Àngel Casas

The 70th anniversary of the “Fotogramas” magazine comes in the shape of a sentimental voyage through the history of Spanish cinema thanks to a mosaic of voices represented by people who make films, those who write them and those who consume them. The documentary pays tribute to the readers of “Fotogramas” helped by the leading figures of Spanish cinema, who will read to the camera the most representative letters received at its offices in the history of the magazine.

In 1980, two Cork outsiders, Cathal Coughlan and Sean O’Hagan, met at a New Year's Eve party. Bonding over music, a friendship and songwriting partnership was ignited; the band they formed, Microdisney, was one of the best bands of the 1980s that you’ve probably never heard. Mixing Sean’s stunning melodic arrangements with Cathal’s poetic, angry lyrics, they recorded three brilliant LPs, gained critical adulation and an obsessive cult following. But a hit single eluded them, as did radio play and LP sales. By 1988, frustrated by their lack of progress, the band crashed and burned, leaving a trail of acrimony and broken friendships.

An account of the personal and artistic life of the Spanish singer Peret (1935-2014), the artist who imaginatively mixed various musical styles, such as mambo, tanguillo and rock, to create the gypsy rumba. An epic adventure, from a humble neighborhood of Barcelona to the biggest stages of the world.

"El Gran Gato" is the title of this "documented musical," as cataloged the same director, which includes the participation of singers like Tonino Carotone, Sisa, Kiko Veneno, Luis Eduardo Aute, Los Manolos, Lucrecia and Martyrdom. This manager and colleagues pay tribute to Jack Perez, singer and composer who popularized the rumba and died in 1990 when he was only 40 years. The film alternates between two parts: a documentary with more conversations with family and people who knew Jack Perez, and a second in which the aforementioned musicians interpret the best known songs of the musician.