Alexandra Masangkay: "What's best about Barcelona? A beer at MACBA and ending up at the beach"
A suspense and intrigue film, a story of espionage and power. This is "Código Emperador," the new thriller directed by Jorge Coira and starring Luis Tosar, which will hit theaters on March 18 and will inaugurate the 25th edition of the Málaga Film Festival.
In the film, a secret service agent works to safeguard national security while simultaneously getting involved in unofficial missions where he must protect or cover up the elites of power in the country. All this makes him reconsider his own principles.
Thus, we talked with its director, and two of its leads, Alexandra Masangkay and María Botto, who share with us about the film's locations and their own personal journeys.
What has it meant to shoot in such different locations? Why were they chosen?
Alexandra Masangkay: "What's best about Barcelona? A beer at MACBA and ending up at the beach"
Jorge Coira - Filming in different locations is an added pleasure. I generally enjoy shooting; it's something fun and thrilling, like a journey into other stories and ways of seeing the world. And it's a gift if this journey for the characters is complemented by a physical journey, meaning being one day in Bilbao trying to convey that we are there without it being purely scenic, then being in Madrid, and ending this whole trip in Budapest, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and in Panama.
I specifically chose these locations for the contrasts they generate. I tried to find how to add complexity and, with a few elements, represent aspects like elegance, for example, which Budapest provided. Being able to have a sequence in the middle of the Danube, in front of the Parliament, is a dream.
On the other hand, it was amazing to cross the ocean and go to Central America. Panama was very interesting, less clichéd and less traveled than other countries we considered. It's a place that calls to me because it has that mix of wealth on one hand, and at the same time a lot of poverty. It's a very complex country, and visually very interesting.
When thinking about their childhood, what are their most memorable vacations?
María Botto - I remember a vacation with my mother and sister to Venice. Besides visiting all the churches, we went to the Lido beach for two days, which had beach huts that reminded me of the movie Death in Venice. That trip was one of the most beautiful; in fact, I returned to Venice because I think it's one of the cities where one enjoys the works of Caravaggio or Titian, the whole culture of the Renaissance. It's one of my favorite cities.
Alexandra Masangkay - My most memorable trips are to the Philippines. I was born in Barcelona and my family is Filipino, but I have very rarely traveled there, just once or twice since I was 13. Every time I go I rediscover it because I'm a different person each time. The next time I go, I want to explore the rest of the islands, which are over 7,000.
Jorge Coira - One of the places that opened my mind the most, because I was very young, was Ceuta and Morocco. I went when I was 6 years old and hadn't moved much from Galicia. I remember feeling like I was on another planet. Since then, I've thought a lot about how many planets exist within our planet in this rich and fascinating world.
What was the first trip you took without your parents?
M - I went to London with Interrail with four friends at 16, and we ended up fighting among ourselves. We spent all our money at the start of the trip and had to go to a pizzeria that gave away leftover pizza at closing time. Now, I remember that trip very fondly.
J - I went to England with one of my brothers to see the last concert of the Rolling Stones. People were crying there at Wembley Stadium until it was announced that they would continue giving concerts.
A - I traveled at 14 with a group of Filipinos from all over Europe to Vienna. But I couldn't get to know the city well.
If you didn't live where you do, which city would you like to live in?
M - When I am in Madrid, I think how wonderful it would be to live in London, but when I travel outside, I miss Madrid and Spain. We have such an open way of living that I miss it a lot.
J - I used to live in downtown Santiago, but now I live in a village where when you open the windows, all you see are trees. So I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. However, I do try every so often to go away with my wife for a month to a place where I can feel like we are living somewhere else. I would love to do that in New York, although I couldn't live there my whole life. I would also like to do it somewhere in Chile or Argentina, or even Asia.
A - I'm a free spirit; I think I could live anywhere because I adapt quite well to the place. I don't know where I might end up tomorrow, next month, or in three years. But it is true that I miss Barcelona a lot. I've been living in Madrid for eight years, but I long for my city, its streets, those routines of having a beer at MACBA, strolling around Borne, and ending up at the beach.
What tourist destination do you think is overrated?
J - There are some that are very clichéd, such as Venice or Paris. But they are truly spectacular. I actually think there are more underrated places; I don't know any that are overrated.