María Valverde directs her husband, Gustavo Dudamel, in his debut film, 'The Song of the Hands'.
“Music is energy, it is empathy, it is harmony, and it has dimensions that go far beyond mere technical structure.” So much so that deaf people can also experience music, and a professional like Gustavo Dudamel has known this since childhood, having studied in his hometown of Barquisimeto (Venezuela) with maestro José Antonio Abreu.
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“Abreu conceived a project that went far beyond music education as such. It consisted of opening a space for the majority of young people, especially those from communities with the greatest need, to have access to music as an element of education and social transformation. And I grew as a result of that project,” Dudamel says.
Also attending the gala were Yerai Cortés, C. Tangana, Alba Flores, Rossy de Palma, Chino Darín and Edu Sola.Now, as director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Dudamel has returned to Barquisimeto with his wife, Spanish actress María Valverde, to promote a dual artistic and social project. The musician has taken up his baton to conduct a very special Beethoven's Fidelio , starring a group of deaf children from Abreu's school.
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And Valverde has stepped behind the camera for the first time to direct a documentary, El canto de las manos, which covers the process of creating this unique opera until its premiere in Caracas, and which has been screened at the Atlàntida Mallorca Film Fest.
The moving "The Song of the Hands" isn't just a musical; it's also the story of three people, José, Gabriel, and Jennifer, who have lived with limitations due to their deafness. "José's mother abandoned him when he was 10 because he was deaf, and he didn't have access to sign language until much later. José is a survivor, who has survived because he is very talented and also thanks to his energy and spirituality," says Valverde.
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The stories of the other two protagonists of The Song of Hands are also very difficult: “Jennifer always felt isolated because no one in her house learned sign language. And Gabriel has a partner who is also deaf. During filming, they had a son, who can hear, but they can't live together because her parents won't allow it.”
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Dudamel's Fidelio and Valverde's film have been a lifeline for these kids. "Their lives have changed, they've traveled, and Jennifer is a university student," explains Valverde. Now, the project has new support: that of Queen Letizia, who last night presided over the closing ceremony of the 15th edition of the Atlàntida Mallorca Film Fest. "Her support is the greatest honor we could have," the artist couple concludes.
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A closing gala held at La Misericòrdia in Palma featured both film and music. At the ceremony, the Queen presented the Master of Cinema Award to composer Alberto Iglesias, a four-time Oscar nominee for such memorable soundtracks as The Constant Gardener (Fernando Meirelles, 2005), The Kite Runner (Marc Forster, 2007), Tinker Tailor (Tomas Alfredson, 2011), and Parallel Mothers (Pedro Almodóvar, 2021).
Queen Letizia (right) presents composer Alberto Iglesias with the Master of Cinema Award during the closing gala of the Atlàntida Mallorca Film Festival, this Sunday in Palma. EFE/Ballesteros
Ballesteros / EFEThe gala also featured performances by Yerai Cortés, Greta Fernández, Alba Flores, Rossy de Palma, Chino Darín, Edu Sola, C. Tangana, Carolina Yuste, and Celine Song, among other artists, who also attended the ceremony that concluded this edition of Atlàntida.
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