“Now, I need to think about my future.” Marta Medina, a Film Academy resident, will be officially expelled tomorrow. She was part of the third cohort of this public initiative, which was launched in 2019 with the support of the Madrid City Council. There have been 57 audiovisual creators who have completed this program of aid for audiovisual project development. But these 20 will be the first to address the new Audiovisual Law that was approved by the Senate on Wednesday.
This rule introduces a controversial definition for independent producer. Industry associations and professionals have rejected this change because it leaves non-majority movies at a disadvantage. Medina says, “The cinema is a part of the cultural heritage of a country and it is sad that it is becoming less protected.” Leire Albinarrate, another former resident, said that “it worries me” because when only one story is being told, it can make it difficult to take risks.
Daniel Tornero, fellow Documentaryist, stresses the importance of diversity. -The more heterogeneous art is,-,. This quality also defines them as group since the Residences have animation projects, fiction and television series. Tornero’s project, titled “Saturno”, is about a grandfather who was arrested in 2018 for child abuse and attempted kidnapping. Since then I have been trying to figure out who she is. This will be his first documentary.
Still from “Saturn”, by Daniel Tornero
Medina considers ‘Laponia’ his second fiction script. I envision it as a horror costumbrista film about empty Spain. I was born in Soria, and the Castilian imaginary, the rice fields and the literature of Machado were already present in my treatment. This idea evolved into the fantasy genre nine months later with workshops, consultancies, and a lot more rewriting. Demographic changes have also been made possible by demographic changes.
Albinarrate also went through his own creative transformation. He arrived with a very basic proposal and only a few outline ideas. “And I leave with a pilot script and a complete sales dossier.” He presented his series proposal, “La mala Vida En Madrid”, in the final act of course to a hundred production companies assembled by the Film Academy.
Each resident was accompanied by a filmmaker throughout the course. Tornero worked with Jose Luis Guerin, ‘The Academy of the Muses.’ He says, “I often say it has changed my life.” It helped me to understand what kind of movie I wanted. Albinarrate was taught by the Sanchez-Cabezudo Brothers, who are directors of series like ‘La Zona’ and ‘Crematorio. Vitoria’s scriptwriter says, “Think about how you’re so immersed in a world that maybe you insist on something you find fascinating.” They can see what is really important to your project from the outside. Medina’s father Manuel Martin Cuenca, ‘The daughter’ in filmmaking, has mastered the art of giving her the tools she needs without having to dictate her vision. He asks her questions that help to refocus her idea.
Workshop for actor directing / Courtesy the Film Academy
They have been able learn from professionals in the field. Robert Cerda was the last to teach an actor direction workshop. Miki Esparbe and Irene Escolar were volunteers. Former residents Pilar Palomero or Ion de Sosa are back to share their experiences. Tornero, an Alicante native, had to move to the capital to follow the progress of the filming, although he continues to film alongside his grandfather. “There has been a complete transformation. If there is anything that has helped me grow in the last years, it has been going through this program.”
Medina’s displacement was not physical, but optical. I came from journalism where you always tell something new every day. But with this project you have to commit to the long-term and the interesting thing is that it keeps you thinking about it. Each ‘pitch’ requires you to tell the story, then you rethink it. Albinarrate believes that coexistence is also enriching personally and professionally. I come from the most mainstream TV industry, and here, with so much profiles, I have been in a position to learn from fellow independent filmmakers. You can change as well as projects.
