Sat 5 Apr - The Legend of Time

Meet the Director

Director, Isaki la Cuesta, will be introducing his film The Legend of Time. He and his closest collaborator, Isa Campo will be available to answer audience questions and comment on their films after the screenings.

Fri 11 April - Candida

Meet the Director

Director, Guillermo Fesser, will be introducing his film Candida. He will be available to answer audience questions and comment on their films after the screenings.

Sunday 6 April - Flamenco for the Love of God

Question and Answer Session

Conchita Gonzalez
Conchita Gonzalez is one of Australia's pre-eminent figures in the interpretation and execution of flamenco. Born in Cordoba, Spain, she immigrated to Australia in the early sixties where she continued to dance flamenco for many years. Due to an injury which ended her career as a dancer prematurely, she has nevertheless continued to share her passion with others and has spent the last 30 years teaching at the Hogar Español. It is particularly humbling to learn that she teaches out of pure goodwill. As an incredible woman with a true love for the cultural art form, she has helped raise some of the most talented flamenco artists in Melbourne, as well as others who are now working in Spain with much success. With such an amazing spirit and genuine passion for flamenco, it is an honour to have Conchita as a guest at our festival.

Laura Uhe
Laura Uhe studied classical ballet and contemporary dance from four years of age. She commenced Flamenco in 1985, initally studying with Gunta Hamra in Canberra, Deanna Blacher in Perth, Mario Orbitani, Ana Romero and Chari Saldana in Melbourne, and later with Antonio Vargas (Strictly Ballroom), who invited her to join his company. She has also studied intensively in Spain with several well known teachersand masters from Madrid's foremost dance centre "Amor de Dios", from which she she went on to Seville, Granada and Cadiz for futher training. Apart from her stage work, Laura is also a committed dance teacher at various dance studios around Melbourne. Interested in sharing her love of the art form, she continues to extend it's boundaries through her choreography.

Fernando Mira
Fernando Mira was born in Australia and started taking flamenco classes at age 10 with Conchita and Pepe Gonzalez at the Hogar Español. In 1981 he travelled to Spain for additional tuition and became a professional dancer in 1986. He has recently been travelling around Australia with Flamenco Fire, an ensemble of Australia's most talented flamenco dancers. Over the last two years he has also performed for the Andulisian Government at a special guest performance in Sevilla, at their annual congress meeting and also toured around Japan.

Monday 7 April - Living Utopia

Question and Answer Session

Dr. Stewart King (PhD Melbourne)
Stewart King teaches and researches contemporary Spanish and Catalan Studies at Monash University. He has published extensively on Catalan narrative and cultural identity, Spanish crime fiction and he is currently completing a book on monsters in Spanish society in which he examines images of women in the Basque terrorist organisation, ETA, in film, fiction and reportage.

Dr Lilit M. Thwaites (MA, PhD, Toronto)
Honorary Associate teacher of Spanish Language at La trobe university. Ms. Thwaites also teaches Spanish Literature and Culture. She has researched on Contemporary Spanish society and cultures, Spanish Civil War and the Franco years. Some of her Research Projects include "Notions of (inner) exile and dislocation (including aspects of memory and silence linked to the Spanish Civil War and the post-War era)". Ms. Thwaites also participates as a commentator for ABC, SBS, and Spanish community radio.

Liz Turner
Liz Turner is a member of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Federation (ASF Melbourne). The ASF are affiliated with the Spanish CNT ( Confederación Nacional del Trabajo) who played a huge role in assisting workers and community collectives in the Spanish Revolution. Today the CNT and their international federative body, the IWA (International Workers Association) are active around the world in autonomous unions run by volunteers, with completely decentralised decision making structures.

Liz has studied a PhD in Sociology at the University of Melbourne and has participated in a wide range of social movement activity in Australia.

Andrew Fleming
Andrew Fleming is a local Melbourne anarchist and a member of the Barricade anarchist infoshop collective. He has been active in various local anarchist projects for over 10 years. He is also a student of radical social movements, both local and global, with a particular interest in exploring anarchist contributions to their development.

Tuesday 8 April - Disenchantment

Question and Answer Session

Ramón López Castellano
Ramón López Castellano was born in Granada, Spain in 1972. A well-known dilettante amongst his friends, he studied English Literature at the University of Granada. Today he lives in Melbourne and is writing his PhD on the Spanish poet Leopoldo Maria Panero at Monash University, where he also teaches Spanish.

Saturday 12 April - Flamenco Dancers (Bailaores)

Question and Answer Session

Nela Randone
Nella Randone has trained in classical ballet, contemporary dance, classical Spanish and flamenco dance. Devoting herself to Flamenco dance since 1985, her study includes two years fulltime in Spain where she studied with many respected artists from Madrid and Andalusia. She has worked as choreographer, dancer, director and producer in projects since 1990, including Orpheus & Eurydice, La Rosa, Suspiros de la Luna, siete aspectos de amor and triptych. Nella has also performed in Mosaicos with Diana Reyes. She has been the recipient of grants from Arts Vic, Arts Qld, Aust.council and Moreland city council.


Vachel Spirason
Vachel has been dancing flamenco since the age of six, learning his first steps from his mother. Since then he has been lucky enough to have been taught by a number of great dancers such as Conchita Gonzalez, Fernando Mira and Pedro Pata. Vachel has performed regularly at venues such as Colmao Flamenco and the Spanish Club, and at all manner of events in Melbourne for several years. Vachel currently teaches classes at the Spanish Club in Fitzroy.

Stewart King
Stewart King teaches and researches contemporary Spanish and Catalan Studies at Monash University. He has published extensively on Catalan narrative and cultural identity, Spanish crime fiction and he is currently completing a book on monsters in Spanish society in which he examines images of women in the Basque terrorist organisation, ETA, in film, fiction and reportage.