Spanish Director Curro Sánchez Varela on His Roving Homage To Madrid, ‘Voices of a City’

variety.com:

Holly Jones A wandering love note to Madrid directed by local filmmaker Curro Sánchez Varela, “Voices of a City” ( “Voces de una ciudad”) merges prominent aesthetics with a charismatic populace, who so often blend into the background of photos taken of the bustling metropoli.

The film is a curated 24-hour journey through each urban corner, delving into the most integral part of any locale, the humans living within its confines, serving as an immersive peek into the city’s history, culture and enduring allure.

Breezily narrated by Goya Award-winning Spanish actress Blanca Portillo (“Maixabel”), the sprawling shots of familiar architecture run alongside sharply focused studies of residents from the mayor to a famed chef, taxi drivers to artists and musicians, as well as a most charming retired couple.

Sánchez Varela has “captured and lifted the personal stories of local Madrileños going about their daily lives over the course of a 24 hour period – coming from all corners across the city….from the Gran Vía to the Rastro to the Madrid Rio…to City Hall…amongst others – and highlighted the individual contributions they add to the fabric of the city, which makes Madrid the extraordinary capitol city it is today as it builds for the future,” said James Costos, Secuoya Studios president, presenting “Voices” at an Iberseries & Platino Industria preview.   “Voices of a City” was produced by Secuoya Studios’ unscripted department, headed by Eduardo Escorial.