Is Spanish Film Having a Moment?
variety.comCallum McLennan Recently, there has been a consistent tide of well crafted and highly regarded films coming out of Spain. “Alcarràs,” “The Beasts,” “Lullaby,” “La Maternal,” “Prison 77,” to name just the five that the Spanish Academy Goyas singled out in early February.
This level of quality, over a short period, is getting noticed internationally. Last week the Glasgow Film Festival, Scotland’s largest, shone a light on eight films in its Viva el Cine Español program.
A cultural moment is a strange beast, hard to fathom, but there are strong signals that Spanish Film is having one. In addition to the aforementioned five, Glasgow added Andrea Bagney’s debut “Ramona,” “Wild Flowers,” from Jaime Rosales, another debut with Elena López Riera’s “The Water,” and a Penelope Cruz starrer, in Juan Diego Botto’s “On The Fringe.” Glasgow’s Festival co-director Allison Gardner told Variety: “We seem to be seeing films both harking back to what’s happened post-Franco, but also what modern Spain is today. “Lullaby,” “La Maternal,” and “Ramona,” all feel like they’re tackling modern issues in Spain, whereas “Prison 77,” for example, is looking back at what had happened, and is still relevant for all of us.” Relevance is being rewarded with Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren’s debut feature, “20,000 Species of Bees,” winning three awards at the Berlinale, while Albert Serra’s “Pacifiction” won two Cesar awards, and Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The Beasts” won the Cesar award for best foreign film.
Not forgetting Simón’s “Alcarràs” winning last year’s Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, and being shortlisted for the Oscars.
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