Z365" or "Festival all year round" is the new strategic point of the Festival in which converge investigation, accompaniment and development of new talents (Ikusmira Berriak, Nest); training and cinematic knowledge transfer (Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola, Zinemaldia + Plus, Filmmakers' dialogue); and investigation, disclosure and cinematic thought (Z70 project, Thought and Discussion and Research and publications).
Yuli, Iciar Bollain’s latest film, is not a conventional biopic. Carlos Acosta, the first black dancer to perform with the Royal Ballet in London, plays himself, and his subjective memories provide the details of some of the most important parts of his life. In addition, his life is not only reflected in flashbacks but also in various choreographed ballet performances.
At the press conference he gave yesterday Acosta explained that he had written this biography years ago as therapy to face up to his past, especially the troubled relationship he had with his father, who was the one who forced him to follow the path that led him to become a dancer, when he actually would have liked to be a footballer. He never thought it would be a film, but producer Andrea Calderwood saw its potential and passed on the idea to scriptwriter Paul Laverty, who accepted a project that meant he would have the chance to work once again with Iciar Bollaín behind the camera.
The biopic also functions on various levels, as it not only provides an overview of Acosta’s life, but also becomes a vison of the history of Cuba.