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Second Trailer for Cruz & Banderas' Satire Film 'Official Competition'

by Alex Billington
January 18, 2022
Source: YouTube

"It's not the first time I've worked with an idiot." Madman Films in Australia has unveiled an official trailer for Official Competition, the kooky Argentinian satire about making an indie film to play at film festivals. It's made by two Argentinian filmmakers and co-stars the powerhouse duo Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas. A wealthy businessman hires an enigmatic art-house filmmaker to help make an award-winning film based on a Nobel Prize-winning novel. She casts two superstar leads that hate each other. Alternating between exacerbating the actors' mutual antipathy and uniting them in their shared discomfort with her psychologically tumultuous rehearsal techniques, Lola seeks to capture the drama of two alpha males vying for the limelight — but it won't be long before the gambit goes off the rails. Also starring Irene Escolar, Melina Matthews, Oscar Martínez, Pilar Castro, Manolo Solo, and Karina Kolokolchykova. This premiered last year at both the Venice & Toronto Film Festivals (here's the teaser), which is extra amusing because the film mocks festivals. I wish more films were this honest about how ridiculous it all is! Have fun.

Here's the full Australian trailer for Mariano Cohn & Gastón Duprat's Official Competition, on YouTube:

You can rewatch the festival teaser trailer for Official Competition here, to see the first look footage again.

In search of significance and social prestige, a billionaire businessman decides to make a film to leave his mark. To do so, he hires the best: a stellar team formed by famous filmmaker Lola Cuevas (Penélope Cruz) and two renowned actors, both enormously talented, but with even bigger egos: the Hollywood actor Félix Rivero (Antonio Banderas) and radical theater thespian Iván Torres (Oscar Martínez). Both legends, but not exactly the best of friends. Through a series of increasingly eccentric challenges set by Lola, Felix and Iván must face not only each other, but also their own legacies. Official Competition is co-directed by the Argentinian filmmakers Mariano Cohn (4×4) & Gastón Duprat (My Masterpiece), both co-directors of the films The Artist, The Man Next Door, and Querida voy a comprar cigarrillos y vuelvo previously. The screenplay is written by Mariano Cohn & Gastón Duprat and Andrés Duprat. This initially premiered at both the 2021 Venice & Toronto Film Festivals last year. It will open first this March & April in most of Europe, with more openings during the year. No US release date has been set yet - stay tuned. Who wants to watch?

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