Ten years after clinching Cannes Critics’ Week Grand Prize with “Aquí y allá,” and half a decade following “Life and Nothing More,” which earned a John Cassavetes Award at the Independent Spirit Awards – a film Variety hailed as ‘outstanding’—Antonio Méndez Esparza returns with his fourth feature, “Something is About to Happen.”
Co-written with Clara Roquet, a Critics’ Week-selected director for “Libertad,” Esparza’s latest film delves into the life of Lucía, who loses her It job at a failing dental firm and becomes a taxi driver.
The profession she chooses is apt as we follow a character sat in loneliness moving among people while longing to connect deeply with someone. The clarity of the title and immediate rising strings of the soundtrack set the screw of tension turning in this fascinating character piece.
Esparza’s previous two features have a neorealist, almost documentary-like quality, working with non actors and using improvisation heavily.
Co-written with Clara Roquet, a Critics’ Week-selected director for “Libertad,” Esparza’s latest film delves into the life of Lucía, who loses her It job at a failing dental firm and becomes a taxi driver.
The profession she chooses is apt as we follow a character sat in loneliness moving among people while longing to connect deeply with someone. The clarity of the title and immediate rising strings of the soundtrack set the screw of tension turning in this fascinating character piece.
Esparza’s previous two features have a neorealist, almost documentary-like quality, working with non actors and using improvisation heavily.
- 11/7/2023
- by Callum McLennan
- Variety Film + TV
The 68th edition will screen a mix of new Spanish films and 2023 favourites and host an expanded industry programme.
The 68th edition of the Seminci, the Valladolid International Film Week opens this weekend (October 21) with a screening of The Movie Teller, directed by Lone Scherfig, starring Bérénice Béjo, Antonio de la Torre and Daniel Brühl and written by Walter Salles, Isabel Coixet and Rafa Russo.
For what is a vital launchpad into the Spanish market, new festival director José Luis Cienfuegos has programmed a series of international festival favourites from 2023 alongside new films by Spanish directors Antonio Méndez Esparza and...
The 68th edition of the Seminci, the Valladolid International Film Week opens this weekend (October 21) with a screening of The Movie Teller, directed by Lone Scherfig, starring Bérénice Béjo, Antonio de la Torre and Daniel Brühl and written by Walter Salles, Isabel Coixet and Rafa Russo.
For what is a vital launchpad into the Spanish market, new festival director José Luis Cienfuegos has programmed a series of international festival favourites from 2023 alongside new films by Spanish directors Antonio Méndez Esparza and...
- 10/20/2023
- by Elisabet Cabeza
- ScreenDaily
The Juan José Millás novel is being turned into a psychological thriller by the Spanish filmmaker; the cast includes Leonor Watling, Paco León and Álex Brendemühl. The director behind half of the episodes of the series Patria (read the review), Félix Viscarret, currently finds himself in his home town of Pamplona, engrossed (as he has been for the last few weeks) in making the film From the Shadows, a big-screen adaptation of the novel of the same name written by Juan José Millás. Leonor Watling, Paco León, Álex Brendemühl, Juan Diego Botto, María Romanillos, Marcos Ruiz and Susana Abaitua will topline the feature. With a screenplay penned by the director together with David Muñoz (La estrategia del pequinés), the film revolves around Damián, who, in order to run away from his boss when he fires him after many long years of service in his company, hides in an...
Spanish producer-distributor Wanda Films is set to co-produce Antonio Méndez Esparza‘s “Madrid Is It,” a thriller with comedic touches produced by Pedro Hernández’s Aquí y Allí Films, the Madrid-based outfit that has backed all of the features directed by Esparza, one of Spain’s most laureled and lauded directors.
“Madrid Is It” focuses on Lucía, who leads a discrete life, has a peculiar sense of humor and sense of duty, and a dreamy personality. Her quiet life suddenly changes, however, when her boss embezzles funds at the company and everybody lose their jobs. She decides to reinvent her life, working as a taxi driver. When her life finally seems to regain a certain stability and ease, Lucía sees how everything takes another turn for the worst and the film, to this point a comedy, turns into a revenge thriller.
“‘Madrid Is It’ will also be a road movie across Madrid,...
“Madrid Is It” focuses on Lucía, who leads a discrete life, has a peculiar sense of humor and sense of duty, and a dreamy personality. Her quiet life suddenly changes, however, when her boss embezzles funds at the company and everybody lose their jobs. She decides to reinvent her life, working as a taxi driver. When her life finally seems to regain a certain stability and ease, Lucía sees how everything takes another turn for the worst and the film, to this point a comedy, turns into a revenge thriller.
“‘Madrid Is It’ will also be a road movie across Madrid,...
- 11/18/2020
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
While stuck in self-isolation, the filmmaker has directed and edited a movie developed over one month, with contributions from countless friends, family members, celebrities and even strangers. An urgent, timely film depicting an unprecedented reality and the various emotional states brought on by its peculiarities. That is Madrid, interior, a movie in the guise of a documentary that Juan Cavestany (People in Places) directed, edited and produced from 24 March to 24 April 2020 thanks to contributions from his friends, some of whom are famous – such as actors José Coronado, Pepón Nieto, Nathalie Seseña and Antonio de la Torre, musician Coque Malla and author Juan José Millás – and others less so. Nevertheless, they all filmed themselves with their mobile phones during their self-isolation at home. The result – which also includes a number of scenes shot in London, New York, Seville, Barcelona and Valencia – is already available...
Antonio Méndez Esparza’s “Que nadie duerma,” Fernando Franco’s “La consagración de la primavera” and Agustí Villaronga’s “3.000 obstáculos” figure among the seven projects to be pitched at Paris’ Small Is Biutiful forum.
The closing event for the alternative Spanish film festival Dífferent 12!, Small Is Biutiful takes place June 26, bringing together French distributors and sales executives around a selection of Spanish feature projects seeking partners.
Backed by the Cannes Film Market, Different! is organised by Espagnolas en Paris and the Ile-de-France Film Commission.
Past projects presented at Small Is Biutiful take in Oliver Laxe’s “Mimosas,” which won Cannes 2016 Critics’ Week; Carlos Vermut’s “Magical Girl,” San Sebastián’s top Golden Shell Award in 2014, and Arantxa Echevarría’s “Carmen & Lola,” winner of breakout director and supporting actress nods at February’s Goya Awards, as well as a Cannes Directors’ Fortnight contender.
“Que nadie duerma” is produced by Pedro Hernández...
The closing event for the alternative Spanish film festival Dífferent 12!, Small Is Biutiful takes place June 26, bringing together French distributors and sales executives around a selection of Spanish feature projects seeking partners.
Backed by the Cannes Film Market, Different! is organised by Espagnolas en Paris and the Ile-de-France Film Commission.
Past projects presented at Small Is Biutiful take in Oliver Laxe’s “Mimosas,” which won Cannes 2016 Critics’ Week; Carlos Vermut’s “Magical Girl,” San Sebastián’s top Golden Shell Award in 2014, and Arantxa Echevarría’s “Carmen & Lola,” winner of breakout director and supporting actress nods at February’s Goya Awards, as well as a Cannes Directors’ Fortnight contender.
“Que nadie duerma” is produced by Pedro Hernández...
- 6/25/2019
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.