BLACK BREAD (PA NEGRE)
2010
Massa d'Or Produccions, Televisió de Catalunya
108 min.
Dir. Agusti Villaronga
Cast: Francesc Colomer, Marina Comas, Nora Navas, Roger Casamajor, Lluïsa Castell, Marina Gatell, Laia Marull, Eduard Fernández, Sergi López

In Spain in 1944, 11-year-old Andreu (Francesc Colomer) witnesses the brutal murder of a man and his son in a forested ravine and runs home to tell his mother, Florencia (Nora Navas). Andreu soon thereafter is sent to live with his extended family in the countryside, where he befriends his jaded cousin Nuria (Marina Comas), who has lost her fingers to a grenade, and a consumptive boy who imagines he has angel wings. Subversive filmmaker Agusti Villaronga's harrowing and richly textured depiction of Spanish rural life during wartime is "dark to its heart and breathlessly watchable" (Variety). Winner of a whopping nine Goya Awards, including Best Film and Best Director.

Discussion with producer Isona Passola

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DON´T BE AFRAID (NO TENGAS MIEDO)
2011
Oria FIlms S.L
90 min.
Dir. Montxo Armendariz
Cast: Michelle Jenner, Lluís Homar, Belén Rueda, Nuria Gago, Rubén Ochandiano, Cristina Plazas, Javier Pereira

An authentically disturbing sequence early in director Montxo Armendariz's haunting drama about the long-term effects of child abuse arrestingly sets the tone for a thoughtful tale following Silvia (an excellent Michelle Jenner) through life as she copes with a traumatic childhood relationship she had with her father. The film also features an outstanding Belen Rueda as Silvia's mother.

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COUSINHOOD (PRIMOS)
2011
Atipica Films, MOD Producciones
98 min.
Dir. Daniel Sanchez Arevalo
Cast: Quim Gutiérrez, Raúl Arévalo, Adrián Lastra, Inma Cuesta, Antonio de la Torre, Clara Lago, Nuria Gago, Alicia Rubio, Marcos Ruiz

When Diego (Quim Gutierrez) is jilted at the altar, his cousins, playboy Julian (Raul Arevalo) and depressed, eyepatch-wearing Miguel (Adrian Lastra), convince him to join them on a trip to northern coastal Spain, where they think Diego can re-ignite the spark with ex-girlfriend Martina (Inma Cuesta). A very funny and surprisingly edgy comedy about male insecurity and weakness from filmmaker Daniel Sanchez Arevalo.

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FOREVER YOUNG (HÉROES)
2010
Media Films. Televisió de Catalunya
105 min.
Dir. Pau Freixas.
Cast: Álex Brendemühl, Eva Santolaria, Emma Suárez, Lluís Homar, Ferran Rull, Álex Monner, Mireia Vilapuig, Joan Sorribes, Marc Balaguer, Nerea Camacho

In Pau Freixas' sun-dappled gem of '80s nostalgia, pre-teen Xavi (Ferran Rull) spends his summer vacation with his usual group of friends - Cristo (Mireia Vilapuig), who has a crush on Xavi, nerdy yet hilarious Colo (Marc Balaguer), Roth (Joan Sorribes), who has Down syndrome, and the beautiful Helena (Nerea Camacho), who Xavi flirts with in the hopes of getting the mysterious "butterflies" his older brother has told him about. The summer progresses and the motley crew of middle schoolers are harrassed by an older group of bullies, while Xavi struggles with his relationship with his step-father. However, when a tragedy suddenly occurs, the young teens must face their first real trial of growing up. Winner of the Audience Award at the 2010 Malaga Film Festival.

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BLACKTHORN (SIN DESTINO)
2011
Arcadia Motion Pictures
97 min.
Dir. Mateo Gil.
Cast: Sam Shepard, Eduardo Noriega, Stephen Rea

Four-time Goya Award winning filmmaker Mateo Gil's highly anticipated second directorial effort, Blackthorn, has garnered three 2011 Goya Awards. Stepping into the iconic boots previously worn by Paul Newman as Butch Cassidy in the 1969 western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Sam Shepard (The right Stuff) plays Cassidy in this revisionist story, and survives the epic standoff with the Bolivian military in 1908. Tired of his long exile from the US and hoping to see his family again before he dies, Cassidy (now calling himself "Blackthorn") sets out on the long journey home until an unexpected encounter with an ambitious young criminal (Eduardo Noriega) derails his plans and thrusts him into one last adventure.

Discussion with director Mateo Gil

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THREE METERS ABOVE THE SKY (TRES METROS SOBRE EL CIELO)
2010
Globo Media, Antena 3 Films, Charanga Films, Zeta Cinema
118 min.
Dir. Fernando Gonzalez Molina.
Cast: Mario Casas, María Valverde, Nerea Camacho, Marcel Borràs

Based on Federico Moccia's cult novel and recalling the charmingly improbable romances of 80s Brat Pack films, Barcelona teen Hache (Mario Casas), a brawny biker with a short fuse, and wealthy if sometimes rebellious Babi (Maria Valverde) meet at a traffic light and again shortly thereafter at a party. The couple's instant attraction is insatiable and genuine, but their romance is complicated by their being from very economically disparate sides of the tracks, and Hache's violent streak that keeps him constantly at odds with the law. Nominated for Best Screenplay at the 2011 Goya Awards.

Discussion with actor Alvaro Cervantes

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5 SQUARE METERS (5 METROS CUADRADOS)
2011
ALIWOOD MEDITERRÁNEO
86 min.
Dir. Max Lemcke
Cast: Fernando Tejero, Malena Alterio, Manuel Morón, Secun de la Rosa, Emilio Gutiérrez Caba, Jorge Bosch

This revenge thriller about the effects of corruption in the Spanish construction industry recounts the burst of the real estate bubble which left many in dire straits worldwide. The crash takes its toll on Alex (Fernando Tejero) and his fiancé, compelling them to use unorthodox means to get back at the unscrupulous developer who ripped him off. Winner of Best Film and Best Actor at the 14th Malaga Spanish Film Festival.

Discussion with actor Fernando Tejero

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