The Matador

See This Movie! Now playing.

2008-03-24T19:49:00.000-07:00

"It's a dance, a combination of athleticism and self-expression," says one aficionado. "It takes courage and discipline, but it can provoke in the audience a keener awareness of the joy and the pain of life."

More than one person has caught a similarity between break dancing and the Spanish bullfight. Not an obvious one to many, but it's been brought up enough to warrant attention. B-boying (the real name for "break dancing," also called b-girling when the performer is female) has been featured in Hollywood movies like "Flashdance," "Step-Up" - and now in a beautiful new documentary film called "Planet B-Boy."

The movie premiered last weekend in NY and LA and is coming soon to other U.S. cities. Director Benson Lee's beautiful treatment of the subject leaves audiences misty-eyed and inspired. (Planet B-boy was the country's best-selling art-house premiere last weekend.)

There's nothing like a real documentary - beautifully shot and executed - to prove that subjects oft-treated by Hollywood are far more compelling in real life, when backed up with great cinematography and music.

Matador in the News

2008-03-24T06:45:00.001-07:00

Here, a round-up of some recent coverage of "The Matador" -

AJ Schnack, Founder, Cinema Eye Awards Review of "The Matador"

Jaman SXSW Recap

Jaman Review

EFilm Critic Interview

Arkansas Democratic Interview

Indiewire Interview

Austin Chronicle Interview

Austin American Statesmen Review

Quantel EQ Case Study

Variety BMI Dinner Photo Gallery

Another Wonderful Thing

2008-03-18T20:28:00.000-07:00

The future is here for powerful non-fiction films like "The Matador."

The Cinema Eye Awards blasted onto the scene last night, spotlighting great cinematography and editing. Thanks to founder AJ Schnack for that. For his urge to prove that instead of dry treatises on the "right issues," documentary can be "entertaining..can be artistic...can rival narrative as a filmgoing experience."

Hats off to the awards team - including chair Thom Powers (Toronto Film Festival) and David Nugent (Hamptons International Film Festival) for ushering in a time when well-crafted, emotionally powerful non-fiction films rise to the fore.

The Cinema Eye Award will become a coveted prize during these next, expansive years for documentary film.
Last night's artful winners include Jason Kohn's "Manda Bala" and Alex Gibney's "Taxi to the Dark Side."
Amen to that.

In the interest of full disclosure, we have to mention that AJ has called "The Matador" the "best looking film I saw at SXSW" and "one of the best of this early year" overall.

But we'd love the Cinema Eye Awards anyhow.

Craft rules.

More information:
Check out the Cinema Eye Awards

The Masters of Craft Behind "The Matador"

2008-03-17T08:52:00.000-07:00

"The Matador's" raw emotion and power owe much to the finesse of its post-production crew: Editor Ian Rummer, Composer John Califra and Sound Mixer Scott Rhame are masters of their craft.
In these two interviews for realtvfilms.com, they appear with filmmakers Stephen Higgins and Nina Gilden Seavey to talk about their work.

An Editor Makes It Work: Ian Rummer with Stephen Higgins

Sound to Picture: John Califra and Scott Rhame with Nina Gilden Seavey

Bullfighting, Cloning and the 21st Century: Fascinating Article from Washington Post.

2008-03-17T08:40:00.000-07:00

Animal cloning, like bullfighting, has its supporters and detractors.

Here, an article from the Washington Post shows how cloning may someday influence the bullfight.

Seeing Red Over Bid to Clone a Bull

Last chance to see "one of the truly glorious discoveries of SXSW"*

2008-03-14T21:14:00.000-07:00

The Matador's final, exciting SXSW screening is this Saturday night at 7 pm.
Foes, friends and even those indifferent to the bullfight have all been deeply moved by the film, which is "one of the truly glorious discoveries" at SXSW.

So get to Austin Convention Center at 7 pm and see for yourself the cinematic experience that is "one of the finest, most emotional documentaries ever shown at SXSW."

*jaman.com

"The Matador" Score Reverberates after SXSW Premier

2008-03-12T22:41:00.000-07:00

After its SXSW premiere, praise for the The Matador's cinematography and score continues.
Here, John Califra's score begins what is certain to a be a very long life in hearts of his fans.

From stationinthemetro.com:

The Matador Score
If you were any any of the screenings of The Matador at SXSW this week, you know how amazing the score is. Some of us lucky enough to get to the premiere were also even luckier to get a copy of the CD composer John Califra had made as a special surprise, containing excerpts of the score. The producer encouraged us to “share it with your friends.” Accordingly, here it is, friends.

Go to Station in the Metro to download score

Positive Reviews for "The Matador's" World Premiere at SXSW

2008-03-11T14:36:00.000-07:00

Positive reviews welcome "The Matador" at SXSW

jaman.com review

SXSW Movie Review: The Matador

March 10, 2008

4 out of 5 stars

After seeing the terrific and brilliantly produced “The Matador,” I’m not
entirely sure I’m a supporter of bullfighting, but I’ve come a step closer
to at least appreciating the glory, grace, and the ancient purity of the
sport. The ritualizing of the kill has been a part of every ancient culture,
let’s be fair, but few cultures that have survived to modern times have
retained traditions as primitive — and with such popular zeal — a s
bullfighting.

“The Matador” devotes only nominal energy to parsing the moral issues at
hand, with anti-bullfighting advocates who intelligently voice their
assertion that the sport is savage and outmoded. In defense of his
profession, David Fandila — the charismatic and handsome subject of the
documentary himself points out — argues it’s far more humane and fair than
the obscenity of a slaughterhouse; here, the bull has a chance to defend
itself, and can even be spared from slaughter if it puts up a brave enough
fight. Point taken, but “The Matador,” finally, doesn’t adequately puts a
period at the end of that crucial debate; it’s an opportunity it misses. As
for the documentary, overall: It’s fabulous.

Director Stephen Higgins and Nina Gilden Seavey put together an immersive
portrait of Fandila, one of Spain’s foremost young matadors, who’s a
wunderkind at the start of the documentary, and among the elite when it’s
over. We get into his family life, the culture and controversy behind the
sport of bullfighting, and, beyond that, the rigors, discipline, and the
life-threatening risks of the sport. Powering the documentary are
Christopher Jenkins’ cinematography, Ian Rummer’s editing — both heroic in
their own ways — and the bravura orchestral soundtrack composed by John
Califra, which becomes a force in and of itself. I can’t say enough about
“The Matador’s” score: absolutely haunting, powerful, graceful, majestic.

Higgins and Seavey shrewdly follow the ambitious Fandila in his quest to
participate in 100 corridas (bullfights), a goal he seeks from one season to
the next, but from which he’s thwarted because of injuries. His family and
community fully support him, and he’s truly dedicated to his profession, and
even shares a certain mystical awe of the bull as I feel only the truest
matadors must. So, in spite of myself, I sympathized with Fandila, and found
myself in a kind of respectful detente with his profession.

After the documentary, the stunned audience cheered Califra’s score. The
composer was there, along with the director, cinematographer, and editor,
and they all received rousing applause for their work. I felt particularly
lucky for being one of the few who snatched up one of soundtrack CD’s that
Califra gave out, mobbed by his legion of newfound fans.

"The Matador" Team Turns Out To Launch Film at SXSW

2008-03-06T19:57:00.000-08:00

Gorgeous cinematograpy, stunning music and adroit editing are what make "The Matador" such a moving spectacle. At the film's SXSW world premiere, the talented craftsmen behind that work will turn out in force.

From London, cinematographer James Morton-Haworth will come to Austin, fresh from directing documentaries for the BBC. "The Matador's" other cinematographer, Christopher Jenkins, is coming to Texas from southern California, where he's been producing HD concert films for some of the world's top musicians. Production Manager Algor Lieman is coming in from Kenya, where he's been working on another documentary.

Ian Rummer, whose editing prowess and story-telling mastery gave life to the material, will come from Washington D.C., where he is editing for Team Sound & Vision.

And John Califra, the composer whose brilliant and deeply-felt score resonate so powerfully in the film, will travel from New York City to join the rest of the team in officially welcoming "The Matador" into the world.

These craftspeople will join filmmakers Stephen Higgins and Nina Gilden Seavey, and Executive Producers Scott Dunklee and Kristie Nova, at the premiere and other events.

indieWIRE Gets to the Heart of "The Matador"

2008-03-05T16:45:00.000-08:00

indieWIRE Interview with "The Matador" filmmakers reveals the why, the how - and the "what next" - behind this passionate spectacle about the bullfight.

Go to indieWIRE Interview with Stephen Higgins and Nina Gilden Seavey

Critic Jeffrey Lyons Thrills to "The Matador"

2008-03-04T09:47:00.000-08:00

Renowned film critic Jeffrey Lyons praised the U.S.-made feature documentary "The Matador" as a rousing take on the bullfighting tradition.

The movie is "a thrilling look at Spain's most passionate art," Lyons said. The film focuses on three years in the life of Spanish matador David Fandila. It was produced and directed by Stephen Higgins, and produced and co-directed by Nina Gilden Seavey. Remarkable cinematography by Christopher Jenkins and James Morton-Haworth is set to a dramatic original score written by John Califra and performed by the Bulgarian National Symphony.

"The Matador" will premiere next Monday, March 10 in the documentary competition at the South by Southwest film festival. It was edited by Ian Rummer.

Lyons was co-host of the PBS series "Sneak Previews" from 1982-96 and is currently the co-host of nationally-syndicated "Reel Talk."

He was also the film and theater critic for "ABC World News Now" from 1994-96. From 1989-1994, Lyons was entertainment editor for CNBC. Lyons has interviewed nearly every major movie and Broadway star over the past four decades.

"The Matador" will be screened three times at the South by Southwest Film Festival, in Austin Texas. In addition to the Monday, March 10 showing at 4 pm, the film will be shown Tuesday, March 11 at 11 am and Saturday, March 15 at 7 pm. All shows will be in the Austin Convention Center.

Hemingway Book Give-away at The Matador World Premiere

2008-02-28T15:03:00.000-08:00

Three hundred people at the South by Southwest premiere of "The Matador," a new U.S.-made documentary about spanish matador David Fandila, will get free copies of Ernest Hemingway's bullfighting tome, "The Dangerous Summer.

Scribner, a division of Simon & Schuster and co-sponsor of the premier, will give out the books to the audience members at the door. The first 200 attendees at the Monday, March 10 premiere of "The Matador" will get copies of the book.

Another 100 copies of the book will go to the first audience members to appear at the 11 am show the following day, Tuesday, March 11, also in the Austin Convention Center.

Hemingway's "The Dangerous Summer," written in 1960 for Life magazine and released in book form in 1985, is an important and wonderful book," wrote William Kennedy in the New York Times. "Hemingway never wrote better," said Edmund Fuller in the Wall Street Journal.

"The Dangerous Summer" is an account of one intense summer in the careers of two notable, rival matadors. "The Matador" is an emotional film made over three years with David Fandila, "El Fandi," a spanish matador currently at the top of the profession.

The Matador Screening Times at SXSW

2008-02-20T10:05:00.001-08:00

Monday March 10th - 4:00 PM, Austin Convention Ctr

Tuesday March 11th - 11:00 AM, Austin Convention Ctr

Saturday March 15th - 7:00 PM, Austin Convention Ctr

"The Matador" premiere: March 10, 2008, South by Southwest Film Festival

2008-01-31T19:49:00.000-08:00