March 17 - March 24, 2023 Bigas Luna: An American Cinematheque Tribute Series | JAMÓN JAMÓN, GOLDEN BALLS, THE TIT AND THE MOON, CANICHE and ANGUISH Co-presented by Durham University and EGEDA US
ABOUT THE SERIES: A duel to the death with cured hams… golden Rolexes and hard-boiled balls… Roman legions and mother’s milk… the films of legendary Spanish director Bigas Luna literally overflow with symbolist and surrealist images, drawn from his seemingly inexhaustible passion for sex, food and his native Catalunya. Everything is oversized in Luna’s universe; one of his great gifts as a filmmaker is to be able to satirize Spanish culture without deflating any of its mysteries. Born in Barcelona in 1946, Luna studied painting and design in college, and founded his own avant-garde design company soon after graduation. Luna turned to filmmaking in 1976 with TATUAJE, but it was his second feature, BILBAO (1978), that first brought him international attention. With CANICHE (1979) and ANGUISH (1987), Luna perfected his eponymous blend of absurdism and social critique. The success of JAMÓN JAMÓN (1992), starring Javier Bardem in his breakthrough performance, brought Luna long-overdue recognition in the U.S. and began what he describes as his “Iberian Trilogy” along with GOLDEN BALLS (1993), also starring Bardem, and THE TIT AND THE MOON (1994). Today, Bigas Luna is remembered as a master of modern Spanish cinema and a major influence on figures such as Pedro Almodóvar and Alejandro Amenábar. Co-Presented by Durham University and EGEDA US