New York, Paris, Rome and Barcelona are an inseparable part of Woody Allen’s cinematic imagination. Now the American director wants to add a new name to that list: Madrid.
At 90, Allen is preparing a new film that is due to start shooting on 5 October. Although the plot and cast are still under wraps, one idea recurs in every description of the project: the Spanish capital will be far more than just a backdrop. Conceived as an ensemble romantic comedy, the film aims to turn Madrid into one of the main characters in the story, following in the footsteps of other cities that have left their mark on the director’s filmography.
This will not be Allen’s first foray into Spain. He has already shot ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’ and, years later, ‘Rifkin’s Festival’, set in San Sebastián. He had never, however, set one of his stories in Madrid. “I will be very happy to return to Spain,” Allen said when the project was announced at the end of last year. “This would be my third time shooting there and my first chance to make a film in Madrid, a city I have always loved.”
The choice is no accident. Beyond serving as a backdrop, the initiative is designed to showcase the city to the world. Madrid City Council says (source in Spanish) it will help promote the city as a ‘tourist, cultural and creative’ destination to international audiences. The ambition is for the capital to play a role in the story that is as recognisable as that of other cities closely tied to Allen’s cinematic universe.
