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The Saloon in ‘Straight to Hell’  

“Nothing remains but a fragment of the back wall and some wooden beams. But thirty years ago, when we went STRAIGHT TO HELL, this was our saloon where Strummer snarled at Courtney Love, and Sy Richardson and Dick Rude gunned down the Weiner Kid, and Grace Jones barred Dennis Hopper from smoking.” From the Forward by Director Alex Cox. Once Upon a Time in Almería: The Legacy of Hollywood in Spain’ (Daylight Books 2017)

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Coming Soon — ‘Once Upon a Time in Almeria: The Legacy of Hollywood in Spain’  

ONCE UPON A TIME IN ALMERÍA: THE LEGACY OF HOLLYWOOD IN SPAIN PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK PARASCANDOLA ESSAY BY ALEX COX PUBLICATION DATE: DECEMBER 12, 2017 Fifty years ago, the province of Almería in the far southeastern corner of Spain, came to refer to itself as “The Movie Capitol of the World.” Cheap labor and a landscape that stood in perfectly for the American West, North Africa, and even the surface of the moon, became the locations for some of the most iconic movies of the time starring Hollywood legends, from Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren to Peter O’Toole and Clint Eastwood. But […]

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Coverage of “Once Upon a Time in Almería” in the Daily Mail  

This week the Daily Mail published a feature article on my photo project documenting the legacy of Hollywood and international filmmaking in Almeria, Spain. Here is one excerpt from the interview published in the article: ‘The Western towns built by Sergio Leone and others were not meant to be accurate representations of the American West. Instead, they were constructed to meet filmmakers’ vision of what the American West was like. ‘The Spaghetti Western has been described as a myth of a myth, because it is one step further removed from the myth of the original Hollywood Westerns. ‘However, this myth […]

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Indiegogo campaign is live!  

Participate in the creation of my forthcoming photobook ‘Once Upon a Time in Almeria: The Legacy of Hollywood in Spain.’ With your help the book will be published in Fall 2017 by Daylight Books! Visit my Indiegogo project page to see an introductory video and get more information about how you can help. Please consider purchasing an advance signed copy of the book — currently available only through the crowdfunding site. Prints from from the series are also available. The reality of photobook publishing these days is that photographers are expected to raise some portion of the funds for book […]

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Latest News
May 8, 2017

Photobook Project Launch and Preview — ‘Once Upon a Time in Almeria: The Legacy of Hollywood in Spain’  

Photobook Project Launch and Preview ‘Once Upon a Time in Almeria: The Legacy of Hollywood in Spain’ Monday May 8, 6 PM – 9 PM at District Distilling Co. 1414-1418 U St NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20009 Spain-themed cocktails, art, celebration of campaign to create new book, Once Upon a Time in Almeria: The Legacy of Hollywood in Spain The DC community is invited to join local Photographer Mark Parascandola on Monday, May 8 at District Distilling Co. to launch his latest photo book project. Once Upon a Time in Almeria: The Legacy of Hollywood in Spain will feature […]

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Latest News
Aug 27, 2016

Carabanchel – a video peek inside the photobook  

Take a look inside the Carabanchel photobook and hear the story behind its creation. In October 2008 I photographed the interior of the former Carabanchel prison in Madrid, one of the most infamous architectural landmarks from Spain’s decades of dictatorship.

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China Film / Latest News / Press
Jan 27, 2016

Press Release: Artist Talk – Mark Parascandola: China Film  

Artist Talk: Thursday, February 11, 2016 from 6 PM – 8 PM BRINK DC – 1516 U St NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20009 WASHINGTON, DC – Massey is incredibly pleased to announce new photographic work by artist Mark Parascandola. Following along his previous series, Once Upon a Time in Almeria, China Film documents film sets and locations around Beijing, Shanghai, and Hengdian, China. China is the second largest film market in the world, after the U.S., and it continues to grow. Box office receipts amounted to $6.8 billion in 2015, a 49% increase over the previous year. Around the […]

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China Film / Events
Dec 23, 2015

China Film Project Statement  

China is poised to become the largest motion picture market in the world. A set of images documenting enormous exterior film sets constructed around China.

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China Film / Events / Latest News
Nov 12, 2015

“China Film”: Upcoming exhibition at Black Rock Center for the Arts  

The exhibition “China Film” documents film sets, locations and the vast outdoor movie sets around Beijing, Shanghai, and Hengdian, China. The images provide a window into an evolving movie industry and global media culture. The exhibition will be on view November 18-December 19, 2015 at Blackrock Center for the Arts. Plans to travel the exhibition are in the exploratory stages. Meet the Artist Reception: Saturday, November 21st from 5:30 – 7:30 PM. Artist Talk: Sunday, December 13th beginning at 4:00 PM. Gallery Hours: Monday – Friday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Saturday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 p.m. ABOUT THE EXHIBITION: […]

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Mark Parascandola discusses his project ‘Once Upon a Time in Almeria’ with local experts during the Almería Western Film Festival  

Excerpts from the press conference for the exhibit “Érase una vez en Almería: decorados, restos y paisajes del cine” are now posted online. The brief presentation includes statements from Francisco Alonso, head of the Instituto de Estudios Almerienses, Mar Verdejo, coordinator of the exhibition, and myself, talking about the content of the exhibition and Almería’s film history. The press conference was held October 8 in the Palacio Provincial de la Diputación. The exhibit opened the following day at the Salón Polivalente de Tabernas as part of the fifth edition of the Almería Western Film Festival. Click below to watch the […]

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