Autumn in Sitges, part 2

This post comes a little late, but I must write about last month when the 49^th Sitges - Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya was held. The festival took place from October 7^th through October 16^th. Again, autumn in Sitges wouldn't be complete without it.

This years’ theme celebrated Star Trek, the American science fiction and entertainment franchise based on the original television series created by Gene Roddenberry back in 1966. The first television series, simply called Star Trek and now referred to as “The Original Series”, only aired for three years; and by the late 1970s the series had aired in over 60 international markets, in addition to 150 US markets.

Five decades later, the franchise is still boldly going strong, with a sixth incarnation coming this coming May 2017* (Star Trek Discovery) and a 14th movie is planned—following this past summers' blockbuster, “Star Trek Beyond”.

Considering the festival itself started just two years after the series debuted, in September of 1968, it was wonderful to honour the iconic television series, by screening the first feature film based on the series called, Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1980).

Furthermore to the screening, there were two exhibitions running concurrently:

At the Edifici Miramar, which exhibited posters, games and Star Trek character figurines and other memorabilia—from the films and all the television Trek series.

While at the Blue Sala in the Palau Maricel, artwork was displayed depicting mainly (but, not solely) caricatures of the Federation Holy Trinity of Captain Kirk, Spock and McCoy…

Another screening at the festival, one that I wasn't able to get tickets to see due to it being sold out was Arrival (La Llegada). The film had a surprise screening at this years film festival. And after seeing it only this week [jarring me into finally writing this post], I now know why it was so very popular, and can recommend it highly.

It is a science-fiction film served just how I like it - great story, great effects, good acting and paced just right, without the need for extreme violence (albeit a lingering threat) and the world's most famous landmarks blown to bits!

Film Synopsis: Arrival (La Llegada) 

"A Linguistics professor, Louise Banks (Amy Adams) leads an elite team of investigators when gigantic spaceships touch down in 12 locations around the world. As nations teeter on the verge of global war, Banks and her crew must race against time to find a way to communicate with the extraterrestrial visitors. Hoping to unravel the mystery, she takes a chance that could threaten her life and quite possibly all of mankind." (Google)

The film is primarily about trust, language and communication. And personally, after trying for years to unravel the marvels of the Spanish language, it was eye-opening to see such a linguistic struggle depicted on screen. Especially as over the years I’ve searched and searched for commonalities between my native language (English) and Castellano, and looked for formulas to conquer the challenge and finally arrive at a comfortable level of fluency… it is a work in progress.

In terms of suspense or mystery, one such film stands out for me at the festival, Without Name. This film was perfect to be screened at the Sitges festival; as an indie film it ticks all the boxes of what a film in this genre should accomplish—to be thought inspiring, atmospheric, dark and shows how enjoyable a film can be having been made with a low budget. SQ assistant editor Gloria Gannaway and I got the chance to speak with director, Lorcan Finnegan to tell him how much we enjoyed his film!

Film Synopsis: Without Name  

“There’s something bizarre and nightmarish waiting in the woods, and its sights are set on Eric (Alan McKenna), a land surveyor who’s tasked with assessing the woodland area in question just as his marriage is about to crumble. Stressed out by his fractured home life, Eric is tragically susceptible to the woods’ powerful ability to enter the emotionally wounded man’s mind and wreak both physical and mental havoc on him. Incorporating disorienting and inventive visual tricks to bring the film’s scenic forest to life, first-time Irish director Lorcan Finnegan taps into an effective psychological dread to create a psychedelic and one-of-a-kind descent into madness”. (Brooklyn Horror Film Festival)

Cast: Alan McKenna, Niamh Algar, James Browne

Director: Lorcan Finnegan

Screenwriter: Garret Shanley

Producers: Brunella Cocchiglia, Rory Gilmartin

Cinematography: Piers McGrail

Overall our autumn so far this year has been a mild and memorable season. The time of harvesting grapes, the films of the festival; and as the first day of winter grows near (Winter Solstice, Dec.21^st) we quickly approach our highly anticipated Christmas season with even more festivities…

Autumn in Sitges, part 1

Autumn in Sitges, part 1

This autumn wouldn't be complete without Sitges hosting its 55a edició de la Festa de la Verema (55^th Harvest Festival), one of the most traditional local festivals in its annual agenda. 

The two-day event, took place on Saturday, October 8^th, and Sunday, October 9^th in the Rincón de la Fragata. The festival was officially opened in the Gold Room of the Palau Maricel with the proclamation of the harvest this year.

The weekend was packed with educational activities, wine-making traditions, and showcases a large number of wineries or bodegas, including activities for children. 

The event was well attended by wine aficionados and wine-lovers and enthusiastic filmgoers as the Festa de la Verema returns this year to coincide with the Sitges - Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya.

A highlight of the event for me is watching the traditional grape treading competition, this year is the 38è Concurs de trepitjadors de raïm. And a Pubilla (the prettiest girl in town) is named annually at la Verema de Sitges. [Pubilla is an old Catalan term given to the eldest daughter destined to receive the family inheritance if there are no male heirs]

10a Mostra de Vins / The 10th Show of Wines

La Mostra de Vins featured a large number of exhibiting wineries of Sitges, the Garraf and Penedès, and there were many stands for venders of cheese, cakes and a host of other products which complement wine; this year also featured a stand dedicated exclusively to premium cavas (reserva and gran reserva) and PIMECAVA, the association of small and medium producers of cava.

There was a presentation of La Carretera del Vi (the Wine Road), a route which connects Sitges with Vilafranca i Sant Martí and was initiated last year. According to lacarreteradelvi.com, “it allows wine lovers to get acquainted with the ancient route that linked the vineyards in Penedès and the beaches of Garraf” (The project, the first of its kind in Spain, aims to recover the historical commercial route that was previously used by the Romans to export Penedès wines all over the world)…

This year, I had the pleasure of being in Haro (La Rioja) during their harvest, and had the pleasure of actually helped by picking a few kilos of grapes in a vineyard. Yes, it was a pleasure and yes, it is back-breaking, arduous work!

Cheyenne Crump, Navarrete (La Rioja) Harvest 2016

 Maturana de Navarrete, the grape variety indigenous to Navarrete (a small village in La Riojo) is what we picked one brisk morning. And the harvesting has solidified my love of wine. 

Taking me to the start of the winemaking process, and the long journey the fruit takes to become the beautiful elixir, we know to be wine.

Accessing Sitges

With a budget of €5.5 million, the roadworks started last May had a 12-month duration. The improvement works to access the Sitges Centre junction of the C-32 are almost over!

Not since 1880 has such extensive works been carried out for accessing the town, when the construction of the railway linking Barcelona (via Sitges) to Vilanova began, and led to establishing the railway link between Barcelona to Sitges in 1881. Until then Barcelona was accessed by sea or by long, arduous ways through the Garraf, and things were made just a little bit easier by building the C-246 coastal road in 1879, along the old way utilized back in the Middle Ages.

The works consisted of remodelling the junction to provide direct access to the Mas Alba Industrial and Retail Park via a slip road, and the creation of a new lane (in the Barcelona direction) exit 31 to Port d’Aiguadolç, enhancing road safety.

To build the slip road to the park, excavation work was carried out and explosives were used, which for a short time affected C-32 traffic in both directions. The explosion works started almost a year ago on the 14^th of October, and were carried out over a 12-week duration, including the building of an earth retaining wall at exit 30 of the C-32 in the Barcelona-direction.

The new junction is comprised of two roundabouts, one with the direct-access junction slip road from the motorway exit to the park and means that lorries and other vehicles will not have to go through the town centre in order to get there, which they had to do until the works were completed.

What remains pending is highway or autopista landscaping. Well-planted and maintained landscaping is believed to help reduce driving stress, give better visual quality, and decrease speeding, and consequently improve roadway safety.

As you can see, at the moment, the infrastructure has been completed and all roads are in use today. And, for drivers, the landscaping of the terrain bordering the new lanes, roundabouts and slip roads will also solidify positive, and fitting first and last impressions of Sitges.

The Editors’ Other Side

This August there’s a lot going on. Besides the seasonal fiestas and house guests, I was doing some research on a Sitgetan company, Toni Vartrano.

According to the website, Toni Vartrano Menswear collections follow the trends of each season with an “Italian style, a Spanish touch at its base, and British brushstrokes” which makes them different and special… Actually, the clothing is well suited for the more affluent Sitges male tourist or local, Continental European, Brit or Spaniard. 

I realized that my interest in the clothing retailer was complimentary to another passion of mine, which I’m exploring and pursuing—filmmaking. It is my other side! In fact, a few days ago I launched a crowdfunding campaign on the Indiegogo platform about a very famous clothing retailer in New York City, Charivari… take a look and support our effort if you can. It would be much appreciated!

https://igg.me/at/fashionuproar/x/1110547

And for more information, go to www.draftproductions.com

Here is a short film about the fashion documentary I (DRAFT Productions) plan to make: 
[This video is not a trailer for the upcoming fashion documentary, CHARIVARI a fashion UPROAR, but a visual description of the story we hope to tell. It was created for use with the Indiegogo Campaign]

https://vimeo.com/160172710

Film Synopsis:

CHARIVARI a fashion UPROAR, a tale of an innovative family retail business which trail-blazed a path from the mid-sixties to the late 90s. From the inspiration for the first store, its' fashion lines, how it grew into a mini-empire on the residential Upper West Side of Manhattan, highlighting its' legacy—how the chain set the stage of American success for the most famous international fashion designers of today. With a backdrop of a dynamic era in the fashion industry and in the history of NYC.

www.draftproductions.com

CHARIVARI a fashion uproar (CHARIVARI un estruendo en la moda), la historia  de un pequeño negocio familiar que recorrió un esplendoroso  sendero desde mediados de los sesenta hasta finales de los noventa. Empezando con la inspiración para montar la primera tienda y sus líneas de estilo en moda, hasta llegar  a convertirse en un mini imperio en la zona residencial del Upper West Side  (el barrio alto este) de Manhattan, destacando su legado: cómo su cadena de tiendas construyó el escenario para el éxito americano de los más famosos diseñadores internacionales de hoy. Narrado sobre el transfondo de una era muy dinámica en la industria de la moda y en la historia de Nueva York. Para saber más, ir a www.draftproductions.com

Vanity Fair Focus on Charivari

Read about the family and their trendsetting company... in Vanity Fair:

www.vanityfair.com/style/2016/08/the-rise-and-fall-of-charivari-the-cult-boutique-of-fashion

Vanity Fair, long time purveyor of style, culture and journalistic flair has run an article on Charivari, which was written by the esteemed, late Ingrid Sischy who interviewed Barbara and Jon Weiser recalling the life and times of their mother, Selma and the highlights of their retail business.

The piece commissioned by the magazine and deemed relevant to run in the most coveted of issues of the year, the September 2016 issue, no less, validates the importance and impact of Charivari and what drives us as filmmakers to tell the Weisers’ story.

Although well written and timely published (for us!), we can assure you the article is really the leading edge, in terms of covering the details of just how the retailer came to fame...

We (DRAFT Productions - Cheyenne Crump & Ric Spencer) are hoping to raise the funds through this campaign which will make it possible to shoot this documentary film. The funding will afford us to hire the right team and cover the costs incurred in production. 

The total budget of our film is $8o0,000. @afashionuproar

Increase our Visibility and Fundraising Effort.

Support us by Sharing this Post, re-Tweeting & Pledging!

Sitges Tales 3: Principally Summer ‘16

A Tale of Observation 

To hover above the town like the numerous tower cranes marring our sky and observe a resort destination such as Sitges during the height of its annual economic cycle is a very interesting pastime. 

Summer this year is in full swing, we've had our Gay Pride, the first major "festival" of our summer calendar; and it appears as if Sitges has resumed its construction boom, stifled since 2008.

It's hard to imagine, just a month ago the focus was the national political landscape, primarily of its lack of strong government leadership and corruption scandals; whereas, today the seasonal focus is food, fun and fiestas. All are welcomed to join in here, where Sitgetanos blame bankers and corrupt politicians for the crisis as opposed to foreigners. Our arms are open wide to receive tourists, quite the juxtaposition to the racist backlash against refugees fleeing their war-torn countries in the broader European context. 

Los Indignados de Sitges 2011

I must mention here how the momentum of the Indignados movement of Spain has incredibly morphed into Podemos, which has become a national electoral force; unlike in the US where its' equivalent movement, Occupy Wall Street, essentially initiated a national conversation (albeit a vitally needed one) about the desperately wanted change to their social structure.

Take a Closer Look... on the street & on the sea

Yes, the streets are abuzz with movement and the hum of human interaction permeates the air, even above all the activities along the seashore.

The Trends

for Men...

European men are increasingly daring in their grooming and fashion choices these days. Full beards are still going strong since sprouting a couple of years ago – I guess it takes time to cultivate growth worthy of Papa Noel! Conversely, the buzz cut on either side of their heads lends the eyes focus on the lengthy hair coiffed into a little bun atop the crown.

And large floral prints adorn the torsos and hips of the most masculine of physiques this summer.

... for Women

              

Women retain their femininity in the heat by covering their cleavage with peasant blouses which give healthy glimpses of their midrifts as the wind takes the fabric to flight. And gold, silver and copper enrich the straps of sandals with metallic brilliance, whether they're flat, on white-sole platforms or on the prevalent wedges seen step by step around town.

All the while, water shuttles and taxi-boats take passengers up and down the coast, between Barcelona - Sitges and Vilanova.

                             

"Voyage to Sitges"
@thesitgesquarterly
www.instagram.com/thesitgesquarterly

This is just some of what can be glimpsed, heard or noticed in the oasis that is Sitges this summer of 2016. 

Summer of Light & Shadows, pt.2

Anyone familiar with the television series, Cheers will know exactly what to expect of the atmosphere of Casablanca in Sitges. Upon entering, Brandon and Joan welcome you to this gem of a bar in the old part of Sitges.

This little space in time offers refuge to all, away from the millennials who bombard the bars throughout town. Here you’ll find a more mature crowd of gay, straight and bi—all colours of the rainbow shine here; locals, expats, and vacationers lucky enough to have found it along one of the towns most charming little carrers, Carrer Pau Barrebeig.

“The owners, Brandon and Joan, made us feel very welcome in Casablanca's diverse 'family' ”… review from Trip Advisor

Throughout the year Casablanca hosts a myriad of characters. On the winter weekends and holidays the fireplace heats the place and literally warms the locals into song! Needless to say, the cocktails do the rest. It is a place unlike any other…

                 

Again, José Uríszars’ paintings will grace the walls of the bar this August.

From the top of Carrer Pau Barreig

 

Carrer Pau Barrebeig, 5

08870 Sitges

Tel. + 34 938 94 70 82

Summer of Light & Shadows, pt.1

Summer of Light & Shadows

As we experimented with different columns and features in the pages of the Sitges Quarterly Magazine over the years we have had the honour of including Jose Uríszar as one of our contributors, namely his column, “From Our Vines” (*in SQ2—see below).

José Uríszar has visited Sitges several times a year, over the last 17 years. He hosted a live radio show—a food and wine program that was on the Cadena SER radio station, on Wednesdays. The program was called Ser de Vinos, where he conducted live wine tasting on each show.

“Among his artistic talents is also being a connoisseur of wine…”

This month, Uríszar has teamed with eatery, La Picara to exhibit some of his watercolours of Sitges scenes. Seven in all, his use of colour and shadow captures Sitges as only he can on canvas.

                                

La Picara—Conchi and Poala run this small place of great joy and atmosphere, located in the heart of Sitges, where you can taste wines from the major appellations of origin in Spain (especially La Rioja and Catalunya), to be accompanied by homemade Riojana-style tapas.

                     

Carrer Sant Pere, 3

08870 Sitges

Tel. +34 938 11 02 85

www.lapicarasitges.es

Next month, the exhibition continues with more paintings of various sizes to Casablanca.

*Scribe Note: José’s critique of La Blanc Subur

(not to be confused with the Malvasia de Sitges)

MALVASIA DE SITGES 2010
D.O. CATALUNYA 13.5% VOL. BLANC SUBUR

Colour: Medium intensity, clean, bright and transparent.

Pale lemon yellow with turquoise soft touches, very subtle; when tilting the glass, towards the edges, the colour intensifies approaching golden hues.

Thick and smooth legs run down the glass when gently tilted.

Aroma: Medium-high and with intensity; when shaking, the various characteristics stand out—white fruit, exotic touches and a whiff of citrus (grapefruit).

Taste: It makes a good initial impression on the palate with a silky and glycerol taste; white flowers surround a pleasant hint of fruit—apricot and lychee.

Dry in character, with a light but present tannin.

Aftertaste: High persistent flavour returns as if on its’ way over the palate again. It has a substantial difference from inland Malvasias, in its nice hint of salt.

With its quality and features, it is an ideal wine to drink as aperitif (chilled) and to accompany rice, noodle dishes (fideuás) and fried fish.