18th Annual Recent Spanish Cinema festival, running October 11-14 October 11, 2012

October 11-14 – 7:30 PM
Join us for the 18th Annual Recent Spanish Cinema festival, running October 11-14, and showcasing the best in Spanish films from 2012. Schedule will be announced October 4 on AmericanCinematheque.com. Lineup will include the following, with more to be announced:

Los Angeles Premiere! UNIT 7 (GRUPO 7), 2012, 96 min. Dir. Alberto Rodríguez. In advance of the 1992 World Exhibition in Seville, four cops are asked to clear the streets of drug trafficking; among them are Angel (Mario Casas) and Rafael (Antonio de la Torre). But the streets they work hold both dangers and temptations, and the bribery, violence and intimidation these two men encounter on the job put them on very different paths. Strong lead performances and a nuanced script ground this stylish film noir/cop thriller, which is based on real-life incidents. UNIT 7 also benefits from outstanding cinematography, its gritty tones ramping up the intensity of the moral conflict (and some pretty spectacular chase sequences). Winner of the Goya for Best Cinematography. In Spanish with English subtitles.
Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxAYcOqHWrY

Los Angeles Premiere! I WANT YOU (TENGO GANAS DE TI), 2012, 124 min. Dir. Fernando González Molina. In this sequel to THREE STEPS ABOVE HEAVEN, Hache (Mario Casas) is back in his native Spain following two years in London. After his best friend Pollo (Alvaro Cervantes) dies and his girlfriend Babi (Maria Valverde) leaves, the young man struggles with loss until he meets Gin (Clara Lago), a photographer, singer, dancer and all-around wild-child with whom he falls in love. Adapted from a Moccia novel like its predecessor, this teen melodrama employs striking visuals, epic music and great editing as it juggles sex, violence and motorcycles, with Casas’ engrossing performance as the rebel Hache tying it all together. A major box office hit in Spain. In Spanish with English subtitles.
Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as1v1hF7bb8

Los Angeles Premiere! WRINKLES (ARRUGAS), 2011, 89 min. Dir. Ignacio Ferreras. Adapted from Paco Roca's comic book (2008 Spanish National Comic Prize), this stunning animated feature focuses on the friendship of Emilio and Miguel, two senior citizens living in a care facility. Through acerbic dialogue, this delicate tale evokes ageing and friendship with humor. Winner of the Goya for Best Animated Film. “Illuminating, amusing, sensitive and touching.” Tribune. “The exceptional animated feature WRINKLES imaginatively and sensitively explores one of the major issues confronting most of the developed world: how to look after senior citizens in a rapidly aging population.” - The Hollywood Reporter. In Spanish with English subtitles.
Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyhsAnPt0iM

Los Angeles Premiere! THE WILD CHILDREN (ELS NENS SALVATGES), 2012, 100 min. Patricia Ferreira’s elegant triptych of coming-of-age tales follows three teenage friends and their individual struggles to define themselves amidst hard family conditions and a seemingly indifferent society: Graffiti artist Alex (Alex Monner), ignored by his parents and faced with the mounting living expenses for an art grant he wins; kickboxer Gabi (Alberto Baro), who lives in fear of his domineering gym-owner father; and wealthy Oky (Marina Comas), who lives comfortably but without affection from her parents. “The sins of parents and teachers are visited on their progeny and students in THE WILD CHILDREN, a largely subtle, compassionate and perceptive take on bad education affecting a trio of Catalan teens. Helmer Patricia Ferreira's strongest work to date delivers a clear call to grownups to mend their ways, filtered through a neatly structured criss-crossing narrative... An engrossing drama as well as an urgent cry for social change.” –Variety. Winner of Best Film, Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (Monner) at the Malaga Spanish Film Festival. In Catalan with English subtitles.
Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lbsu0lWD-no

Los Angeles Premiere! THE SLEEPING VOICE (LA VOZ DORMIDA), 2011, 128 min, Dir. Benito Zambrano. “Two sisters, one politically active and the other not, find themselves caught up in politics in the dark days following the Spanish Civil War… Vivid performances by attractive leads Maria Leon, who won Best Actress kudos at the San Sebastian festival, and the fiery Inma Cuesta.” - Hollywood Reporter. “A harrowing drama that transforms the sorry plight of female prisoners in post-Civil War Spain into a bleak examination of man's inhumanity to women, THE SLEEPING VOICE magnificently tells a tale that needs to be told and retold. Shrewdly remaining mainstream while plumbing the depths of grief and violence… foreign audiences will be gripped.” –Variety. Winner of three Goya Awards (including Best New Actress for Maria Leon), and nominated for an additional six (including Best Director and Best Film). In Spanish with English subtitles.
Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpBFoOaRLFI

Official Website: http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/egyptian_theatre_events