The Flamenco Guitar of Yerai Cortés

Winner of the Goya Award for Best Documentary, this is an exquisite and surprisingly intimate portrait of the brilliant young guitarist Yerai Cortés, as presented by his fellow musician, Antón Álvarez (aka singer-songwriter C. Tangana). Cortés is a phenomenal talent, but what Álvarez finds most interesting about him is his relationship with his estranged parents, who are interviewed separately and at some length about their marriage. This might seem gratuitous, but in fact the more we learn about them, the better we understand Cortés’s drive and artistry. In this, it doesn’t feel like a typical music doc. It cuts deeper, and has interesting things to say about the gitano subculture (see also, Sleepless City). Álvarez shows his flair with several musical set pieces, which are both flamboyantly staged and integrated into the film’s exploration of Cortés’s psyche.

Before the film, this VIFF Live presentation will feature an hour long flamenco performance, Por Derecho (For the Right) by Flamenco Rosario, followed by a short intermission, and then the film screening. A night of passionate flamenco music, song, and dance — just as the audience can experience in Spain — where the artists bring out the raw power of flamenco through their own personal style.

One of the most interesting and carefully made musical documentaries…of recent years.

Ricardo Rosaro, Fotogramas

Dazzling and powerful… A film with soul, which, at times, manages to unite the magic of cinema with that of music, with images to remember.

Julia Olmo, Cineuropa

A pleasant surprise… Few documentaries get to the heart of their subject matter in quite such a distinctive and original way.

Chris Connor, Flickering Myth