Carlos Saura at New Horizons Festival [PHOTOS]

The Saturday meeting with the Spanish director as a part of the cycle ‘Mistrzowskie lekcje kina’ [Master Cinema Lessons] at the 16th T-Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival lasted two hours. The director was in an excellent mood, even though he met cinema fans at 4:00 pm - during siesta, which is the ‘worst time for a Spanish person,>>'<< as he said. The meeting was hosted by Agnieszka Drewno, a film producer and director. Avid photographer Saura talked about his artistic beginnings: ‘I have always been fascinated with photography. I took my first photograph at the age of 6 or 7 - it was a girl I fell in love with. I took it out of hiding. Photography has always been present in my life. Saura has a huge collection of cameras. There are 700 of them. ‘They surround me from all sides, and I don>>'<>'<< he laughed. ‘A photographer>>'<>'<<. He did not know who he wanted to be ‘When you>>'<>'<< old, it>>'<>'<>'<< he recalled. He wanted to be a journalist, a flamenco dancer or an engine designer. He had a traumatic memory of compulsory military service, which lasted two years. When he left the army, he was dizzy with freedom. His brother Antonio, who was a painter, persuaded him into entering the cinema industry. At the beginning, he made documentaries: ‘I liked it that I wasn>>'<>'<< Already as a student, he shot his first film 'Los golfos>>'<<. ‘Nobody had made films of this kind,>>'<< he recalled. He would have presumably abandoned the cinema industry if the film had been cut by Francoist censors, but the work went to Cannes, where it avoided censorship. In order to complete another film ‘La caza>>'<<, he borrowed money from his father. ‘I wanted to make a quiet film that wouldn>>'<>'<< objections. The first critics who saw it said: “Carlos, it>>'<>'<>'<< I thought my career was over before it started. But then “La caza<>'<< Chaplin and ‘Peppermint frappe>>'<< One of the stars of his film ‘Peppermint frappe>>'<< was Geraldine Chaplin, a daughter of famous Charlie Chaplin, with whom he was in a relationship at that time. ‘The press wrote that Geraldine lived with a Spanish playboy,>>'<< he laughed. ‘When Charlie saw />>Peppermint frappe<>'<< Saura also talked about his film about 33 days during which Pablo Picasso painted ‘Guernica>>'<<. The leading role is to be played by Antonio Banderas, and the film should be ready next year. ‘The Spanish war was small but cruel and painful, because brothers killed one another, and families and friends were divided. “Guernica<>'<< he stressed. First screenplay and unforgettable song ‘I would be a millionaire if I had bought the rights to Jeanette>>'<>'<<. This song haunts me, I hear it in every country where I am,>>'<< he confessed. ‘Nobody from the crew of ‘Cria cuervos<>'<< was Saura>>'<>'<>'<< he recalled. Dance and music Carlos Saura>>'<>'<>'<< said Saura. ‘I have always been curious how works like “Carmen<>'<< The subject of his latest film ‘Zonda, folclore argentino>>'<<, which can be seen for the first time at the 16th T-Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival, is the music that can be heard in Argentina - and it is by no means limited to tango. Another film directed by Saura that is currently in the postproduction phase - ‘La jota>>'<< - is devoted to the Aragonese jota dance, which is performed with the use of castanets. During the festival, each of the invited masters of the European cinema shows his two films and an European film that he considers to be important. Saura chose ‘The Pianist>>'<< by Polański. ‘I don>>'<>'<>'<>'<>'<< he encouraged.‘I don>>'<>'<< he confessed. ‘Time flies and you take a different look at what you once shot,>>'<< he explained. ‘I like catastrophic films, and I watch them together with Ana. I particularly like watching films alone from a projector in my own house. On such occasions, I can concentrate and touch the magic of the cinema>>'<<. Next meetings under the cycle ‘Mistrzowskie lekcje kina>>'<< [Master Cinema Lessons]

Pokoyhof Passage, ul. św. Antoniego, free entrance