Almodóvar at Fondazione Prada: Spanish Cinema Retold

Pedro Almodóvar on the set of one of his early films, surrounded by actresses performing a choral scene typical of his cinema

MILAN - Fondazione Prada dedicates a unique programme to Pedro Almodóvar that intertwines his cinema with the great Spanish directors who have influenced and accompanied him. “Soggettiva” and “Origine” become a journey through decades of film history, from the late Franco era to the contemporary age. From masterpieces, rarities and cult films, the programme tells the story of the evolution of an unmistakable artistic vision. An opportunity to rediscover Spanish cinema through the eyes of one of its greatest protagonists.

Dolor y Gloria

Fondazione Prada dedicates “Soggettiva” to Pedro Almodóvar: 8 Spanish films selected by the director and 9 of his feature films, from 6 June. Fondazione Prada presents the fifth edition of “Soggettiva”, curated by Pedro Almodóvar and composed of 8 Spanish films from 6 June to 26 July 2019. Nine feature films by the Spanish director. “Soggettiva Pedro Almodóvar” is accompanied by a programme that includes 9 feature films made by the director between 1983 and 2004 and 4 films produced by El Deseo, the production company founded by Pedro and Agustín Almodóvar. “Soggettiva Pedro Almodóvar” will be inaugurated, in the presence of the director, on Saturday 1 June 2019 at 9 pm at the Fondazione Prada Cinema with a special screening of his new film Dolor y Gloria, in official competition at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival. Dolor y Gloria will be screened on Saturday 8, 22 and 29 June within the “Indagine” section. “Soggettiva”: 8 films selected by Pedro Almodóvar (6 June - 26 July).

Pedro Almodóvar

As Almodóvar has stated, “when I selected these 8 Spanish films, I tried to choose those that have stood the test of time, confirming their cinematic value. I also wanted to present to the Italian public a series of films rarely or never screened outside Spain”.

The final period of Francisco Franco’s dictatorship

“Soggettiva Pedro Almodóvar”, which will take place at the Fondazione Prada Cinema from 6 June to 26 July, includes 4 films - Peppermint Frappé (Peppermint Frappé), 1967 by Carlos Saura; El Verdugo (The Executioner), 1969 by Luis García Berlanga; El espíritu de la colmena (The Spirit of the Beehive), 1973 by Víctor Erice; and Furtivos, 1975 by José Luis Borau - made during the final period of Francisco Franco’s dictatorship. As Almodóvar points out, “setting aside their undeniable intrinsic value, these films managed to skilfully evade the strict and absurd rules of national censorship imposed by the Catholic Church”.

A silent black-and-white film inspired by the Brothers Grimm fairy tale

The other 4 selected films - Arrebato, 1979 by Iván Zulueta, Tésis (Tesis), 1996 by Alejandro Amenábar, Blancanieves, 2012 by Pablo Berger and Magical Girl, 2014 by Carlos Vermut - demonstrate the vitality and importance of Spanish cinema over the last forty years. In these films, the directors have succeeded in breaking down the boundaries between different film genres, creating modern and unexpected works: a scandalous story of self-sacrifice and surrender to heroine and cinema (Zulueta), an iconic teenage horror film (Amenábar), a silent black-and-white film inspired by the Brothers Grimm fairy tale (Berger) and a disturbing and mysterious film reflecting the director’s fascination with Japanese pop culture (Vermut). “Origine”: 9 films by Pedro Almodóvar (2 June – 28 July).

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Pedro Almodóvar has decided to accompany “Soggettiva” and the launch of his new film Dolor y Gloria with a programme including 9 of his feature films: Entre tinieblas (Dark Habits), 1983; ¿Qué he hecho yo para merecer esto? (What Have I Done to Deserve This?), 1984; La ley del deseo (Law of Desire), 1987; Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown), 1988; Tacones lejanos (High Heels), 1991; La flor de mi secreto (The Flower of My Secret), 1995; Todo sobre mi madre (All About My Mother), 1999; Hable con ella (Talk to Her), 2002; and La mala educación (Bad Education), 2004, which will be screened every Sunday from 2 June to 28 July within the “Origine” section. This programme offers the opportunity to explore Almodóvar’s entire artistic journey: from the revolutionary impact of his early films, which captured the anarchic spirit of the countercultural Movida movement during Spain’s transition period after Franco’s death, through his first international recognition with Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios, to three of his more recent and acclaimed films such as Todo sobre mi madre, Hable con ella and La mala educación, in which his personal vision became even deeper and more sensitive.

Jordi Costa

As film critic Jordi Costa states, “Pedro Almodóvar’s cinema seems to start from the premise that nothing is simple and that the most difficult task is to explore the laws of desire that drive creativity, but which at the same time are capable of pushing people towards self-destruction in various ways. […] Almodóvar’s career has taken many winding paths in search of a clarity that embraces complexity without simplifying it”. Almodóvar is a creative artist who has never played it safe. He has always preferred to walk a tightrope or construct a high-risk narrative. In many of his films, certain scenes seem to threaten the balance of the entire narrative structure and ultimately conclude unexpectedly with unique and memorable actions.

Milano Movie Week: 4 films produced by El Deseo

A selection of 4 films, Acción mutante (Mutant Action), 1993 by Álex de la Iglesia, El espinazo del diablo (The Devil’s Backbone), 2001 by Guillermo Del Toro, Mi vida sin mí (My Life Without Me), 2003 by Isabel Coixet and Relatos salvajes (Wild Tales), 2014 by Damián Szifron, produced by El Deseo, will be presented at the Fondazione Prada Cinema from 13 to 15 September during Milano Movie Week 2019. The activity of the production company, founded by Pedro and Agustín Almodóvar in 1986, began with Almodóvar’s film La ley del deseo and, over the years, has supported important Spanish and Latin American directors, promoting Spanish-language film production and its international distribution.

Producer Bárbara Peiró Aso

“Soggettiva Pedro Almodóvar” will be accompanied by an illustrated publication in the Quaderni series, published by Fondazione Prada, which includes a text by cultural and film critic Jordi Costa entitled “Screened Desire” dedicated to Almodóvar’s work and a focus on the 8 Spanish films included in the selection. “Soggettiva Pedro Almodóvar” has been realised thanks to the intense dialogue and collaboration with El Deseo (Madrid) and producer Bárbara Peiró Aso. The films will be screened in their original versions, thanks to the support of Filmoteca de Zaragoza, Movies Inspired (Turin), Playtime (Paris), TF1 Studio (Boulogne-Billancourt), Lucky Red (Rome), Lince Comunicación (Madrid), The Festival Agency (Paris), Pathé Films (Paris), Studiocanal (Issy-Les-Moulineaux), Video Mercury Films (Pozuelo de Alarcón) and Warner Bros. Entertainment Italia (Rome). Admission to the special screening of Dolor y Gloria, which will take place on 1 June at 9 pm in the presence of Pedro Almodóvar, is ticketed.

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