10/27/2020.- ʻAntonio Machado. The Blue Days’ is the second film by the young documentary filmmaker Laura Hojman, a graduate in Art History who wanted to recall and pay tribute to the figure of the Sevillian poet. The film was released today, 27 October, in the DOC.España section of the 65 Valladolid International Film Festival. The idea for the movie occurred to her as she was writing her first documentary “Tierras solares”, a film about Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío, and realised that Darío had been “a key figure in the life of Antonio Machado.”
In addition, the film was made coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the death of Machado: “I thought it was an ideal time to remember his life and update his legacy so that it enters a conversation with the present,” says the director.
The main objective was to recall Machado’s personality and contribution so as to encourage reflection among young people about the role of culture and education in our time. “The poet is a symbol of exile,” says Hojman.
The director expressed her satisfaction at taking part in the Valladolid Festival, which see sees as “a great acknowledgement of a well done job”. This is the second time she presents a documentary in Valladolid, and the audience has shown a very positive response.
Finally, Hojman recommends that we look back on the past so as to understand our roots —an exercise that can provide many answers to today’s issues—, as well as reading the “great classics” like Machado.