GLORIA (15) - NEW AWARD-WINNING FILM SHOWS 50-SOMETHINGS IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT
Ditch the stereotypical obsession with zimmer frames, stairlifts, memory loss, moth-ball smelling spinsters and mortality. It is the film about a 50-something woman starring an unknown teacher which captured the imagination of the jury and cinema-goers alike at the 63rd Berlin Film Festival earlier this year resulting in Paulina Garcia winning the coveted Best Actress award. Now Sebastian Lelio’s GLORIA (15) will open in 45 countries and is Chile’s official Oscar™ entry for 2014. Ahead of the comedy-drama’s premiere at the BFI London Film Festival, a Q&A tour with the female lead before the 1 November UK release, why might GLORIA prove to be a hit with UK cinema audiences?
In the film Paulina Garcia plays a 50-something divorcee on a journey of self-discovery. She fills her nights seeking love in ballrooms and making a party out of her solitude. Part of the universal appeal of GLORIA is that modern day Chile could be any cosmopolitan city including any in the UK. The phenomenon of ‘silver splitters’ – people over 60 who are divorced or separated – has risen by three-quarters in the past twenty years, according to recent data from the Office for National Statistics. Marriage charity Relate has also said that baby-boomers - those born between 1946 and 1964 - will be the first generation for whom living alone is the norm in old age due to the rising divorce rate in the UK.
Mark Beasley, Chairman of the Mature Marketing Association and mature marketing consultancy RHC Advantage, said, “GLORIA touches on many themes relevant to the UK’s ageing population. People in their 50s, and older, are an increasingly large, complex and diverse group, to which society must continue to adapt. Many older people – especially women - tell us that they feel ‘invisible’ – as people and as consumers. GLORIA reminds us that in most important respects, our attitudes and needs do not change with age – and that we are indeed a force to be reckoned with.”
The film’s director Sebastian Lelio said, “I think that the energy in Gloria’s character is what makes this film vibrant and human. In a certain sense, Gloria is like Rocky: the world strikes at her and beats her down, but she manages to get up once more and carry on forward, holding her head up high. This, to me, was always a great reason for which to film this woman’s story, to film what we can see of her on the surface and to try film her mystery as well.”
So what has made the film such a hit with cinemagoers that a Chilean film is opening in 45 countries? The Berlin Festival jury who awarded Garcia the Silver Bear commended the film, “for its refreshing and contagious plea that life is a celebration to which we are all invited, regardless of age or condition, and that its complexities only add to the challenge to live it in full.”
Reactions from film critics have been extremely positive. According to Screen International‘s chief critic Mark Adams, “Paulina Garcia is quite wonderful in the role – she is in every scene, and does a remarkable job in portraying the fractured and fraying life of a middle-aged woman who is simply seeking affection.”
With the significant growth in older people visiting UK cinemas GLORIA may well prove to be an independent cinema hit not just with women but with an older audience. Recent BFI research shows that in 2012 the proportion of over 45s in UK cinemas increased to 36%. The over 45s are also said to make up more than 50% of independent cinema audiences.
A film about the 50-somethings single scene with a female character inspired by Rocky Balboa. This intoxicating combination may well be what has enamoured critics and audiences alike worldwide.
GLORIA SCREENINGS AT BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL IN PARTNERSHIP WITH AMERICAN EXPRESS
Thursday 17 October. 20:30pm. Odeon West End. Q&A with Sebastian Lelio
Sunday 20 October 18:00. NFT1
GLORIA Q&A TOUR VENUES
Saturday 19 October
Picturehouse Exeter 3.30pm. Q&A with Sebastian Lelio
Bristol Watershed 8.40pm. Q&A with Sebastian Lelio
Sunday 20 October
Filmhouse Edinburgh. Q&A with Sebastian Lelio
Wed 23 October
Cornerhouse Manchester 8pm. Q&A with Paulina Garcia
Thurs 24 October
Curzon Soho. Q&A with Paulina Garcia
Ritzy Brixton later screening. Q&A with Paulina Garcia
Fri 25 October
Picturehouse Oxford 6pm. Q&A with Paulina Garcia
GLORIA CONFIRMED OPENING SITES -1 NOVEMBER
Curzon Soho
Institute Contemporary Arts
Ritzy Brixton
Lexi Cinema
Watershed Bristol
Broadway Nottingham
Sheffield Showroom
Filmhouse Edinburgh
Chapter Cardiff
Picturehouse Oxford
Picturehouse Cambridge
Cornerhouse Manchester
Picturehouse Cambridge
IFI Dublin.
***ENDS***
Running time: 110mins
For further information please contact:
Luciano Chelotti, Sabina Maharjan or Bryony Forde
Network Releasing, Units 19-20 Berghem Mews, Blythe Road, London, W14 0HN
Tel: 0207 605 4422 or 0207 605 4424
Email: luciano.chelotti@networkdistributing.com, sabina.maharjan@networkdistributing.com or bryony.forde@networkdistributing.com
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