África (film)

África
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Alfonso Ungría
Screenplay by	Alfonso Ungría
Story by	Alfonso Ungría Joaquín Oristrell
Starring	Imanol Arias Julie Carmen Zoe Berriatúa Elena Anaya
Cinematography	Hans Burmann
Music by	Suso Saiz
Production companies	Sogetel Bocaboca Producciones
Release date	17 May 1996 (1996-05-17)
Country	Spain
Language	Spanish

África is a 1996 Spanish drama film directed by Alfonso Ungría which stars Zoe Berriatúa, Elena Anaya, Imanol Arias, and Julie Carmen.

Plot

Set in the working-class district of San Blas, the plot follows Martín (an admirer of runner Abebe Bikila) and his fraught and oedipical relation with his father Arturo, as well as his budding romantic relationship with África, a young girl the same age as him, who works in a bar with her mother Isabel.^[1][2][3]

Cast

• Zoe Berriatúa [ca] as Martín^[4]
• Elena Anaya as África^[4]
• Julie Carmen as Isabel^[4]
• Imanol Arias as Arturo^[4]

Production

The screenplay was based on a story by Ungría and Joaquín Oristrell.^[5] The film is a Sogetel and Bocaboca Producciones production.^[6] It boasted a budget of around 160 million ₧.^[5] It was shot on location in San Blas.^[7]

Release

The film was theatrically released in Spain on 17 May 1996.^[8]

Reception

Augusto Martínez Torres of El País considered that Alfonso Ungría "not only manages to provide a solid dramatic structure to his story, but also proves to be a great actor's director".^[7]

In the view of Josep Torrell, as featured in his chronicle "El cine español de 1996", the film is "imperfect", "laconic and honest", featuring a "splendid photography by Hans Burmann".^[9]

See also

• List of Spanish films of 1996

References

1. Jordan, Barry; Morgan-Tamosunas, Rikki (2001) [1998]. Contemporary Spanish Cinema. Manchester & New York: Manchester University Press. p. 99. ISBN 0-7190-4412-X.
2. Bentley, Bernard P. E. (2008). A Companion to Spanish Cinema. Tamesis. p. 289. ISBN 978-1-85566-176-9.
3. "África". Fotogramas. 29 May 2008.
4. Gasca, Luis (1998). Un siglo de cine español. Barcelona: Planeta. p. 17. ISBN 8408023098.
5. García, Rocío (17 May 1996). "Alfonso Ungría vuelve al cine con un 'thriller' sentimental". El País.
6. Bedoya Ruiz, María Jesús. Antonio Meliveo: referente musical cinematográfico del siglo XXI en el cine españo (PDF). Málaga: Universidad de Málaga. p. 70.
7. Martínez Torres, Augusto (21 May 1996). "Una obra maestra realista". El País.
8. "África". Sensacine. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
9. Montiel, Alejandro (1999). "La vida en un hilo (argumental) del último lustro del cine español" (PDF). La Madriguera (22): 59–60.