The director and starring actors present the film in Madrid

S.C. Madrid, February 22nd, 2005

Within a few days the Torres Bermejas tablao in Madrid will revive the early professional days of Camarón de la Isla. Jaime Chávarri's crew will begin shooting at that mythical stage ‘Camarón’, the first film about the legendary cantaor. Spanish actor Óscar Jaenada will play the role of the Cádiz-born artist, who confesses that he undertakes the character with “respect and seriousness”. As the director explained at the shooting presentation, the film has the blessing of the artist's family, as well as the advice of Paco de Lucía and Tomatito. The filmmaker's intention is for “this fictional film based on a real person to reflect that inexplicable emotion Camarón used to make people feel when he used to sing”.

Jaime Chávarri with the actors and producer
of the movie 'Camarón' (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

Twelve years after his death, Camarón de la Isla continues to be in the news. At the same time an album is being published with previously unreleased recordings by the cantaor at Venta de Vargas, shooting of the film ‘Camarón’ begins. With the permission of La Chispa, the artist's widow, director Jaime Chávarri is trying to create a fictional biography about the legendary cantaor. The filmmaker is aware of the challenge he is taking on, since “Camarón is a legend; the legend mixes with reality and the story is still very recent”. But he has made up his mind to take a risk to “capture that emotion I felt when I saw Camarón perform”.

The movie will cover the artist's life, inserting his work in between. The song selection is a secret, but the director hints that “there'll be a part representative of all the kinds of flamenco he sang. Cante jondo doesn't work in cinema, but there are other kinds of songs of his that are in everyone's subconscious and that will drive the narrative forward”.

The script, written by Álvaro del Amo, develops around the relationships Camarón de la Isla struck up with people such as his wife La Chispa and guitarists Paco de Lucía, Tomatito and Paco Cepero, who will be played by actors Verónica Sánchez, Raúl Rocamora, Alfonso Begara and Chiqui Maya, respectively. The starring role is entrusted to Óscar Jaenada, who wants to take on this work “with respect and seriousness”. The actor says he “was surprised when in the conversations I had with Tomatito, Paco de Lucía, Rancapino and La Chispa they confirmed to me what you find hard to believe about Camarón”. And he assures that, as he was a man of few words, his performance is going to be based on expression and gestures, since as La Chispa says, “we used to communicate with our regard”.

The shooting of the film, with a budget of four million euros, is going to be carried out over the next few months in Madrid, Cádiz and Paris. The date of the premiere has yet to be determined, since “the music is going to complicate the post-production a great deal”.

Jaime Chávarri, director of 'Camarón' (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

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