Manuel Iborra remembers ‘La Club Virginia’ 30 years later at 66th Seminci

La Club Virginia, the documentary directed by Manuel Iborra, has reached the big screen of the Valladolid International Film Festival on Sunday, October 24, 2021. The documentary feature was presented, in the course of a special screening, by its director, who was accompanied by actress Emma Suárez. The event was also joined by producers Ana Huete and Andrés Pérez, actor Antonio Resines and cinematographer Javier Salmones.

Written by the Alicante director, the film has been made in order to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the shooting of Iborra’s feature Club Virginia Orchestra. Produced by Liquid Works, La Club Virginia engages the participation of Jorge Sanz, Antonio Resines, Santiago Ramos, Enrique San Francisco, Juan Echanove, Pau Riba and Emma Suárez. “It is a curious film, like everything that Manuel comes up with,” said Suárez.

In his latest work, Iborra seeks to capture, through memories and testimonies, the atmosphere of a film shoot that was saddled with all kinds of problems, both personal and technical, while also making a love song to cinema. The film portrays the failure of a director overwhelmed by his own film project, but also the unbreakable friendship ties that were forged among the movie’s cast. “After thirty years, he has brought us together to talk about what that shoot meant for us,” recalled the Madrid actress, who added that being part of the Club Virginia Orchestra was “an adventure in which it was a privilege to participate.”

Both Manuel Iborra and Emma Suárez showed their appreciation to the public for attending the special screening of the documentary and recalled the personality of fellow actor Enrique San Francisco, who passed away on March 1. “There are wonderful actors,” said Suárez, “but I especially want to remember Quique, who gave us a great shoot with his special sense of humour,” she added. Likewise, the Alicante-born director chose to conclude his presentation by clarifying for the audience that the original film Club Virginia Orchestra was sold, at the time, as a comedy, which it was not “and which his documentary isn’t either”.