''In the City of Sylvia'' ( es, En la Ciudad de Sylvia) is a 2007 film directed by
José Luis Guerín
José Luis Guerín (born 1960) is a Spanish filmmaker and educator known for '' Train of Shadows'' (1997), ' (2001), and '' The Academy of Muses'' (2015).
Style and influences
As a young cinephile, Guerín attended many film screenings, made fil ...
. The film follows a young man credited only as 'Él' (
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
:'Him') as he wanders central
Strasbourg
Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
in search of Sylvia, a woman he asked for directions in a bar six years earlier.
Release
The film had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival on 5 September 2007. The director also created a
silent documentary companion piece called ''Some Photos in the City of Sylvia'', which he
assembled from still photographs he had taken, released that same year. The photographs were taken in 2004 and served as the basis for the screenplay for ''In the City of Sylvia''.
Critical reception
The film appeared on some critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2008. V.A. Musetto of the ''
New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com.
It was established ...
'' named it the best film of 2008,
[ ]J. Hoberman
James Lewis Hoberman (born March 14, 1949) is an American film critic, journalist, author and academic. He began working at ''The Village Voice'' in the 1970s, became a full-time staff writer in 1983, and was the newspaper's senior film critic ...
of ''The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...
'' named it the 8th best film of 2008.,
named it the 2nd best film of 2008. Ignatiy Vishnevetsky
Ignatiy Igorevich Vishnevetsky (; russian: Игнатий Игоревич Вишневецкий; born September 5, 1986)Vishnevetsky, Ignati''Time Indefinite'': "A Talk with Sergei Loznitsa"
''Mubi'' is a Russian-American film critic, essayist ...
of ''The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' described it as "something of a masterpiece."
Awards and nominations
''En la Ciudad de Sylvia'' was nominated for the 2007 Golden Lion
The Golden Lion ( it, Leone d'oro) is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most prestigious and distinguishe ...
at the Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...
, although the award was eventually presented to Ang Lee
Ang Lee (; born October 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker. Born in Pingtung County of southern Taiwan, Lee was educated in Taiwan and later in the United States. During his filmmaking career, he has received international critical and popula ...
for ''Lust, Caution
''Lust, Caution'' () is a 2007 erotic period espionage mystery romance film directed by Ang Lee, based on the 1979 novella by Eileen Chang. ''Lust, Caution'' is set in Hong Kong in 1938 and in Shanghai in 1942, when the city was occupied by t ...
''. ''En la Ciudad de Sylvia'' won the 2008 Australian Film Critics Association
The Australian Film Critics Association (AFCA), formerly Melbourne Film Critics’ Forum, is an Australian professional association
A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional socie ...
award for the 'best unreleased film' in Australia at the time of the awards. Guerín won the best director award of the Premios ACE The Association of Latin Entertainment Critics (Asociación de Cronistas de Espectáculos de Nueva York, in Spanish) is a nonprofit cultural organization founded on December 12, 1967. The organization has bestowed the Latin ACE Awards (Premios ACE) ...
2009 for this film.Ganadores de los Premios ACE 2009
. Retrieved August 19, 2009.
References
* Kuehner, Jay.
Recherchez: José Luis Guerín’s ''In the City of Sylvia''" ''
Senses of Cinema
''Senses of Cinema'' is a quarterly online film magazine founded in 1999 by filmmaker Bill Mousoulis. Based in Melbourne, Australia, ''Senses of Cinema'' publishes work by film critics from all over the world, including critical essays, career ...
'' 50. April 2009.
External links
Eddie Saeta.com website of the production company including details of the film.
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* {{AllRovi movie, 410171
2000s French-language films
2000s Spanish-language films
Spanish drama films
2007 films
Films directed by José Luis Guerín
2000s Spanish films