With a US$4 million budget and a script from an almost total newcomer, how did young Spanish producer Javier Castro, a newcomer himself, wind up with prestigious international filmmakers like Carlos Saura at the helm and Vittorio Storaro lensing on love story-cum-thriller, Taxi?
Needless to say, it is a very impressive coup for Castro and his production house FilmArt, and obviously a very attractive script that attracted Saura to the film and, in turn, Vittorio Storaro, who had previously filmed Saura's hugely successful feature documentary, Flamenco.
Castro candidly admits, 'I cannot say [securing Carlos Saura] was on my merit as a producer, as Taxi is my first feature film production. It was beginner's luck and naivety... or ingenuity. I just decided to approach Carlos Saura directly because that was who I wanted. Perhaps more experienced producers would have baulked at asking Saura to direct a film he hadn't written, because he has never done so before.'
But Castro's tenacity paid off big time. His achievement in assembling a much-talked about young cast to accompany his top quality production has definitely been lauded by those lucky enough to be on the set and see some of the rushes. Apart from star veterans Saura and Storaro, Taxi really is a showcase for newcomers. This is the first feature film produced by FilmArt, and both the scriptwriter and the fledgling stars of the film are new talent. Taxi marks 19-year-old Ingrid Rubio's first appearance in a feature film. Her celluloid boyfriend, Carlos Fuentes, won praise for his debut appearance in Antartida at last year's Venice Film Festival.
Set in modern-day Madrid, Taxi begins simply as a conflict between a rebellious teenage girl, Paz (Rubio), and her parents, but quickly escalates into tragedy when she falls in love. A dark drama set in the twilight world of urban violence, Paz's world is turned upside down overnight as she discovers that her father and Dani (Fuentes) - the boy she loves - are both members of a vigilante taxi gang who dedicate their night shifts to 'cleaning the streets of Madrid of unwanted rubbish'. The 'rubbish' includes any unlikely outsider unlucky enough to become a passenger in their taxis.
In early sales racked up at the Berlin Film Festival and the AFM, Taxi sold to more than 16 countries. It is now one of the most talked about attractions at San Sebastián. Saura is now preparing his new film, Pajarico solitario (Lonely Little Bird), to be shot this autumn, again produced by FilmArt, and with the involvement of TF1. Buzz suggests that the coming-of-age tale, set in 1950s Spain, recaptures a lot of the flavour of Saura's classic Cría cuervos (1975), but has a far warmer edge. Linda Moore
Prod co: P.C. FilmArt con la colaboración del ministerio español de cultura y TVE
Prod: Javier Castro/Concha
Díaz Dir: Carlos Saura
Guión (Scr): Santiago Tabernero
Foto(Ph): Vittorio Storaro
Art dir (Prod des): Juan Botella
Mont (Ed): Julia Juaniz
Ints (Cast): Ingrid Rubio (Paz), Carlos Fuentes (Dani), Agata Lys (Reme), Angel de Andres (Velasco), Eusebio Lazaro (Calero), Paco Maestre (Nino), Maite Blasco (Mari)
Ventas (Int'l sales): TF1 International
PROGRAMACION (Screenings): Victoria Eugenia, 19 Sep, 19.00; 20 Sep, 9.00. 20 Sep, 9.00.
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