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La Reina de España

The Queen of Spain
Berlinale Special Gala 2017
© Gyorgy Stalter
Spanish actress Macarena Granada returns home to Spain in the mid-1950s having enjoyed a successful career in Hollywood. She is to play Queen Isabella the First of Castille in a prestigious period drama. At the studio she meets her former friends and colleagues, falls in love with a handsome crew member, leads a madcap expedition to free a resistance fighter and proves herself to be truly regal during an encounter with the fascist leader Franco, whom she despises.
Oscar®-winning director Fernando Trueba’s new film-within-a-film comedy returns to the same territory as La niña de tus ojos (The Girl of Your Dreams) which screened in Competition at the 1999 Berlinale. This time the story is set during Franco’s dictatorship and portrays both sympathisers of the regime and those who were persecuted by it. The effect that Franco’s rule had on the arts is a topic which pervades the work of this doyen of Spanish cinema. In his current film he displays a lightness of touch and adopts an amusing, chaotic approach that is no less political. The film marks Trueba’s third collaboration with his ‘queen’ Penélope Cruz, who shot to fame in his 1992 work Belle Epoque.
by Fernando Trueba
with Penélope Cruz, Chino Darín, Mandy Patinkin, Cary Elwes, Clive Revill, Antonio Resines, Santiago Segura, Ana Belén, Loles León, Jorge Sanz Spain 2016 Spanish, English 128’ Colour

With

  • Penélope Cruz (Macarena Granada)
  • Chino Darín (Leo)
  • Mandy Patinkin (Jordan Berman)
  • Cary Elwes (Gary Jones)
  • Clive Revill (John Scott)
  • Antonio Resines (Blas Fontiveros)
  • Santiago Segura (Castillo)
  • Ana Belén (Ana)
  • Loles León (Trini)
  • Jorge Sanz (Julián Torralba)

Crew

Written and Directed by Fernando Trueba
Cinematography José Luis Alcaine
Editing Marta Velasco
Music Zbigniew Preisner
Sound Design François Musy
Sound François Musy, Gabriel Hafner
Production Design Juan Pedro de Gaspar
Costumes Lala Huete
Make-Up Ana Lozano
Assistant Director Sara Mazkiaran
Casting Jeanne McCarthy
Production Manager Pilar Robla
Producers Cristina Huete, Anne Deluz
Executive Producer Kirk D'Amico

World Sales

Myriad Pictures

http://www.myriadpictures.com http://www.myriadpictures.com

Produced by

Fernando Trueba PC

http://www.fernandotrueba.com http://www.fernandotrueba.com

Photos

Press Conference

Fernando Trueba

© Aida Folch

Born in Madrid, Spain in 1955. Since making his directing debut with Opera prima in 1980, this director and screenwriter has made a further 15 award-winning films. Belle Epoque won the Oscar® for Best Foreign Language Film as well as nine Goyas; his animated film Chico & Rita was also nominated for an Oscar®. His films have screened frequently at the Berlinale. He won a Silver Bear in 1987 for El año de las luces, and Belle Epoque and La niña de tus ojos also screened in the Competition. He has so far won two Grammys and five Latin Grammys for his work as a music producer.

Filmography (selection)

1986 El Año de las Luces 1989 The Mad Monkey 1992 Belle Epoque 1998 La niña de tus ojos 2000 Calle 54 2002 El embrujo de Shanghai 2004 El milagro de Candeal 2010 Chico & Rita 2011 L’artiste et son modèle 2016 La Reina de España (The Queen of Spain)

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2017