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10 grand pianos installed in Barcelona’s Passeig de Gràcia to promote the 2013 Maria Canals Competition

CNA / Elise Griset

15 days of top-level piano competition are coming up in March in Barcelona. To promote one of the world’s most prestigious international piano competitions, organised in Barcelona since 1954, 10 grand pianos were installed last Saturday in the middle of the street, on the Catalan capital’s Passeig de Gracia boulevard. The pianos could be tried by the pedestrians for free. In addition, a huge variety of concerts in different places all over Barcelona are being held. 91 pianists from 26 countries are participating in the 2013 Maria Canals International Music Competition. The winner will be known in two weekends from now.

March 11, 2013 08:18 PM

Catalan Joan Fontcuberta wins the Hasselblad Award, considered to be the Photography Nobel

CNA

The Hasselblad Foundation has awarded its 2013 prize to the Catalan photographer Joan Fontcuberta. The jury highlighted the fact that Fontcuberta “is one of the most imaginative contemporary photographers” today. This is the most prestigious award at international level in the field of photography. It comes with 1 million Swedish crowns (around €110,000). The award ceremony took place in Barcelona on Thursday evening. In October, Gothenburg’s Art Museum will hold an exhibition on Fontcuberta’s work. His creations “adopt original and playful conceptual perspectives, which particularly explore photography conventions, means of representation and claims to truth”, stated the jury.

March 8, 2013 10:44 PM

Catalan-pop band Antònia Font: “I believe our music will be well received in the Mediterranean market”

Clara Roig Medina

Pau Debon, the singer of the band, tells CNA the evolution of the group and how they got here. From Majorca to Catalonia, and later to Galicia and the Basque Country, Catalan-speaking Antònia Font has broken its two-year silence with a new album ‘Vostè és aquí’ (Here you are) and a tour throughout Spain. With a new distinguished style escaping from the stereotyped three minutes and ten-song album, they have experimented with new formats and sounds. Debon assures that after sixteen years together and nine albums, now he would like to play in festivals throughout Europe.

March 8, 2013 08:02 PM

Isabel Coixet, the most international Catalan film-maker, criticises the economic crisis in her new movie ‘Yesterday never ends’

CNA / Pere Francesch / Violeta Gumà / Ana Macías

Isabel Coixet, who has worked with top stars such as Tim Robbins, Ben Kingsley or Penelope Cruz, has released her new movie, ‘Yersterday never ends’, which is a stark portrait of the economic crisis. The film premiered at the last Berlinale. Coixet talked to ACN about the movie and the problems which are shaking the foundations of Spain. She also highlighted the movie was made without receiving public funds, as it would have been contradictory with the drama picture on the screen.

March 6, 2013 08:58 PM

Catalan film director J.A. Bayona to make science fiction movie with Warner

CNA / Carlota Guerra

Eric Roth, writer of “Forrest Gump” or “Munich”, will be joining him in the making of this new movie. Juan Antonio Bayona, after conquering the world of Spanish cinema with his movie “The Orphanage” and entering the worldwide market with “The Impossible”, is now undertaking a project to direct a science fiction film in Hollywood. Few details have been revealed so far, but the announcement has raised great expectation given the enormous success of the first two films by the Catalan director.

March 5, 2013 08:21 PM

Figueres, International Circus Capital

Carla Marchesi

The magic of circus descended on Figueres last week. Over a long weekend, this town in northern Catalonia, close to the French border and the Costa Brava, hosted the second edition of the International Circus Festival. The event is unique due to its global visibility and the performances of artists belonging to the international circus elite, who have never been seen before in Western Europe. The Festival is a special experience for spectators, but also represents a professional chance for artists to become known, as they compete before a jury formed by key personalities in the field, such as Line Giason, the Casting Director of Cirque du Soleil. This year’s winners were Jinan Acrobatics Troupe from China and Troupe Yakov Ekk from Russia.

February 27, 2013 06:31 PM

Animac, the International Animated Movie Exhibition of Catalonia, is ready to roll

CNA / Ana Macías

The 17th edition of the International Animated Movie Exhibition of Catalonia, Animac, will take place once again in the Catalan city of Lleida, in western Catalonia. From the 28th of February to the 3rd of March, Lleida will become the capital city of international animated cinema once again, playing host to a large number of conferences, presentations, workshops and related activities about this entertainment industry. The exhibition’s program was announced in Barcelona at the CCCB, where the documentary maker Hanna Heilborn was invited to talk about her anti-slavery work ‘Slavar’. More than one hundred movies will be shown over five days in Lleida’s Animac.

February 26, 2013 07:20 PM

Ildefonso Falcones: “If ‘Cathedral of the Sea’ had not been published, I could not have done the same effort again”

Clara Roig / Paco Cavaller

A week before Ildefonso Falcones’ third novel ‘The Barefoot Queen’ goes on sale, CNA interviews the Barcelona lawyer that became internationally acclaimed in 2006 thanks to his best-selling debut ‘Cathedral of the Sea’. The novel, set in medieval Barcelona sold seven million copies in 40 countries and introduced him to the literature scene as one of the main Spanish authors of historical novels. Now, on the 21st of February, he will publish his third book, which will be on sale simultaneously in Spain, Latin America and the United States. Falcones explains what writing means to him as well as the difficulties of the creative process.

February 14, 2013 07:07 PM

Catalan film director Neus Ballús presents ‘La Plaga’ at the Berlin International Film Festival

CNA / Karina Reinhard

The 63rd International Film Festival in Berlin is taking place at the moment through to the 17th of February. This year a film made by Catalan production company El Kinògraf is on show: ‘La Plaga’ (‘The Plague’ in English), a film shot by Neus Ballús, had its world premiere in Berlin. It is a combination of reality and fiction, presenting five different characters living around Barcelona at the time of the economic crisis. Ballús explains that the film is based on true life stories, real emotions, situations and genuine characters.

February 13, 2013 07:25 PM

Barcelona’s Sónar music festival goes to Montjuic and abandons the city centre

CNA / Pau Cortina

The 20th event of the most important electronic music festival in Southern Europe has been announced, unveiling new names in its line-up and announcing a change in location. For the first time, the morning and afternoon sessions of Sónar Barcelona will not be held in the CCCB and MACBA art centres – located in the Raval neighbourhood – but they will be moved to the Fira de Barcelona pavilions next to the Montjuic hill. Besides the already-confirmed Pet Shop Boys and Kraftwerk, other names have been added to the festival’s line-up: Justice, Jamie Lidell, Laurent Garnier, Soulwax, Seth Troxler, Diplo, Major Lazer, Skrillex, TNGHT, bRUNA, Liars and Francesco Tristano. The next event will take place in the Catalan capital between the 13th and 15th of June.

February 12, 2013 11:24 PM

Blur, Nick Cave, My Bloody Valentine, The Postal Service and Animal Collective will perform at Barcelona’s 2013 Primavera Sound

CNA / Carlota Guerra

The music festival will celebrate its 13th anniversary with an impressive lineup and the participation of a long-list of prestigious artists. The Primavera Sound Music Festival, which takes place every year in late May in the city of Barcelona, is considered to be one of the best international music events in Southern Europe. It is also one of Barcelona’s musical highlights, along with the Sonar festival in June. This year’s Primavera Sound edition presented what is said to be the best list of participating artists since the beginning of the festival. Indie, rock and electronic music will be the mainstays of the festival.

February 11, 2013 07:47 PM

CaixaForum Girona received more than 131,000 visitors in 2012

CNA / Carlota Guerra

CaixaForum Girona, the social and cultural centre of “La Caixa” savings bank in the Catalan city of Girona played host to 131,158 visitors in its second year of existence. Among the different activities that took place during last year, the exhibitions registered the biggest affluence of visitors, followed by educational activities, concerts, family activities, conferences and social projects. The exhibitions dedicated to Monet, Gauguin, Rusiñol and Sunyer, the maternity photographs of Bru Rovira and the Louvre’s Egyptian collection were the most popular activities.

February 5, 2013 08:29 PM

‘The Impossible’ triumphs at Catalan ‘Gaudí’ Film Awards

Clara Roig Medina

The Catalan ‘Gaudi’ Film Awards had a true international feel this year as ‘The Imposible’, directed by Barcelona-born moviemaker Juan Antonio Bayona, came out on top. Starring Ewan McGregor and Oscar-nominated Naomi Watts, the film won the six awards for which it was nominated, including Best Director and Best European Film. The Catalan-Spanish production ‘Blancanieves’, directed by Pablo Berger, was voted Best Catalan Film. Àlex Monner – famous for his ‘Red Band Society’ part – was recognised as Best Actor for the film ‘Els nens salvatges’ and Maria Molins won Best Actress for ‘El Bosc’.

February 4, 2013 11:36 PM

The Contemporary Art Museum of Barcelona (MACBA) received 19,000 more visitors in 2012 compared to last year

CNA / Paco Cavaller

The Contemporary Art Museum of Barcelona (MACBA) increased its number of visitors by 2.8% in 2012 with respect to the previous year. In 2011 the museum received the visit of 690,865 people, while in 2012 this figure grew to 710,435 visitors. The most visited exhibition has been ‘Oferta pública/Public Tender’ by Rita McBride with a total of 188,028 spectators.

January 29, 2013 09:31 PM

Read the latest updates and breaking news on culture and cultural topics from Barcelona and Catalonia. Keep up to date with the city’s museums dedicated to some of the biggest artists in the world such as Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, and Antoni Tàpies, as well as other institutions such as the National Art Museum (MNAC), the Contemporary Art Museum of Barcelona (MACBA), and exhibition spaces like the Contemporary Culture Center of Barcelona (CCCB), CiaxaForum, and CosmoCaixa.