Film on Cuban Dancer Acosta to Compete at San Sebastian Festival

Film Yuli, inspired by the life of Cuban dancer Carlos Acosta and directed by Spanish filmmaker Iciar Bollaín, will compete at the San Sebastian International Film Festival, Acosta Danza announced today.

A statement from the company specifies that the 66th edition of the event will include, among its singularities, the world premiere of the film whose artistic cast is led by Acosta himself, together with Laura De la Uz, Santiago Alfonso, Yerlín Pérez, Carlos Enrique Almirante and Andrea Doimeadiós, among others.

The company Acosta Danza also participates in the film made on a script by Scottish Paul Laverty, two-time winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes and a regular writer of Ken Loach's films.

For this particular film, Laverty was inspired by the dancer's autobiographical book, No Way Home, although the film does not intend to present a biopic.

The film is articulated around the relationship between Carlos and his father, which was very strong, very special, it will reflect the life of the dancer but the central axis will be the relationship of a father and a son, Bollaín told Prensa Latina a few months ago.

A prognosis was fulfilled in the life of Acosta, that of the father, because as a child he did not want to study ballet and then when he discovered his passion for dance, he did not imagine that he would become one of the best dancers in the world.

With the feeling that one day his son would become an important personality, Pedro Acosta baptized Carlos with the nickname of Yuli, because he considered him a direct descendant of Ogun, an African god, a warrior.

The director of photography of the film was in charge of Álex Catalán and the soundtrack of Alberto Iglesias, while María Rovira created the choreography for the work that will compete for the Golden Shell in the Spanish festival scheduled to take place from September 21 to 30.

Yuli will give Bollaín the opportunity to compete for the third time in San Sebastian, where in 2003, the protagonists of his film Take My Eyes, Lai Marull and Luis Tosar, won the best acting awards.