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

Alfonso Ungría Alfonso Ungría (born 30 March 1943) is a Spanish screenwriter and film director. Selected filmography * ''The Man in Hiding '' (1971) * ''Gone to the Mountain'' (1974) * ''África (film), África'' (1996) References Bibliography * Bentley, Be ...

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 st ...

Imanol Arias Manuel María Arias Domínguez (born 26 April 1956), better known as Imanol Arias, is a Spanish actor. In his career beginnings, Arias was a recurring face of Basque cinema. His career in the 21st-century is marked by his portrayal of Antonio ...

, and Julie Carmen.

Plot

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

Abebe Bikila ''Shambel'' Abebe Bikila (; August 7, 1932 – October 25, 1973) was an Ethiopian marathon runner who was a back-to-back Olympic marathon champion. He was the first Ethiopian Olympic gold medalist, winning his first gold medal at the 1960 S ...

) 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 to ...

. 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 (; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. 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 . is the most read newspaper in ...

'' 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