Here’s a review of a documentary that played at the recent SILVERDOCS Fest done by Anna Pinkert of Still Indie. Film will air on PBS this fall. (If you have a review of post you think would be appropriate for this site, please send it to me at melissa@womenandhollywood.com. I am looking for additional voices and perspectives on the site.)
Gemma Cubero del Barrio and Celeste Carrasco follow two women in their quest to succeed in the machismo world of Spanish bullfighting. The film itself is beautiful – watching it, I had an incredible sense of the two women not only as devoted athletes and trailblazers, but also as people who are passionate about an art that is significant in Spanish culture.
Maripaz Vega, Celeste Carrasco, Eva Florencia and Gemma Cubero del Barrio. Photo by Anna Pinkert
Both filmmakers and both of the women bullfighters were on hand at the screening I attended. The filmmakers said that this movie took 9 years to make. Initially, they conceived of it as a piece on the history of women bullfighters, but when they met Eva Florencia and Maripaz Vega, they decided to make them the center of the story. On their part, Eva Florencia and Maripaz Vega said that they loved watching the film, and were proud to be a part of it. Vega, who is an established matador, hoped that the film would improve the situation for women bullfighters in Spain, but that they have a long way to go.
One of the many things I learned at SILVERDOCS is the value of a good relationship with your subjects. At a screening of Salesman, legendary director Albert Maysles updated us on the status of his four Bible salesmen subjects, 40 years after the film’s debut. Being warm, generous, and kind to the people in your film has a better chance of yielding the intimate stories that you want to tell as a filmmaker.
Ella Es El Matador will premiere on PBS on Sept 1 as a part of POV.
Anna Pinkert is a multimedia producer working in the Boston metro area and a blogger at Still Indie.
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Thank you Anna for your generous article. Quite a nice suprise to read your feedback while searching for news about ella es el matador! all the best, g