By Amanda Moses
Last month, the Tribeca Film Festival enamored audiences with a full roster of red-carpet premieres, featuring star-studded cast members from around the world.
On June 14th, the festival welcomed some of Spain’s finest actors for the premiere of Official Competition at the BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center, including Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz, as well as Argentinian Directors/Screenwriters Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat, and Screenwriter Andrés Duprat.
Official Competition was TFF’s Spanish spotlight narrative following the comedic escapades of an 80-year-old billionaire entrepreneur, Humberto Suarez (Jose Luis Gomez,) who develops the urge to create a cinematic masterpiece as a symbol of his legacy—but the only way to do this is to procure the right team.
However, in hiring eccentric director Lola Cuevas (Cruz) and Hollywood hunk Felix Rivero (Banderas), as well as stage titan Ivan Torres (Oscar Martinez), the gigantic egos between these stars collide creating a comedic journey of mishaps as both men battle to get the best of one another.
Additionally, upon conjuring this grand idea to develop an award-winning film, Suarez purchased the rights to the book Rivalry, solely due to its accolade of being a Nobel-prize winning novel, which he hasn’t read.
“We’re showcasing and exploring the worst side of show business,” Banderas said on the red carpet.
This showbiz satire highlights the egocentric lives of stars—their obsession with vanity, award fiends, and overall self-centered behavior. According to stars Cruz and Banderas, many of the traits they incorporated into their roles came from both first-hand experience and researching diva interviews.
Photos by Amanda Moses
