reported by Bruce Tanner, CyberScreenwriter.com

Barcelona Homes, among other local businesses in the Catalan Capital city of Barcelona are excited by the presence of Hollywood to one of the most popular beach areas in Spain. Woody Allen and a star studded cast are in town for the filming of his next feature film titled Midnight in Barcelona.

A curious crowd of beach goers gathered behind a police patrolled fence in the city's beach district of Barceloneta late yesterday afternoon hoping to catch a glimpse of the acclaimed director and film maker and his A-list cast working with him on the project.

At a press conference held in Barcelona on July 2nd, Allen expressed his enthusiasm for the project, having spent previous weeks location scouting in the city: 'I hope I can present Barcelona to the world as I see it, the same way I presented Manhattan to the world as I saw it with my eyes', he said.

He also commented on his confidence in his cast "I feel very fortunate to have Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem, as well as other Spanish actors and actresses', he said

Cruz and Bardem have already starred together in the 1992 film 'Jamon, Jamon' directed by Bigas Luna. Bardem, best known for his role in 'Mar Aldentro' , released with the English title 'The Sea inside', will be joined by other Spanish actors including Abel Folk, Joel Joan and Mireia Ros.

Allen's latest Hollywood muse Scarlett Johansson, who has previously worked on projects including 'Match Point' and 'Scoop' with Allen, arrived in Barcelona early last week for filming.

Spain's Minister for Culture Carmen Calvo is clearly a fan of Allen's work, commenting that he 'makes philosophy with cinema. He's a brilliant example of what cinema represents in contemporary culture.'

Ms Calvo is not the only one excited about the project. Local business owners in Barceloneta are happy with the level of public interest in the film and hope the exposure will bring an extra boost to local businesses.

Gaizka Pujana, owner of holiday apartment rental business www.barcelonahomes.net in Barceloneta said 'any exposure for the city, and in particular for Barceloneta is good exposure. Its a beautiful location for a film but an even better location for a holiday.'

While details of the film have been kept well under wraps Allen has said of his latest project 'I want to write a love letter to Barcelona and from Barcelona to the world.' It seems that already that love is felt by the locals, who are enjoying the world wide attention only a film making great like Allen can create.