PRODUCT DESCRIPTION


Stella Cadente is the fiction-feature debut by the renowned Barcelona-based producer Lluís Miñarro. His producing credits include several of the most important cinematic works of the current century, including Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2010), The Strange Case of Angelica (Manoel de Oliveira, 2010), Birdsong and Honour of the Knights (Albert Serra 2006 / 2008), and Liverpool (Lisandro Alonso, 2008).

Stella Cadente (in English Falling Star ), Lluís Miñarro s lavish, lascivious story of the doomed Spanish King Amadeo I in the early 1870s, is unlike any cinematic historical portrait before it. Taking this little-known episode of Spanish history, the film functions as a metaphor for contemporary Spain and by extension, Europe - and its ongoing state of crisis.

Both historical film and camp melodrama, this richly layered film is suffused with absurdist asides, surreal interludes and sexually explicit reverie. Its bold and beautiful tableaux are filled with casual references to art and literature, colourfully and radiantly filmed by Jimmy Gimferrer (cameraman for fellow Catalan filmmaker Albert Serra, among others). Wonderfully performed, sumptuously designed, sometimes shocking and playfully anarchic, Stella Cadente is one of the most original and transcendent works to emerge in contemporary European cinema.

Director's statement:

"A free and delirious film that defends the need of joy in life. A game with the viewer in which nothing is what it seems. An ironic look at the aesthetic values of the 1970's when we were so happy" Lluís Miñarro

2014 Rotterdam International Film Festival / Official selection

2014 Edinburgh International Film Festival / Official selection

2014 Tirana International Film Festival / Winner: Best Director, Best Cinematography

2015 Gaudí Awards / Winner: Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design

SPECIAL FEATURES

* Stella Cadente (2013) - presented from a new digital remaster of the film.
* Familystrip (2009) - Lluís Miñarro s acclaimed feature-length documentary
* Original Catalan soundtrack in 5.1 Dolby Digital and 2.0 Stereo.
* New and improved English subtitle translation.
* Booklet featuring a new essay by journalist and programmer Neil Young.



REVIEW
"Frankly explicit. this austerely elaborate, fancifully speculative confection is adults-only material. irresistibly exquisite" --Hollywood Reporter

"A surreal labyrinth rich in lurid imagery that's totally disorientating… Miñarro's extravagant tale evolves into a sensory trip back through time that's hard to dislodge from your subconscious" --Cine-Vue

"A surprise standout at this years' Edinburgh International Film Festival. packed with rich visuals, absurdist camp, steamy sensuality and a great pop soundtrack. filled with vibrancy, dazzling surrealism, and a raw sexuality. Miñarro has crafted an outstanding cinematic experience that demands your attention" --The People s Movies