From a Screening Room in Melbourne, Australia - July 17, 2009

Dear Film Colleagues,

Rocio runs the coolest festival in Australia, it is stylish, informed, impudent and inspiring.

Her festival, only 3 years old, goes from strength to strength.

The contemporary films are well chosen to show the finest of current Spanish-language films, there is no padding with lesser films. The documentaries are challenging, the special events are fun.

The retrospective arm that she chooses with Pedro Almodóvar is eye-opening for Australian audiences who generally have little depth of acquaintance with Spanish film history beyond the top level. Films like Strange Voyage, Placido and Vampir Cuadecuc have been incredible surprises for me, not least for their amazing sense of humour

Because of Rocio's flair for publicity, the festival screenings are a showcase for films that can whet the public appetite for further release. I consider the La Mirada screenings a great opportunity for media and the public to have the initial presentation of the films in a prestigious and positive context.

The festival has enormous cache because it is sophisticated and intelligent. The party screenings are kill-for-a-ticket-to; the posters, trailer and website are elegant, the quality of the film prints is excellent. Every session is personally introduced, usually with a specialist talk that puts the film in critical and social context, and the introduction is often by someone Rocio has found who has a personal or unusual connection to the film or its subject matter.

The 'special guest' choices have people as diverse as Woody Allen, Paul Auster and Penelope Cruz selecting and introducing a favourite film.

There is such a wealth of difference and delectable delicacies in Rocio's approach to a festival, it is amazing she keeps it to a couple of screenings of each film in just one city. Perhaps this exclusivity is part of the secret of its success, but be aware, there are significant cries for it to expand and go wider!

Barry Peak

Director, Nova Cinemas, Other Films, Luna Cinemas