13-19 November 2017

Opening Screening

Zama (Lucrecia Martel)

Zama (Lucrecia Martel)

Lucrecia Martel’s eagerly awaited new film, Zama, inspired by Antonio di Benedetto’s novel, will open the 24th edition of l'Alternativa. We are delighted to host the Catalan premiere of this highly acclaimed film, which won plaudits from all quarters when it was presented at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year.

Synopsis

In a remote South American colony in the late 18th century, Zama, an official of the Spanish crown, is hoping to receive a long-awaited promotion and transfer to a more prestigious posting. In the meantime, the endless political humiliations and pervasive scheming grind him down and he gives himself over to his desires and paranoia. When he decides to hunt down a dangerous bandit and make a name for himself, failure frees him from waiting.
“I want to go back in time as irreverently as we go forwards. I didn’t try to research historical events or recreate authentic tools, because Zama eschews those kinds of pretentions. I delved into a vast, barely comprehensible world that was still teeming with animals, plants and men whose bodies were daubed in paint. A world that was swept away before it could truly be known and which therefore remains alive in our frenzied imagination” (Lucrecia Martel).

Bio/Filmo

Lucrecia Martel (Salta, Argentina, 1966) is one of contemporary cinema’s great creative voices. Her elliptical style and subtle narrative minimalism have won her critical acclaim as a prodigiously talented filmmaker. She studied communication at the Escuela Nacional de Experimentación y Realización Cinematográfica in Buenos Aires and was soon directing her first shorts. She then worked on a series of TV documentaries before making her debut feature, La ciénaga (2002), which premiered at the Berlinale. Her following two films, La niña santa (2004) and La mujer sin cabeza (2008) were screened in the international competition at Cannes.

In 2015 l'Alternativa put on a Lucrecia Martel retrospective.

Info

  • Country Argentina, Brazil, Spain, France, Mexico, United States, Netherlands, Portugal
  • Year 2017
  • Format Digital
  • Running time 115 min
  • Image Colour
  • Language Spanish
  • Subtitles English
  • Production company Rei Cine, Bananeira Filmes, El Deseo, Patagonik, MPM Film, Canana, Lemming Film, KNM, O Som e a Fúria, Louverture Films, Schortcut Films, Telecine, Bertha Foundation, Perdomo Prods, Picnic Prods, Punta Colorada de Cinema
  • Producer Benjamin Domenech, Santiago Gallelli, Matías Roveda, Vania Catani
  • Screenplay Lucrecia Martel
  • Photography Rui Poças
  • Editor Miguel Schverdfinger, Karen Harley
  • Sound Guido Berenblum, Emmanuel Croset
  • Actors Daniel Gimenez Cacho, Lola Dueñas, Matheus Nachtergaele, Juan Minujín, Mariana Nunes, Rafael Spregelburd
  • Contact BTeam Pictures

Festivals

La Biennale de Venezia Toronto International Film Festival

Programme

Monday 13, 19.00 h — Teatre CCCB