''África'' is a 1996 Spanish drama film directed by

Alfonso Ungría Alfonso Ungría is a Spanish screenwriter and film director. Selected filmography * '' The Man in Hiding '' (1971) * '' Gone to the Mountain'' (1974) * '' África'' (1996) References Bibliography * Bentley, Bernard. ''A Companion to Spanish ...

which stars Zoe Berriatúa,

Elena Anaya Elena Anaya Gutiérrez (born 17 July 1975) is a Spanish actress. She garnered public recognition in Spain for her performance in ''Sex and Lucia'' (2001), which also earned her a nomination to the Goya Award for Best Supporting Actress. She sta ...

Imanol Arias Manuel María Arias Domínguez (born 26 April 1956 in Riaño, León, Spain) better known as Imanol Arias, is a Spanish actor and film director. Career Imanol Arias began his career with a travelling theatre group performing in the Basque C ...

, and

Julie Carmen Julie Carmen (born April 4, 1954) is an American actress, dancer and a licensed psychotherapist. She came to prominence onscreen in the 1980s, for her role in John Cassavetes' film, ''Gloria'' (1980), opposite Gena Rowlands. Acting Carmen was ...

Plot

Set in the working-class district of San Blas, the plot follows Martín (an admirer of runner

Abebe Bikila ''Shambel'' Abebe Bikila ( am, ሻምበል አበበ ቢቂላ; August 7, 1932 – October 25, 1973) was an Ethiopian marathon runner who was a back-to-back Olympic marathon champion. He is the first Ethiopian Olympic gold medalist, winnin ...

) 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.

Cast

Production

The screenplay was based on a story by Ungría and

Joaquín Oristrell Joaquín Oristrell Ventura (born 15 September 1953) is a Spanish film director and screenwriter. Biography Born in Barcelona on 15 September 1953, he is the cousin of actress Yolanda Ventura and nephew of trumpeter . He has written scripts ...

. The film is a Sogetel and Bocaboca Producciones production. It boasted a budget of around 160 million ₧. It was shot on location in San Blas.

Release

The film was theatrically released in Spain on 17 May 1996.

Reception

Augusto Martínez Torres of ''

El País ''El País'' (; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. ''El País'' is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA. It is the second most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . ''El Pa ...

'' 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". 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".

References