Excitement and nostalgia at the premiere of Tivoli, a documentary about an iconic amusement park on the Costa del Sol
Symbol of an era, Tivoli and the stories of its former workers are the protagonists of the long-awaited documentary directed by the Cordoban Lucía Muñoz Lucena and the Malaga-born Sergio Rodrigo, which premiered this Thursday at the Festival de Málaga.
'In 2020, the emblematic amusement park Tivoli World in Benalmádena closed its doors after a tangled and lengthy legal process that has kept dozens of workers in an unresolved limbo. For more than 50 years, countless families passed through the park’s attractions and shows, and it has a significant historical archive dating back to the 1970s'. With this in mind, in 2023 the production company AliquinDoc started a campaign to collect videos, photos and testimonies for its documentary, and the result of the work was shown today in a full-capacity Andalusian Tourism and Sports Room.
'Our documentary couldn’t have premiered anywhere else but the Festival de Málaga. We’re extremely giddy because we didn’t expect such a great reception. When we started this project two years ago, we shared our idea with the workers, and they opened the doors to their most intimate memories and hearts. We hope that you can empathise with them', explained the director in front of a packed room, which was also attended by the singer María José Santiago, who launched her first album at the Tívoli.
'The park is closed, but it is not abandoned, thanks to the fact that many of its workers are still fighting for it. They are still the great Tivoli family,' said Sergio Rodrigo, director of the film which has Canal Sur’s backing. Between nostalgia and the legal dispute over ownership of the park, which is currently closed, the former workers continue to look after it as part of their daily routines.
Present in the collective imagination of an entire generation of Spaniards, Tivoli was the first amusement park on the Costa del Sol. A summer rendezvous for thousands of people who came to the coast year after year to enjoy the performances of international artists including James Russo, Raffaella Carrá, Raphael, Miguel Rios, Isabel Pantoja...
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