Yuli

Fiction. Yuli narrates the life of Cuban dancer Carlos Acosta, from his origins in a humble neighbourhood of Havana, to become the star of one of the largest ballet companies in the world. Yuli is a child with great phisical conditions who does not want to be a dancer, and who, forced by his father, Pedro, and tutored by his teacher and director of the National Ballet School of Cuba, would become one of the best dancers of his generation, breaking taboos by becoming the first black dancer to play Romeo at the Royal Ballet in London, where he forged his stardom and his legend for 17 years. Yuli is a film about the roots, about dance, about the relationship between Carlos and his father, with his family, with Cuba. Yuli speaks of art, of the sacrifice that involves dedicating life to him and, above all, of what one is.

Icíar Bollaín made her first feature film as a director in 1995. With Hola, ¿estás sola? she received the award for the best new director at the Valladolid Film Festival. In 1999 she directed her second feature, Flores de otro mundo, about the complicated integration of immigrants in Spain. In October 2003 she premiered Te doy mis ojos, in which the theme of macho violence and mistreatment of women was discussed, and for which she received the Goya for Best Film among 7 other statuettes. In 2007 she shot Mataharis and in 2010 También la lluvia, which was selected as a candidate for Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd edition of the Oscars, and in 2011, Katmandú, un espejo en el cielo.

March, 31st 2019. 9:00 pm
Sala Berlanga. Fundación SGAE

Section: Spanish authors Panorama

Year of production: 2018

Running time: 109´

Country: Spain

Language: Spanish

Director: Icíar Bollaín

Cast: Carlos Acosta, Keyvin Martínez, Santiago Alfonso, Edilson Olbera and Laura de la Uz

Producers: Juan Gordon and Andrea Calderwood

Producing companies: Morena Films and Potboiler Productions

International Sales: The Match Factory

Main Festivals and Awards: Jury Prize for Best Screenplay at the San Sebastian Festival, Audience Award at the Minsk International Film Festival. Selected at the festivals of Havana, Hamburg, Miami, Kerala (India), Palm Springs and Belgrade