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The Advertiser
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Underdog tale just the ticket in these trying times
This gentle, stirring drama is as modest in its scope as it is timely, and it is based on personal history. It's the story of a local hero who risked losing his job and earning a jail sentence as he took a courageous stand against the lack of services to his neighbourhood on the periphery of Barcelona. As government and the corporate The quixotic gesture of a bus driver in Barcelona during the 1950s has been brought to our notice by filmmaker Marcel Barrena who co-wrote the screenplay with Alberto Marini. The director's most recent film, about refugees who cross the sea to reach Europe, was another tale preserving the human dignity of people who are struggling. Mediterraneo was also a drama inspired by a real-life story, that of a Barcelona lifeguard instrumental in the establishment of an NGO for rescuing migrants on the open sea. As the lead character, actor Eduard Fernandez comfortably filled the frame and does the same here too, as bus driver Manolo Vital, a man of dignity and warmth. In flight with his teenage daughter from the Falangists in the Extremadura region in the country's west, Vital and a group of political refugees settled on the outskirts of Barcelona in the 1950s. It was not for the welcome they received. The city bureaucrats continued for decades to ignore the needs of the shanty dwellers on the edge of town, in the neighbourhood of Torre Baro. The construction of dwellings on the periphery of cities was apparently a common occurrence beyond Catalonia, as the country slowly moved out from under Franco's authoritarian rule. Torre Baro was, in the first place, a hasty build. Early scenes set in the 1950s, suitably sepia-toned and framed in boxy format, depict the welcome the newcomers received from the local police. They were under orders to demolish any unfinished building if it did not meet regulations in the morning. Structures went up overnight, in a flurry with queues for bricks and bags of cement, as there would be no leniency on the other side, as the police arrived. When a particularly malevolent policeman appears and returns later, and when the views of Vital's teenage daughter, Joana (Zoe Bonafonte), come the fore, the focus shifts to the deeply ingrained political divisions of modern Spain. The other woman in Vital's life is Carme, played by Clara Segura. When she emerged from the fringe community she was still a Catholic nun. When Carme fell in love with the quiet, dignified, hunky man, she left the church and became his wife and a caring stepmother to Joana. Hardship was integral to the way of life for the residents of Torre Baro, in their long wait for connection to the city's utilities. Improvements to their quality of life, such as a reliable water supply, were slow to improve, and intermittent. But it was the absence of transport service up the hill into Torre Baro that rankled. It seemed impossible to fix. Who would use such a service, the authorities asked. Why, the people who came down this morning! City authorities, typically dapper, dark and handsome and ensconced in the city's beautiful buildings, received Vital courteously, but a bus service never materialised. It was time for action, and what fun it is on board the trundling bus, El 47. This is an uplifting low-key drama. The deepfelt political conviction beneath this story of a leftist who married a nun are made explicit in the final scenes. We sensed they were there. It's just that filmmaker Barrena is a skilled and creative storyteller, investing his persuasive energies in the simple, straightforward narrative that unfolds. This gentle, stirring drama is as modest in its scope as it is timely, and it is based on personal history. It's the story of a local hero who risked losing his job and earning a jail sentence as he took a courageous stand against the lack of services to his neighbourhood on the periphery of Barcelona. As government and the corporate The quixotic gesture of a bus driver in Barcelona during the 1950s has been brought to our notice by filmmaker Marcel Barrena who co-wrote the screenplay with Alberto Marini. The director's most recent film, about refugees who cross the sea to reach Europe, was another tale preserving the human dignity of people who are struggling. Mediterraneo was also a drama inspired by a real-life story, that of a Barcelona lifeguard instrumental in the establishment of an NGO for rescuing migrants on the open sea. As the lead character, actor Eduard Fernandez comfortably filled the frame and does the same here too, as bus driver Manolo Vital, a man of dignity and warmth. In flight with his teenage daughter from the Falangists in the Extremadura region in the country's west, Vital and a group of political refugees settled on the outskirts of Barcelona in the 1950s. It was not for the welcome they received. The city bureaucrats continued for decades to ignore the needs of the shanty dwellers on the edge of town, in the neighbourhood of Torre Baro. The construction of dwellings on the periphery of cities was apparently a common occurrence beyond Catalonia, as the country slowly moved out from under Franco's authoritarian rule. Torre Baro was, in the first place, a hasty build. Early scenes set in the 1950s, suitably sepia-toned and framed in boxy format, depict the welcome the newcomers received from the local police. They were under orders to demolish any unfinished building if it did not meet regulations in the morning. Structures went up overnight, in a flurry with queues for bricks and bags of cement, as there would be no leniency on the other side, as the police arrived. When a particularly malevolent policeman appears and returns later, and when the views of Vital's teenage daughter, Joana (Zoe Bonafonte), come the fore, the focus shifts to the deeply ingrained political divisions of modern Spain. The other woman in Vital's life is Carme, played by Clara Segura. When she emerged from the fringe community she was still a Catholic nun. When Carme fell in love with the quiet, dignified, hunky man, she left the church and became his wife and a caring stepmother to Joana. Hardship was integral to the way of life for the residents of Torre Baro, in their long wait for connection to the city's utilities. Improvements to their quality of life, such as a reliable water supply, were slow to improve, and intermittent. But it was the absence of transport service up the hill into Torre Baro that rankled. It seemed impossible to fix. Who would use such a service, the authorities asked. Why, the people who came down this morning! City authorities, typically dapper, dark and handsome and ensconced in the city's beautiful buildings, received Vital courteously, but a bus service never materialised. It was time for action, and what fun it is on board the trundling bus, El 47. This is an uplifting low-key drama. The deepfelt political conviction beneath this story of a leftist who married a nun are made explicit in the final scenes. We sensed they were there. It's just that filmmaker Barrena is a skilled and creative storyteller, investing his persuasive energies in the simple, straightforward narrative that unfolds. This gentle, stirring drama is as modest in its scope as it is timely, and it is based on personal history. It's the story of a local hero who risked losing his job and earning a jail sentence as he took a courageous stand against the lack of services to his neighbourhood on the periphery of Barcelona. As government and the corporate The quixotic gesture of a bus driver in Barcelona during the 1950s has been brought to our notice by filmmaker Marcel Barrena who co-wrote the screenplay with Alberto Marini. The director's most recent film, about refugees who cross the sea to reach Europe, was another tale preserving the human dignity of people who are struggling. Mediterraneo was also a drama inspired by a real-life story, that of a Barcelona lifeguard instrumental in the establishment of an NGO for rescuing migrants on the open sea. As the lead character, actor Eduard Fernandez comfortably filled the frame and does the same here too, as bus driver Manolo Vital, a man of dignity and warmth. In flight with his teenage daughter from the Falangists in the Extremadura region in the country's west, Vital and a group of political refugees settled on the outskirts of Barcelona in the 1950s. It was not for the welcome they received. The city bureaucrats continued for decades to ignore the needs of the shanty dwellers on the edge of town, in the neighbourhood of Torre Baro. The construction of dwellings on the periphery of cities was apparently a common occurrence beyond Catalonia, as the country slowly moved out from under Franco's authoritarian rule. Torre Baro was, in the first place, a hasty build. Early scenes set in the 1950s, suitably sepia-toned and framed in boxy format, depict the welcome the newcomers received from the local police. They were under orders to demolish any unfinished building if it did not meet regulations in the morning. Structures went up overnight, in a flurry with queues for bricks and bags of cement, as there would be no leniency on the other side, as the police arrived. When a particularly malevolent policeman appears and returns later, and when the views of Vital's teenage daughter, Joana (Zoe Bonafonte), come the fore, the focus shifts to the deeply ingrained political divisions of modern Spain. The other woman in Vital's life is Carme, played by Clara Segura. When she emerged from the fringe community she was still a Catholic nun. When Carme fell in love with the quiet, dignified, hunky man, she left the church and became his wife and a caring stepmother to Joana. Hardship was integral to the way of life for the residents of Torre Baro, in their long wait for connection to the city's utilities. Improvements to their quality of life, such as a reliable water supply, were slow to improve, and intermittent. But it was the absence of transport service up the hill into Torre Baro that rankled. It seemed impossible to fix. Who would use such a service, the authorities asked. Why, the people who came down this morning! City authorities, typically dapper, dark and handsome and ensconced in the city's beautiful buildings, received Vital courteously, but a bus service never materialised. It was time for action, and what fun it is on board the trundling bus, El 47. This is an uplifting low-key drama. The deepfelt political conviction beneath this story of a leftist who married a nun are made explicit in the final scenes. We sensed they were there. It's just that filmmaker Barrena is a skilled and creative storyteller, investing his persuasive energies in the simple, straightforward narrative that unfolds. This gentle, stirring drama is as modest in its scope as it is timely, and it is based on personal history. It's the story of a local hero who risked losing his job and earning a jail sentence as he took a courageous stand against the lack of services to his neighbourhood on the periphery of Barcelona. As government and the corporate The quixotic gesture of a bus driver in Barcelona during the 1950s has been brought to our notice by filmmaker Marcel Barrena who co-wrote the screenplay with Alberto Marini. The director's most recent film, about refugees who cross the sea to reach Europe, was another tale preserving the human dignity of people who are struggling. Mediterraneo was also a drama inspired by a real-life story, that of a Barcelona lifeguard instrumental in the establishment of an NGO for rescuing migrants on the open sea. As the lead character, actor Eduard Fernandez comfortably filled the frame and does the same here too, as bus driver Manolo Vital, a man of dignity and warmth. In flight with his teenage daughter from the Falangists in the Extremadura region in the country's west, Vital and a group of political refugees settled on the outskirts of Barcelona in the 1950s. It was not for the welcome they received. The city bureaucrats continued for decades to ignore the needs of the shanty dwellers on the edge of town, in the neighbourhood of Torre Baro. The construction of dwellings on the periphery of cities was apparently a common occurrence beyond Catalonia, as the country slowly moved out from under Franco's authoritarian rule. Torre Baro was, in the first place, a hasty build. Early scenes set in the 1950s, suitably sepia-toned and framed in boxy format, depict the welcome the newcomers received from the local police. They were under orders to demolish any unfinished building if it did not meet regulations in the morning. Structures went up overnight, in a flurry with queues for bricks and bags of cement, as there would be no leniency on the other side, as the police arrived. When a particularly malevolent policeman appears and returns later, and when the views of Vital's teenage daughter, Joana (Zoe Bonafonte), come the fore, the focus shifts to the deeply ingrained political divisions of modern Spain. The other woman in Vital's life is Carme, played by Clara Segura. When she emerged from the fringe community she was still a Catholic nun. When Carme fell in love with the quiet, dignified, hunky man, she left the church and became his wife and a caring stepmother to Joana. Hardship was integral to the way of life for the residents of Torre Baro, in their long wait for connection to the city's utilities. Improvements to their quality of life, such as a reliable water supply, were slow to improve, and intermittent. But it was the absence of transport service up the hill into Torre Baro that rankled. It seemed impossible to fix. Who would use such a service, the authorities asked. Why, the people who came down this morning! City authorities, typically dapper, dark and handsome and ensconced in the city's beautiful buildings, received Vital courteously, but a bus service never materialised. It was time for action, and what fun it is on board the trundling bus, El 47. This is an uplifting low-key drama. The deepfelt political conviction beneath this story of a leftist who married a nun are made explicit in the final scenes. We sensed they were there. It's just that filmmaker Barrena is a skilled and creative storyteller, investing his persuasive energies in the simple, straightforward narrative that unfolds.
Russia Today
09-07-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Senior EU diplomat blames global crises for being late to parliament
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has lamented that he is overwhelmed by international crises, calling himself 'the unluckiest minister in history.' Tajani said that on Tuesday after arriving late to a conference being held in the Italian parliament devoted to democracy and parliamentarism in the Mediterranean region. Apologizing to participants, he said it had been a difficult day: 'The foreign minister is the unluckiest in history – there's always something happening: two wars plus the trade one,' in an apparent reference to the Ukraine conflict, the Middle East escalation, and trade tensions with the US. This week, Tajani reaffirmed Italy's role in Ukraine's post-war recovery in an article published by the outlet Formiche. Rome is preparing to unveil financial support for firms involved in the rebuilding process, Reuters reported. The war in Gaza remains another major source of diplomatic strain for EU governments – including Italy – caught between calls for a ceasefire and continued Western arms deals with Israel. Tajani's remarks also come as the EU – the US' single biggest trading partner – braces for the possibility that President Donald Trump may follow through on his 'Liberation Day' global tariffs, first announced on April 2. Trump has repeatedly described the bloc as 'very difficult to deal with' and the US trade deficit with it as 'totally unacceptable.' He imposed a 20% tariff on all EU goods, along with a 25% duty on cars and metals. The 20% levy was suspended on April 9 for a 90-day period, with a 10% baseline duty remaining in place. The tariffs were initially set to take effect on July 9 and rise to 50% unless a deal was reached. However, this week Trump extended the deadline to August 1 and began issuing formal tariff notices to trading partners. Brussels, which has repeatedly warned of retaliation, said it hopes to reach a deal 'in the coming days.' However, Italian Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti was quoted by the BBC as saying the talks remain 'very complicated' and could go right to the wire.
New York Times
19-06-2025
- New York Times
The Sparkle of Separateness: Circling Sardinia by Car
I saw the two women chatting as soon as I entered the town. One was standing on the street in the shade of a low building; the other, an older lady dressed in black, was responding from her third-floor balcony. Together they formed a charming first impression of Cuglieri, a small commune I'd passed through while driving along the western coast of the Italian island of Sardinia. Nothing else was stirring on that sleepy Sunday afternoon in late September — until I bumped into three friends sitting on a bench: Antonio, Giovanni Maria and Renzo, their combined ages well over 200. I introduced myself and, when word got out that I'm half Sicilian, Antonio, the tallest gentleman, smiled and shouted: 'Ah, anche tu isolana sei!' — So you're an islander, too! His exclamation encapsulated the separateness of life on Sardinia, which lies in the Mediterranean some 120 miles west of mainland Italy. To refer to the rest of country, locals here say 'il continente' — the continent. In other words: Those 120 miles might as well be an entire ocean. My partner and I had formulated a simple plan: to fly to the Sardinian capital of Cagliari, on the southern coast, rent a car and drive the perimeter of the island counterclockwise, following as many seaside roads as possible. We also wanted to swim, hike and visit some of the smaller islands off the coast. Sardinia has about 1,150 miles of shoreline, though not all of it is accessible. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
ABC News
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
The Spanish Film Festival is led by El 47, a powerfully simple story about a local bus driver taking a stand against fascism and discrimination
Filming the refugee-crisis-inspired epic Mediterraneo: The Law of the Sea almost broke Spanish filmmaker Marcel Barrena. "We were shooting on the sea with 100 refugees in the crew, during the pandemic with borders closed," the director recalls. "Our star, Danielle Schleif, was diagnosed with cancer during filming, so it was a lot." What: A rousing biopic detailing an almost forgotten moment of working-class Catalan pride. Directed by: Marcel Barrena Starring: Eduard Fernández, Carla Segura, Zoe Bonafonte Where: Screening in cinemas around the country for the Spanish Film Festival Likely to make you feel: Like you can make a difference for your family and your community Returning home to Barcelona after the trial by sea, he wanted to go with something gentler. "I needed to find a story about my city, and in my main language, Catalan," he says. "So I was checking Google for stories, and I found this very strange blog about the history of metropolitan transport in the city, of buses and subways." Joking that he was probably only the second person to ever visit the gloriously nerdy site, Barrena thanks his lucky stars he did. On the site, he read a post about a man called Manolo Vital, which led to Barrena shooting Spanish Film Festival highlight El 47. "It suddenly changed my life," the director says. Despite growing up in a "very lefty, ideological family, going to a Communist public school and listening to all these musicians protesting against fascists", he had never heard of valiant community hero Vital. He had helped build the hilly community of Torre Baró on the outskirts of Barcelona — a place of refuge for impoverished Andalusian and Extremaduran refugees fleeing fascists — with his own hands. Despite facing brutal crackdowns by the authorities, the community flourished. But as time went on, the suburb was basically ignored by Barcelona's local government, with no paving, sewerage or public transport. Until, that is, Vital took it upon himself to hijack the bus he drove in 1978, taking it and its passengers to the peak of Torre Baró — all to prove to authorities that it could and should be done. "Here was this incredible working-class story that no-one had ever told before," Barrena says. "And at the end of this blog post, there was a comment from his granddaughter. And when I reached out to her, the story got bigger and bigger." Turns out Vital, a single dad, was such a hunk in his day that a nun supporting the Torre Baró community, fell head over heels for him. Giving up the habit, Carme left the convent to marry him and help raise his daughter. Who could resist such a story? Certainly no-one in Spain, where Barrena's big-hearted and beautiful film El 47 (so named after the 47 bus Vital drove) smashed box office records. Mediterraneo star Eduard Fernández depicts Vital. "He's the best actor in Spain," Barrena insists. "He's a very close friend of Javier Bardem, and the only difference between them is that Eduard cannot speak English. Otherwise, he'd be as big as Al Pacino." Fernández loves to tackle a meaty role. He relished his turn as real-life Catalan lifeguard Òscar Camps in Mediterraneo and also pops up in another Spanish Film Festival gem, Marco. As rousing as these roles are, Barrena says there's a much easier way to entice the lauded actor. "He doesn't mind about money," Barrena says. "He only cares about what vehicle he gets to drive. In Mediterraneo, it was a boat and a jet ski. In El 47, it's a vintage bus." Barrena was worried about finding the right model, but located an avid collector as diligent as that blog writer in preserving the city's transport history. There was only one bus in all of Spain, and they almost weren't allowed to borrow it. "This guy said, 'I cannot give you my bus because I don't trust Eduard to drive it,'" Barrena says. "It's a museum piece, and they wanted Eduard to take bus driver classes. In the end, we convinced the guy, but I have to say Eduard destroyed several wing mirrors." The shoot was full-on, with the film convincingly depicting two distinct historical periods. "We're in the middle of downtown Barcelona, which has changed so much over the years, so you put the camera on the bus and you drive by all these big stores like Zara, Mango and Louis Vuitton," Barrena laughs. "Plus, the bus has no aircon and it was about 50 degrees when we were shooting. Torre Baró is at the top of the steepest hill, so we had to cheat and build another bus that could make it." However headache-inducing the behind-the-scenes challenges were, the family at the heart of El 47 is key to its success, Barrena says. "The story of the bus was just the MacGuffin." That includes theatre actor Clara Segura as the indomitable Carme, and newcomer Zoe Bonafonte as Vital's daughter — the pair were both awarded in Spain's national annual Goya film awards. "Carme quit being a nun for love in the darkest days of this fascist dictatorship, deciding to climb this mountain and share Catalan with them, when speaking the language could land you in prison," Barrena says. A devoted Catalan theatre actor, Segura is in hot demand, but Barrena convinced her to take part in the film as the perfect sparring partner for Fernández. Representing a truly Catalan story on the national and global stage was a big motivator for them all. "This is the first time a Catalan movie has reached number one at the Spanish box office," Barrena says. "It's changed everything. And the extras are all real people from Torre Baró, some of whom were friends with Manolo and Carme. They were pushing this bus up the hill." El 47 is screening as part of this year's Spanish Film Festival.
The National
02-06-2025
- Climate
- The National
Tourists run to safety as Mount Etna erupts
Footage captured on the Italian island of Sicily shows thick, grey clouds billowing from the volcano
