Supporting the artisan

The ancient tradition of arts patronage is being revived in Marbella, the Andalusian playground of the rich and famous. Here in the shadow of the Sierra Blanca mountains, next to the luxurious Marbella Club, built by Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe in the 1950s, The New World Trust, organisers of the Marbella Film Festival and the Art at the Fringe programme, is bringing together artists, film-makers, dancers, writers and musicians.

The buying and selling of real estate, lounging on the beach along the Golden Mile and the assiduous pursuit of fun are Marbella’s usual pastimes, with local artists complaining that the arts are not even a blip on the radar — often the most stunning literary offering of the week is an illustrated list of the latest yachts for sale.

Mac Chakaveh, the festival director, explains, ‘The idea [of the festival] is to cut out the big corporations and the red tape. You can bring your film or your art here and have access to individual funders and investors. It’s support for artisans in a way that’s rare nowadays.’

Birgit Kolath, a local artist, says, ‘It’s great to be exhibiting at no cost in a supportive, gentle atmosphere. The main venue for exhibitions in Marbella is the Congress Hall, and I could not afford the exorbitant prices they charge us to show there.’ Visual artists have already sold their work and have also received offers to show in galleries elsewhere.

The inaugural Film Festival attracted 500 submissions, of which 40 features, documentaries, shorts and animations made the final screening list. Film producer Maureen Murray says, ‘Marbella, unlike other festivals, does not insist on us delivering a print for submission, so this is a fantastic way of getting independent films seen and overcoming the distribution block.’