SHAKESPEREADAS
A few years ago, Argentine filmmaker Matías Piñeiro began reading all of Shakespeare's work and discovered that apart from the most well-known characters such as Hamlet, King Lear, or Richard III, there were fascinating female characters in the playwright’s comedies. Piñeiro also found that these female characters had a great deal in common with a group of independent female Argentine stage actors that he had already been working with: María Villar, Agustina Muñoz, Romina Paula, and Laura Paredes. So, in 2011, Piñeiro made his first film to take a female Shakespeare character as its point of departure: Rosalind from As You Like It played by María Villar in the film Rosalinda.
In addition to the Shakespeare connection, another characteristic of Matías Piñeiro's work is how he produces films. Piñeiro always tries to film on a budget, which has allowed him to make six features in ten years, all of which connected. The fact that a female Shakespeare character takes centre stage, and that Piñeiro always works with the same actors, creates a feeling that his films are all variations of one another. This sense of variation or repetition is also something that happens within the films themselves.
Matías Piñeiro's work is directly related to the theatre and, therefore, there are certain elements of the stage that can be found in his films. An example of this are the rehearsals and, consequently, repetitions. To round out our Matías Piñeiro series, we have given him carte blanche. However, it will not be just one single screening this time. There will be four films in total, each one selected by the director for a different reason. We will start with Chimes at Midnight from Orson Welles. In Piñeiro's words: “An adaptation that made me understand that you have to break down Shakespeare if you want to do it”. The second film will by Sylvia Scarlet from George Cukor, a screwball comedy that “has nothing to do with Shakespeare, but deep down it does”. The third will be Dance, Girl, Dance from Dorothy Arzner and Roy Del Ruth, which would be associated with different perspectives on theatre that Piñeiro has found interesting in film. Then, the fourth and last film will be Conte d’hivern (A Tale of Winter) from Éric Rohmer, which “is not a direct adaptation, but takes recognisable elements directly from Shakespeare”.
With this series, in addition to exploring the filmmaker’s work, we will be able to understand and take a closer look at his perspective on film in general. There will also
be a Talking Cinema session, where the director will speak to us about his work processes and the projects he is currently working on.
Matías Piñeiro is the coordinator for the Creation Post-Graduate Programme at Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola.
Thursday, 12 October, 7:00pm
Viola, Matías Piñeiro, Argentina, United States, 2012, 65’
Rosalinda, Matías Piñeiro, Argentina, South Korea, 2011, 43’
Saturday, 14 October, 7:00pm
The Princess of France, Matías Piñeiro, Argentina, 2014, 67’
Sycorax, Matías Piñeiro, Lois Patiño, Spain, Portugal, 2021, 20’
Thursday, 19 October, 7:00pm
Hermia and Helena, Matías Piñeiro, Argentina, United States, 2016, 87’
Thursday, 26 October, 7:00pm
Isabella, Matías Piñeiro, Argentina, France, 2020, 80’
Saturday, 11 November, 7:00pm
SPOKEN CINEMA
CARTE BLANCHE
Saturday, 9 December, 7:00pm
Chimes at Midnight, Orson Welles, Spain, Switzerland, 1965, 103’
Saturday, 23 December, 7:00pm
Sylvia Scarlet, George Cukor, United States, 1935, 95’
Thursday, 28 December, 7:00pm
Conte d’hiver (A Tale of Winter), Éric Rohmer, France, 1992, 104’
Saturday, 30 December, 7:00pm
Dance, Girl, Dance, Dorothy Arzner, Roy Del Ruth, United States, 1940, 90’
