• Program. 10 years of the Atlántida Film Festival, cinema against the shipwreck of Europe

Stephen Frears (Leicester, 1941) is one of the British who will no longer come because of the quarantine that his government has imposed on anyone who lands in the United Kingdom from the Spain of outbreaks . So much so that we complained about the absurd drunkenness of his compatriots and now it turns out that his early morning piss in the hotel pool was our particular mana.

Be that as it may, the Master of Cinema award that he receives with all the honors of the 10th Atlántida Film Festival held in Palma de Malllorca and on Filmin, both in person and online, is his. He attends to us via zoom shortly before the cancellation of the trip.

Author among others of My beautiful laundry (1985), Open your ears (1987), The dangerous friendships (1988), High fidelity (2000), The Queen (2006) and Philomena (2013), Frears remains true to himself. Not that it bothers him to be interviewed, it just makes him funny. Not a longer one-sentence answer, or a ramble, or an unanswered question. Lovely. And fun. Frears refuses to see more than just that in his work: work. He despises labels, finds it difficult to recognize himself within any generation and only understands cinema as a profession.

However, if he is pressured and if he is reminded that last year it was Ken Loach who received this same award, he may even surrender (a little lonely) and finally accept that back in the 80s, British cinema lived its particular moment of glory. "Britain had changed so much after the war that the country was never the same again. Education changed, the working class joined it, and we benefited from it. And that new society was a very interesting topic," he recalls. .

The award he receives is called 'Master of Cinema' ... (He laughs) It is a colorful title ...... however, his last three works since ' Victoria and Abdul ' (2017) have been for television, Wouldn't ' Master of Cinema and Television' be more correct ? Yes, it is true. But it has not been sought. I rarely look for anything anymore. Simply, what they have offered me to do on television has been much more interesting than what they have offered me for the cinema. Next year I will make a movie, ' The last king '. I have the impression that he is living a kind of return to the origin. He started on the BBC and has now chained three series like ' A very english scandal', 'State of the Union' and ' Quiz ' (released by Mvistar in September) ... I have never had preferences. I have alternated film and television depending solely on the material. When I was baptized, the good fairy gave me two talents: that of choosing actors and that of choosing scripts. If I stick to these two skills, well (laughs again) .How much has television changed since it started back in the 70s and now with the ' boom ' of platforms? Honestly, I think the main change has been me. He was a kid when I started and I'm afraid I have stopped being one. I don't know if television is different. But I do. They always tell me: "Before, you used to make iconoclastic films and that has been lost." However, I have not felt the change at any time. I can't keep making films about young people since I have nothing to do with them. The series 'Quiz', his latest work, is about the man who cheated on the program 'You want to be a millionaire'. Do you think we are living a perfect time for cheats? Just look at the cheater king, Donald Trump, who instead of being in jail is presiding over the most powerful country in the world, this reminds me that you signed a manifesto of support for Jeremy Corbyn in the last elections that Boris Johnson won. ..Yes, I don't think it was very sensible of me. The Labor Party is better now than before. What do you think of what is happening right now in Europe in general and in the UK in particular after Brexit? It is terrible. The pandemic is terrible and its consequences in my country are now much more serious as a result of Brexit . The Brexit was a huge stupidity. A wrong decision and manipulated by the right-wing parties. How has lived the confinement? In London in the company of my family, my children, my friends ... The company has been a balm against the enormous frustration generated by a situation like the We are living. How do you think the cinema will come out of this crisis? I have no idea. But I am afraid it will be a catastrophe for European cinema, American independent cinema and, in general, for cinema made by people like me. We are undoubtedly threatened. It is now when I realize how lucky I have been to have been able to make the films that I have made in my life. Many of them could not be done now.I think, since he talks about his youth work, in his first films like ' My beautiful laundry' or ' Open your ears' and I also think of ' A very english scandal' , one of his latest series. One of the arguments that unites the three is the free claim, so to speak, of homosexuality. Decades span the first and last. Does this mean that we continue to cling to the same prejudices and that we have not made progress? It is difficult to answer the question. In my country the idea of ​​democracy has been seriously eroded in recent years. Freedoms have been systematically attacked . As far as homosexuality is concerned, I have to admit that I don't quite understand the current gender war. In my youth, there was a need to change the law that penalized homosexuality. And it changed. Now I am lost in so much confusion. He also participates as one of the directors of 'La voz más alta ', about the creation of Fox News ... Yes, I think it is important to reflect on what is happening to us. The manipulation of information has caused, for example, in the United Kingdom that the extreme right is growing in a very worrying way. And that's happening all over Europe. Did you imagine in the 70s, in full creative and progressive euphoria, that we would be where we are now? For an old liberal like me, everything that happens is very frustrating. The good news is that Trump seems to have his days numbered.Maybe in November everything will change. Unfortunately, what happens in the United States has a decisive influence on the rest of the world. The world will be better without him. The one who receives is a prize for all his filmography and it is very difficult to find a short definition for his work. It occurs to me that perhaps a possible one is a sense of humor, his acid sense of humor even in the most tragic of situations ... I like it. I like to make jokes, but I am very serious at the same time. But honestly I never think of myself as an artist or a creator. I am not someone like Pedro Almodóvar, for example. He is a true artist. I consider myself as an artisan, as a director in the sense of classic American cinema. What interests you about Pedro Almodóvar's work? He is a true creator. If you look back, how many masterpieces do you recognize in your filmography? ? None (laughs) If I may, I will quote you a few ... I am content to recognize seven or eight movies that people love. But I wouldn't talk about masterpieces at all. Which ones are you referring to? I think 'Dangerous Friendships' is a wonderful movie. 'My beautiful laundry', Philomena ',' The Queen ',' The scammers' ... What did you learn from your time in Hollywood? It was very interesting, it was like making movies in a circus. I learned many things. From the importance of the actors to the role that success plays. But I also realized how fundamental independence is to me. And that made me come back. If there is one thing I regret, it is that I have deceived myself. I thought that I could make the films I wanted within that machinery and that, in addition, they would be a success. In any case, it is a very intelligent machine and they are very good at their job. You have mentioned ' The Queen ' and I dare ask you what you think of the monarchy as 'an old liberal' like you. Well, I am struck by the everyone's sudden interest in the monarchy. Watch the series ' The crown' . When I did ' The Queen ' nobody was interested in the matter in the least. It's funny, what role do you think the monarchy plays today? Right now there is something similar to a controversy in Spain ... Yes, the father of his king is a swindler ... It is completely ridiculous to join the ideas of democracy and monarchy . On the other hand, it must be recognized, the Queen is an extraordinary woman. I take my hat off. In a way, it reminds us of our mothers (laughs). I don't know what will happen when I die. It terrifies me to think about it. What do you think will happen when I die? No idea. I have always considered myself a Republican. I would rather be a citizen than a subject .

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • movie theater
  • culture
  • UK
  • Donald Trump
  • Boris Johnson
  • Brexit

IntelligenceUnited Kingdom admits that "Russian influence" in its democratic processes "has become the new normal"

Cinemas theaters last weekend collected 6% of what was achieved on the same dates in 2019

BrexitUnited Kingdom and EU admit they remain "very far" from reaching a trade agreement

See links of interest

  • Last News
  • English translator
  • TV programming
  • Quixote
  • Work calendar
  • Daily horoscope
  • Santander League Ranking
  • League calendar
  • TV Movies
  • Themes