Woody Allen film to be 'love letter to Barcelona' 03/07/2007 00:00

3 July 2007

BARCELONA - U.S. filmmaker Woody Allen said he film he plans to start shooting next week in Barcelona will be a "love letter to Barcelona."

The movie will present Barcelona to the world "as I see it through my eyes, as I've already done with Manhattan," the Oscar-winning actor and director said, referring to his 1979 film of the same name that offered a flattering portrayal of New York City.

Allen commented at a crowded press conference in a Barcelona hotel, where he was joined by representatives of the Mediapro production company and by Spain's culture minister, Carmen Calvo.

The habitually secretive filmmaker offered no clues about the content of the picture, whose title remains a secret. The film will star U.S. actor Scarlett Johansson and Spaniards Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz.

Calvo said it was "splendid" news that Allen is setting his next project in this Mediterranean city, while the director spoke of Barcelona's "marvelous" locales and praised the talents of Bardem and Cruz.

Acknowledging the "great challenge" of shooting a movie in a non-English-speaking country, the New Yorker said that he studied Spanish in school as a youngster "but never paid attention." EFE

[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news