‘Tequila, Intercourse, Medication and Rock and Roll’ by Alvaro Longoria to Latido

“Tequila, Intercourse, Medication and Rock and Roll,” from Goya Award-winning producer-helmer Alvaro Longoria, has been acquired for worldwide gross sales by Latido Films. 

Arrange at Madrid’s Morena Movies, which Longoria co-founded, doc marks a return to directing for Longoria, whose 2012 debut, “Sons of the Clouds,” produced by Javier Bardem, scored a Spanish Academy Goya whereas 2015’s “The Propaganda Game” nabbed a nomination. In the meantime, simply in the previous few years, Longoria has produced Asghar Farhadi’s Cannes opener “Everyone Is aware of” and Spanish field workplace juggernaut “Champions.”  

“I produce, that’s how I make a residing, however I direct documentaries as a ardour.’ stated Longoria.

Set to world premiere at this month’s San Sebastian Competition as a part of its Made in Spain showcase, “Tequila” charts the rise of the Argentine-Spanish rock band fronted by Ariel Rot and Alejo Stivel. 

The 2 are set to carry out once more in a sequence of post-film screening concert events. The 4 occasions will likely be held in Spain in areas as but to be introduced.

“Tequila took Spain’s virginity.” Longoria instructed Selection. “There have been numerous bands afterwards however they actually had been the primary pure rock band in Spanish related to the individuals. It’s the soundtrack of a era”. Greatest associates Ariel and Alejo left an Argentina that was descending into army dictatorship and arrived in 1975 Spain – a rustic craving new tradition and pleasure. 

The doc characteristic weaves archival performances with interviews introduced in 4:3 facet ratio to mirror the format widespread to TV exhibits within the ‘70s. Cecilia Rot, Ariel’s brother, speaks correctly all through the movie capturing the sensation of not solely the band’s rise, however the tragedy of their drug infused slide.

“We’re at all times proud to work with Morena, an organization with which we’ve shared nice success. On this case, much more so, since our good friend the producer-director Alvaro Longoria directs a most enjoyable documentary about one of many rock teams that modified Spain,” stated Latido head Antonio Saura. “His specific imaginative and prescient permits us to grasp higher how a rock band influenced the lifetime of a rustic which was in deep transformation, and made their music common,” he added.

Selection spoke to Longoria within the run-up to San Sebastian: 

There’s a lyric to one among their songs within the movie “We’re gonna play rock ’n’ roll and nobody’s stopping us.” It appears to straightforwardly seize a sense of that point in Spain. How do you are feeling the timing of Tequila’s arrival in 1975 influenced their success?

Longoria: Spain was a rustic that was gray and darkish, after which all of the sudden BOOM! Explosion and this was the group that was there and the individuals instantly related with them. The reality is it’s an incredible story. This might be the soundtrack that modified their (Spaniards) lives, they went from darkish to rainbow.”

It appears Ariel and Alejo had a cultural head begin, given their upbringing in Argentina, as in comparison with Spain who was simply popping out from a cultural vacuum in 1975…

Longoria: It was future: Simply as Argentina goes from mild to darkish, Spain goes from darkish to mild. They’re at a cross level the place they swap simply on the proper time. They arrive from a rustic that was very superior by Spanish requirements, the place tradition was in every single place and all of the sudden this closed down. They managed to leap to a rustic that’s opening up. They only continued the tendency of what was occurring in Argentina after they left. However for Spain it was a revolution.“

Within the movie, Cecilia Rot talks of “paradise getting out of hand” and it actually did for the band. How did you keep away from telling a cliched rock ’n’ roll story?

Longoria: After I began the cliche was so apparent. However then you definitely really look into Tequila and also you take heed to them discuss their lives: How in 4 years they went from being youngsters to victory and absolute fame to catastrophe. It’s fairly curious how this abrupt coming of age turns into fairly a dramatic story and makes it fascinating. Cecilia was essential as a result of she was there. She was the one witnessing her little brother go completely loopy whereas she was going loopy as effectively, even crazier in all probability.”

How do you see the movie being obtained outdoors of Spain?

Longoria: I considered “Looking for Sugarman” once we began doing this as a result of it’s humorous how regardless of being Argentinian no one is aware of them outdoors of Spain. This group didn’t have any time to journey. So I believe that the film will likely be a watch opener particularly for Latin American audiences that haven’t recognized Tequila however in all probability know each Ariel and Alejo. I believe will probably be a revelation for lots of people, particularly in Argentina.

What’s your tackle the present state of documentary filmmaking in Spain?

Longoria: In Spain documentary continues to be a minor style, though platforms are beginning to do it. However when you have a look at what platforms are doing it’s primarily small productions, typically crime-driven, sport celebs or scandalous. There’s not but that swap into larger productions. The U.Okay. and U.S. have huge funds documentaries being financed however it’s not occurring in Spain but. However it is going to as a result of platforms want merchandise and so they want very high-visibility merchandise and it’s less expensive for a platform to do a high-visibility documentary than to do high-visibility fiction.