Letters from Alou
| Letters from Alou | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Spanish | Las cartas de Alou |
| Directed by | Montxo Armendáriz |
| Screenplay by | Montxo Armendáriz |
| Produced by | Elías Querejeta |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Alfredo F. Mayo |
| Edited by | Rori Sáinz de Rozas |
| Music by |
|
Production company | Elías Querejeta PC |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | Spain |
| Language | Spanish |
Letters from Alou (Spanish: Las cartas de Alou) is 1990 Spanish film directed and written by Montxo Armendáriz.
Plot
Alou, a Senegalese man that has entered Spain illegally, can only find occasional jobs due to his situation. Thanks to the letters he sends regularly to his parents, we hear of his experiences and feelings as he laboriously tries to be integrated into Spanish society. He starts out on the coast of Almería, working in the greenhouses. Then he travels to Madrid where he first comes into contact with illegal sales. He then makes his way to Segrià, to work harvesting fruit, and, finally, to Barcelona, where he works in the clothes shop of another African immigrant. His adventure comes to an abrupt end when he is arrested by the police. But he crosses the Strait again, closing the circle that leaves a door open to hope.
Cast
- Mulie Jarju as Alou[1]
- Eulàlia Ramon as Carmen[2]
- Ahmed El-Maroufi as Moncef[2]
- Akonio Dolo as Mulai[2]
- Albert Vidal as padre de Carmen[2] ('Carmen's father')
- Mamadou Lamine as Kassim[2]
- Ly Babali as Ibrahima[2]
Release
The film entered the 38th San Sebastián International Film Festival.[3] It was released theatrically in Spain on 5 October 1990.[2]
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1990
|
38th San Sebastián International Film Festival | Golden Shell | Won | [3] | |
| Silver Shell for Best Actor | Mulie Jarju | Won | |||
1991
|
5th Goya Awards | Best Film | Nominated | [4] | |
| Best Director | Montxo Armendáriz | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Screenplay | Montxo Armendáriz | Won | |||
| Best Cinematography | Alfredo F. Mayo | Won | |||
| Best Editing | Rosario Sáinz de Rozas | Nominated | |||
| Best Production Supervision | Primitivo Álvaro | Nominated | |||
| Best Sound | Pierre Lorraine, Eduardo Fernández, | Nominated | |||
| Best Special Effects | Juan Ramón Molina, Reyes Abades | Nominated | |||
See also
References
- ^ Benavent, Francisco María (2000). Cine español de los 90. Diccionario de películas, directores y temático. Bilbao: Ediciones Mensajero. p. 147. ISBN 84-271-2326-4.
- ^ a b Fernández-Santos, Ángel (30 September 1990). "La organización del certamen obliga al jurado a dar contra su voluntad todos los premios". El País.
- ^ Viaje al cine español. 25 años de los Premios Goya (PDF), Lunwerg, 2011, p. 273, ISBN 978-84-9785-791-8
External links
- Letters from Alou at IMDb
- African Film Festival of Cordoba-FCAT (license CC BY-SA-3.0)
- Deveny, Thomas G. (2012). Migration in Contemporary Hispanic Cinema. Scarecrow Press. pp. 26–34. ISBN 9780810885059.