Archive of films Falling Star / Stella cadente

Spain
2014, 105 min

Section: Another View
Year: 2014

The brief reign of Amadeo of Savoy, an Italian duke who occupied the Spanish throne towards the end of the 19th century, became the topic of the feature debut by well-known Catalan producer Luis Miñarro. In place of a realistic account, he presents a surrealistic portrait of a man incapable of seizing power, comprising individual scenes whose significance we have to fathom for ourselves.

Synopsis

Few people are aware that, in the last third of the 19th century, the Spanish throne was briefly occupied by Amadeo of Savoy, an Italian duke. This episode from Spanish history provided Catalan producer Luis Miñarro with the theme for his first foray into feature film. Far from attempting a realistic assessment of the historical contexts, the filmmaker presents the situation of a man filled with good intentions to further Spain’s prosperity, yet the struggles of various groups to gain power for themselves prevented him from actually governing. The many scenes depicting his solitary life within the walls of his sumptuous palace compel us to conjecture on the significance of the individual situations the king finds himself in. This surrealistic film, fully reflecting the artistic and musical tastes of its director, could be taken as a study of a helpless man who lacks sufficient strength of will to be able to summon respect in a foreign environment. Luis Miñarro endeavoured to reveal the humanity of a sovereign who was unable to rule, or was perhaps incapable of doing so, yet he also captured elements of Spain’s heterogeneity that endure to this day.

About the director

Luis Miñarro (b. 1949, Barcelona) established a film club in Barcelona when he was 18 and also organised film screenings in Andorra during the Franco regime. From 1980 he worked as a film critic and shot commercials. In 1995 he founded the production company Eddie Saeta S. A., and since that time he has helped a number of directors make movies which have found their way to international festivals. His company has supported works by Albert Serra, Marc Recha, José Luis Guerín, Lisandro Alonso and Manoel de Oliveira. KVIFF has shown various films which he produced: Fuente Álamo (2001), Butterfly (2007), In the City of Sylvia (2008) and The Mosquito Net, which won the Crystal Globe in 2010. Karlovy Vary also screened his feature documentary debut Familystrip (2009). After two documentaries, he returns to Vary with the feature film Falling Star, which competed in Rotterdam this year.

Contacts

Eddie Saeta S.A.
Pasaje Permanyer 14, 080 09, Barcelona
Spain
Tel: +34 934 677 040
Fax: +34 934 677 489
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.eddiesaeta.com

Mantarraya NDM
Sultepec 47 Col. H. Condesa C.P., 06170, Mexico City
Mexico
Tel: +525 552 739 307
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.mantarraya.com

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About the film

Color, DCP

Section:	Another View

Director:	Lluís Miñarro
Screenplay:	Luis Miñarro, Sergi Belbel
Dir. of Photography:	Jimmy Gimferrer
Editor:	Nuria Esquerra
Producer:	Luis Miñarro
Production:	Eddie Saeta S.A.
Cast:	Alex Brendemühl, Barbara Lennie, Lola Dueñas, Lorenzo Balducci, Francesc Garrido
Contact:	Eddie Saeta S.A., Mantarraya NDM

Guests

Lluís Miñarro

Film Director / Producer