SECTIONS // PANORAMA OF THE SPANISH DOCUMENTARY

Santa Fiesta

Miguel Ángel Rolland
74' / 2016 / Spain
Web: http://santafiesta.es
No dialogue

Santa Fiesta is a documentary film that immerses us at the core of the popular parties with animals in Spain. Without interviews, narrator or music score, this visual journey presents some almost unknown parties and some of the most sadly famous celebrations with an ambitious cinematographic treatment when presenting the facts.
The films reports firmly on the brutality and popularity of traditions in which bulls are tortured with fire, ropes, or throwing them into the water but also decapitating gooses, exposing horses to fire, and even throwing dead rats to each other. A public feast of pain and blood in which priests, kids, elders, policemen and political authorities take part with a smile and encouraging a savage tradition that no Government has yet dared to stop.

Director's Biography

Miguel Angel Rolland has been involved in different porfessional fields in the audiovisual industry as a director, a screenwriter and a commercial ads director. Several of his short films have been selected by many international film festivals, tv channels and VOD platforms. He has also been the contents and social media director in communications and digital marketing agencies. He has been selected to the Goya Awards to the Best Documentary Short Film with Areosol (2004). He has directed Yongheng (2009), Henna. 40 degrees in the shade (2008), Nadie (2006), De-mo-cra-cia (Madrid 11M. Todos íbamos en ese tren) (2004), Aerosol (2004), Souvenir (2001), Suite#3 (1999) and Juanito (1998).