New cinema from Spain

Passion and emotion; stark realism and human sensibility; enchantment and eroticism; reality and imagination: all these traits characterize the films included in the tribute to contemporary Spanish Cinema which reveals the many different aspects of a cinema that finds itself at the forefront of world artistic production.

The transitional period experienced by Spanish Cinema at the turn of the 21st century has brought about changes that are both swift and promising. The difficulties of the film industry and the creative spirit of some of the most prestigious and talented film makers of the past decades, the dynamic re-writing of the documentary, the contribution of young directors and the visible need to examine more closely the more demanding, more personal fiction films that have screened at the big international festivals in recent years, are all processes that are already taking place and are reinforcing the renewal of the audiovisual landscape of a cinema that has not stopped transforming itself, rapidly and cumulatively, since the early 1990s.

The 20 films that comprise the tribute – 19 fiction films and 1 documentary, produced between 2003 and 2007 – ideally combine the concerns of “auteur cinema” with the commercial appeal of the cinematic product.Thus, the tribute builds a mosaic of the modern world and showcases the new powers of a cinema that has left indelible marks on the world history of film.The films by young Spanish directors selected here illustrate life throughout most of Iberia, depicting the complex Mediterranean feeling and expressing in the most vivid way the concerns and impasses of our time. In some cases, they even compete with established filmmakers who have already built major careers in film.

The tribute is being held in conjunction with the Cervantes Institute, the Embassy of Spain in Greece and the Spanish Ministry of Culture - ICAA (Instituto de la Cinematografίa y de las Artes Audiovisuales), and is accompanied by a special publication, edited by Cahiers du Cinema Espa•a.