After Anna Karina last year, the talented Victoria Abril honours us by being the patron of this 28th Festival.

Victoria Abril, whose real name is Victoria Merida Rojas, was born in Madrid, but grew up in Malaga. There, she devoted herself to her first passion, dance, before making her debut in cinema at a very young age in Obsesión by Francisco Lara Polop (1975) and in Cambio de sexo by Vicente Aranda the same year.

Aranda became one of her main directors. Indeed, she played in a good many of his films, including La muchacha de las bragas de oro (1977), El Lute: camina o revienta (1987), Si te dicen que caí (1989), Amantes (1991), Intruso (1993) and Libertarias (1996). Her roles in Aranda's films brought her an award for Best Actress in Berlin (Amantes) and at the San Sebastian Film Festival (El Lute).

Early in her career, she began to act with international actors such as Sean Connery in La Rose et la flèche by Luis Revenga (1977). In 1982, she moved to Paris, which marked a turning point in her career.

In France, she was nominated twice at the César Award for Best Supporting Actress in La Lune dans le caniveau by Jean-Jacques Beineix (1983) and in L’addition by Denis Amar (1984).

However, it is a Spanish director who made her one of his muses. In 1987, she played for the first time in front of Pedro Almodóvar's camera in La ley del deseo (1987), in which she only had a small role. She drew Almodóvar's attention, and he offered her the leading role in Átame, in which she has a strong screen presence with a humourous and accurate performance. She also played in Almodóvar's Talons aiguilles (1991) and Kika (1993).

She received the Goya for Best Actress as well as the Silver Seashell for Best Actress at the San Sebastian Festival for her role in Personne ne parlera de nous quand nous serons mortes by Agustin Díaz Yanes (1995).

In France, she made many successful movies, including Gazon maudit by Josiane Balasko (1995), Casque bleu by Gérard Jugnot (1994), and Les Aristos by Charlotte de Turckheim (2006).

She continued a bright career in Spain, where she worked with the biggest names, from Carlos Saura with whom she shot Le 7ème jour (2004) to Antonio Banderas, who directed El camino de los Ingleses (2006), and Manuel Gómez Pereira for the film Entre les jambes (1999).

She also took up a musical career, which she likes especially for the liberty it gives her. She recorded two albums : Putcheros do Brasil (2005) and Olala (2007).

Selective Filmography :

LES ARISTOS (2006) by Charlotte de Turckheim

LE SEPTIEME JOUR (2004) by Carlos Saura

SANS NOUVELLES DE DIEU – Don't Tempt Me (2001) by Agustín Díaz Yanes  

101 REYKJAVIK (2000) by Baltasar Kormákur

ENTRE LES JAMBES – Between Your Legs (1999) by Manuel Gómez Pereida

LA FEMME DU COSMONAUTE (1998) by Jacques Monnet

LIBERTARIAS (1996) by Vicente Aranda

GAZON MAUDIT – French Twist (1995) by Josiane Balasko

PERSONNE NE PARLERA DE NOUS QUAND NOUS SERONS MORTES – Nobody Will Speak of Us When We're Dead (1995) d’Agustín Díaz Yanes

CASQUE BLEU (1994) by Gérard Jugnot

KIKA (1993) by Pedro Almodóvar

INTRUSO (1993) by Vicente Aranda

TALONS AIGUILLES – High Heels (1991) by Pedro Almodóvar

AMANTES – Lovers (1991) by Vicente Aranda

ÁTAME – Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1990) by Pedro Almodóvar

SI TE DICEN QUE CAÍ (1989) by Vicente Aranda

BATON ROUGE (1988) by Rafael Monleon

LA LOI DU DESIR – Law of Desire (1987) by Pedro Almodóvar

NUIT D’IVRESSE (1986) by Bernard Nauer

MAX MON AMOUR (1986) by Nagisa Oshima

L’ADDITION (1984) by Denis Amar

LA LUNE DANS LE CANIVEAU – Moon in the Gutter (1983) by Jean-Jacques Beineix

MIEUX VAUT ETRE RICHE ET BIEN PORTANT QUE FAUCHE ET MAL FOUTU (1980) by Max Pécas

LA MUCHACHA DE LAS BRAGAS DE ORO – Girl with the Golden Panties (1977) by Vicente Aranda

LA ROSE ET LA FLECHE (1977) by Luis Revenga

CAMBIO DE SEXO (1975) by Vicente Aranda

OBSESION (1975) by Francisco Lara Polop