film
30 Years of Almodóvar
Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar marks 30 years in
movies this year with the release of his 17th feature film,
Los Abrazos Rotos (Broken Embraces), starring recent
Oscar-winner Penélope Cruz in an intriguing love triangle
involving a man left blind by an accident. For Almodóvar’s
fans, the new film offers an opportunity to celebrate one of
the world’s most influential contemporary filmmakers.
According to Colombian filmmaker Andi Baiz of Dynamo
Capital, one of Almodóvar’s key achievements was to “put
Spanish cinema on the map.” But Michel Ruben, a Spanish-based producer who worked with Almodóvar from 1992 to
2002, adds that the Spanish film giant brings a “level of
freedom and creative control to the screen” unmatched by
any other modern director.
The list of Almodóvar’s cinematic achievements speaks
for itself. He won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film
in 1999 (All About My Mother) and for Best Original Screenplay in 2002 (Talk to Her). The premise for his new film,
whose main character lives and loves in darkness, came to
Almodóvar as he fought off months of debilitating migraine
headaches. In March, Broken Embraces premiered in Spain.
Watch for the U.S. debut in November 2009.
stats
Police Corruption
The percentage of people who report being
asked by a police officer to pay a bribe in
the past year.
sourcE: amEricasbaromEtEr,
2008, latiN amEricaN public
opiNioN projEct
( www.vaNdErbilt.Edu/lapop)
film
almodóvar: EFE/Emilio NaraNjo
Entertainment
for the Masses
Every peso counts these days,
so it’s good to find cheap fun. In
Mexico City, a Friday night at the
movies—popcorn not included—
costs about $3, just slightly below
the country’s $3.40 average daily
wage. Enter Ariel Zylbersztejn,
28-year-old founder of CinePOP, an
initiative that brings popular cinema
to Mexico’s underprivileged—free
of charge. At least twice a week,
enormous, inflatable
screens are installed
in the central plazas
of Mexico’s poorest
communities to show
current movies. Show-
ings attract up to 10,000 people.
Sponsors such as Coca Cola, Banco
Azteca and Elektra market their
products. Some even provide movie-
goers with informa-
tion on loans and health
care.
Now, going to the
movies is not just for
those with deep pockets.
spring 2009
americas quarterly 15
