Spanish Cinema Now is one of the Walter Reade Theater’s longest running series, first presented in October 1992. Spanish filmmaking has developed since then. Annual production has moved into the triple digits from a low of about 40 when the series began. A new generation has discovered Spanish cinema: audiences in Spain are not only growing, but are considerably younger nowadays. The links between Spanish and Latin American cinema are stronger than ever, with Latin American actors, directors and technicians enriching the Spanish industry, while co-productions have reached an all-time high.
This year’s selection for Spanish Cinema Now shows in its breadth of styles and subjects how Spanish filmmakers refuse to rest on the tried and true. The promise shown by new directors such as Ray Loriga, Santi Amodeo and Jaime Rosales in their first films has been more than fulfilled with their most recent works. Established directors such as Julio Medem, Gracia Querejeta, Ventura Pons and Icíar Bollaín continue to move thematically and stylistically in bold new directions. And as always, Spanish Cinema Now features a number of impressive debuts: Félix Viscarret, Rodrigo Cortés, Rafa Cortés, Judith Colell, Alvaro Begines and Pablo Garcia.
Ten years ago, Spanish cinema lost one if its most important artists, director Pilar Miró. A true pioneer, Miró’s importance lay not only in the excellence of her films, but also in her crucial work in government, where she fought for the support and protection of Spanish cinema. In commemoration, this year's edition of Spanish Cinema Now presents Remembering Pilar Miró a special tribute featuring seven of her films, including her final masterpiece, The Dog in the Manger.
We are delighted and deeply grateful that TVE and the Filmoteca Española, the producers of a remarkable eight-part series, La Guerra filmada, or The War on Film, have created an English-subtitled version for this year’s Spanish Cinema Now. Grouped into various themes and topics and presented by noted historian Julián Casanova, this monumental work renders with startling vibrancy one of the key events that shaped the 20th century ~ Spanish Civil War.
For a listing of the films in Spanish Cinema Now go to Program Overview.
Click on
Calendar to view the schedule, film descriptions and to purchase tickets online. Our special Series Pass ($40 for the public, $30 for Film Society members ~ limited availability) admits one person to five titles in the series including the films in Remembering Pilar Miró
and the programs in The War on Film / La Guerra filmada. The pass is available for purchase (cash only) at the Walter Reade Theater box office.
Spanish Cinema Now is presented in collaboration with the Instituto de la Cinematografia y de las Artes Audiovisuales (ICAA) of the Spanish Ministry of Culture, the Instituto Cervantes of New York and the Trade Commission of Spain (ICEX).
Special thanks to our media sponsors Telemundo and 24Horas and to film curator Marta Sanchez of Pragda for programing Shortmetraje, a collection of Spanish shorts.
