Spain’s Latido Films Scoops Up Doc ‘Almudena’ Ahead of Malaga Film Fest Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Anna Marie de la Fuente Filmed through the prism of grief, documentary ‘Almudena’ is director Azucena Rodrigues’ ode to one of Spain’s renowned writers who was also a dear friend.

The late Almudena Grandes was “the voice of her generation, exploring not only contemporary issues but dwelling as well in the memory of the Spanish Civil War,” said Latido’s Antonio Saura, who added: “This will be a must-see documentary for everyone interested in Spanish and world literature, and for Latido, an honor to bring to the world.” Premiering March 15 in a special screening at the Malaga Film Festival, “Almudena” began as a project about Sara Gómez, a character from Grandes’ novel ‘Los Aires Dificiles,’ according to Rodrigues, whose credits include “Women in Prison,” starring Penelope Cruz.

This led to her meeting with Grandes and the start of a lifelong friendship. In 1995, Rodrigues made a film adaptation of Grandes’ novel ‘Atlas of Human Geography’ from a screenplay written by both. “Many years later, in 2018, I began working on a documentary about her work.

I managed to film some initial material, which was supposed to form the foundation of the project, but the pandemic, her illness and her passing disrupted everything,” she recalled.