Peta Williams🥉

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.

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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Comedy With A Heart!

06/06/202506/06/2025 Barry Hill OAM🥉

Spanish Film Festival – Babies Don’t Come With Instructions Rating

★★★★★

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Babies Don’t Come with Instructions is a 2024 Spanish comedy-drama film directed by Marina Seresesky and written by Marta Sánchez and Irene Niubó, based on the 2013 Mexican film Instructions Not Included.

Leo is a carefree womaniser, living a self-centred life in a small coastal town in the Canary Islands. His world is turned upside down when a woman from a brief, casual affair shows up, drops off their daughter, and leaves, making him responsible for her.

At first, Leo intends to return the girl to her mother, but his attempts fail. Forced to raise her, little by little, he learns how to be a father, and his values and priorities shift in unexpected ways. Years pass, filled with happiness, until the mother reappears intending to reclaim her daughter. Will he give her up easily, especially with a mystery illness?

Director Marina Seresesky has pulled out all stops to extract every nuance of Sanchez and Niubo’s script and given us a taste of the Canary Islands in all its scenic wonder.

The characters are well drawn, and the action is well paced. I particularly enjoyed the developing relationship between Leo and his ‘daughter’ Alba. It tugs at the heart strings and a tear or two!

Paco Leon’s Leo is vulnerable and takes us on a journey from a unexpected father to a devoted parent who cannot live without his daughter and wants to enjoy his little girl before time runs out! The scenes when he is climbing up buildings are beautifully photographed.

Spanish Film Festival - Babies Don't Come With Instructions

Maia Zaitegi’s Alba is everything a little girl should be – innocent, naïve, idealistic and devoted to her father. The scene when she returns to Leo after being taken to Munich by her biological mother is charged with emotion.

Silvia Alonso’s Julia has the difficult role of the mother who abandons her child and returns to get her eight years later. This could have resulted in a performance that creates a disagreeable character, but not so Alonso’s portrayal. One can see her viewpoint and we feel for her.

Malcolm Treviño-Sitté’s Modu is the best friend we all wish we had. He is loyal to his wife, but equally loyal to Leo and supportive especially when he learns of his life-threatening illness.

The remaining cast give solid performances that enhance the main characters and storyline.

It is interesting that the décor Alba’s bedroom grows as her relationship with her father grows. It is every little girl’s paradise with a swing, a slide from her bunk bed to the floor, toys everywhere and an immense picture wall of her and her father.

Babies Don’t Come With Instructions is a heart-warming comedy that is sure to please any theatre goer who is a parent or simply enjoys a good story with a message. It is a cinematic gem and definitely worth a watch!

To book tickets to Spanish Film Festival – Babies Don’t Come With Instructions, please visit https://spanishfilmfestival.com/films/spa25-babies-dont-come-with-instructions.

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