IOTF 2020: Beyond The Stage

Unlike Masks and The Rest I Make Up, Ventura Pons’ Virus of Fear (2015) is not a documentary. It is, however, decidedly theatrical: based on the acclaimed play by Josep Maria Miró, Arquimedes’ Principle, the film follows a community grappling with the aftermath of an alleged sexual assault at a local swimming pool. Unwilling to take sides or to pontificate, Pons offers instead a challenging, bold examination of the contagious nature of terror and collective anxiety.

Michelle Memran’s The Rest I Make Up (2018) is a moving documentary about Cuban-American playwright and director Maria Irene Fornes. A pioneer in the New York City arts scene of the latter half of the 20th century, Fornes is a whirlwind of sharp wit and seemingly endless creativity. Her eventual struggle with Alzheimer’s, portrayed delicately by Memran, does little to slow her down. This is a remarkable portrait both of an intergenerational friendship and of a creative artist whose impact on American theatre has been acknowledged by writers as different as Edward Albee and Tony Kushner. This film plays from 15-29 April.

In Masks (2009), Elisabet Cabeza and Esteve Riambau follow the acclaimed Spanish actor Josep Maria Pou as he prepares to play the part of Orson Welles. As spectators, we are allowed a rare glimpse into the performer’s creative process, observing how he shapes the character before, during, and following the rehearsal period.