With the support of ELMA.

This year Spanish Cinema received more international recognition with the popular success of Juan Antonio Bayona’s THE ORPHANAGE (EL ORFANATO). But there are even more Spanish films out there to amaze you! We’ll be showing Goya Award winners, Jaime Rosales’ SOLITARY FRAGMENTS (LA SOLEDAD) (Best Picture, Director and New Actor), Emilio Martínez Lázaro’s 13 ROSES (LAS 13 ROSAS) (Best Supporting Actor and Cinematography) and Gracia Querejeta’s SEVEN BILLIARD TABLES (SIETE MESAS DE BILLAR FRANCÉS) (Best Actress and Supporting Actress), plus popular festival hits Icíar Bollaín’s MATAHARIS, Julio Medem’s CHAOTIC ANA (CAÓTICA ANA), Rodrigo Plá’s THE ZONE (LA ZONA) and Ventura Pons’ BARCELONA (A MAP) (BARCELONA (UNA MAPA)) -- plus more great, recent Spanish cinema! Please keep checking our website for added guests from various films’ casts and crews.

Thursday, June 12 – 7:30 PM

Opening Night – U.S. Premiere

SOLITARY FRAGMENTS (LA SOLEDAD), 2007, The Match Factory/Fresdeval Films, 128 min. Director Jaime Rosales follows the lives of two women, Adela (Sonia Almarcha), a single mother with an infant son, and widow Antonia (Petra Martínez), the mother of three daughters. Their lives change inalterably in the wake of the Madrid terrorist bombings. Winner of Goya Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best New Actor (José Luis Torrijo). "Jaime Rosales beautifully consolidates the achievement of his distinguished debut THE HOURS OF THE DAY, with SOLITARY FRAGMENTS, a leisurely but rewardingly intense dual narrative that delicately unpicks the secret lives of women." – Jonathan Holland, Variety. Preceded by the short: Hwidar Abdelatif’s "Salvador," (11 min.) Discussion following with actress Sonia Almarcha.

Friday, June 13 – 7:30 PM

U.S. Premiere: MATAHARIS, 2007, La Iguana/Sogepaq, 95 min. Dir. Icíar Bollaín. Private investigator Inés (María Vázquez) goes undercover as an employee at a multinational corporation having labor problems. Thanks to her new friendship with colleague and union representative Manuel (Diego Martín), she unearths the workers’ tactics. But her subterfuge presents her with a difficult emotional and ethical decision. Eva (Najwa Nimri), just back from maternity leave, juggles work and family obligations when she discovers that her partner, Iñaki (Tristán Ulloa), is hiding something fundamental to their future. Carmen (Nuria González), the most experienced of the three, watches and videotapes Sergio's (Antonio de la Torre) marital collapse, something that brings her to the realization that her own marriage is disintegrating. "MATAHARIS deals with themes of distrust, false appearances, career vs. principles, not to mention surveillance as cameras surround us more and more. Bollain does this subtly, mixing three intertwining stories that are ultimately far more powerful and interesting for the way they deal with personal themes. So here is a private eye movie that makes us ponder the morality of that eye." – Graham Keeley, The Hollywood Reporter.
U.S. Premiere: 13 ROSES (LAS 13 ROSAS), 2007, Enrique Cerezo Productions, 132 min. Winner of four Goya Awards, including Best Supporting Actor (José Manuel Cervino) and Best Cinematography (José Luis Alcaine). Goya-nominated director Emilio Martínez Lázaro focuses on the true story of thirteen innocent young women who were imprisoned, then executed at the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939, allegedly for leftist ties and sympathy for a rumored plot on General Francisco Franco’s life. Actresses Pilar López de Ayala, Marta Etura and Verónica Sánchez stand out in a distinguished cast. 13 ROSES is preceded by the short: Arturo Ruiz’s "Paseo" (12 min.)   Discussion following with actress María Vázquez.

Saturday, June 14 – 7:30 PM

Los Angeles Premiere: CHAOTIC ANA (CAÓTICA ANA), 2007, Sogepaq, 120 min. Inspired by the life and artwork of his own sister who died tragically in 2000, director Julio Medem (SEX AND LUCIA, THE RED SQUIRREL) composes an enthralling portrait of a youthful, free-spirited woman whose life is in constant flux. Is it because of her uncommon sensitivity? Or is it memories of her past lives from bygone eras rising to the surface, lives that all ended at a calamitous young age? Raised in a cave dwelling on the Spanish isle of Ibiza by her iconoclast father, Ana (Manuela Vellés) is recruited to a Madrid arts commune by patron Justine (Charlotte Rampling). But she soon undergoes successive breakdowns as she becomes entranced by the paintings of artist Said (Nicolas Cazalé). Under hypnosis from an American therapist (Asier Newman), Ana regresses to various lives, and her spirit grows accordingly. As the film progresses, Medem transforms the saga into an elliptical, stream-of-consciousness narrative that mesmerizes the audience, culminating in Ana’s outrageous, strikingly effective confrontation with an American politician (Gerrit Graham) in New York City. "A daring journey of self-exploration becomes a dizzying exploration of the history of womankind." – Jonathan Holland, Variety. Discussion following with Actress Manuela Vellés.

Sunday, June 15 – 7:30 PM

U.S. Premiere: SEVEN BILLIARD TABLES (SIETE MESAS DE BILLAR FRANCÉS), 2007, 113 min. Nominated for ten Goya Awards and winner of two, Best Actress (Maribel Verdú) and Best Supporting Actress (Amparo Baró), director Gracia Querejeta’s drama observes how characters are shaken by the death of a loved one. Angela (Verdú) returns with her young son to visit her dying father, only to arrive after he has expired. She meets her father’s ex-convict girlfriend, Charo (Blanca Portillo), then almost immediately learns her own husband has gone missing after being accused of fraud. With the two grown men in her life now gone, Angela decides to remain in the village and run her late father’s billiards parlor. Laced with humor, Querejeta’s incisive, anecdotal chronicle is a tapestry of interwoven lives, all unexpectedly intersecting due to the passing of one of their own. "…reinforces Gracia Querejeta's reputation as a purveyor of finely crafted…character-based dramas,…The real star of the show is Portillo, rapidly consolidating her rep as a fine character actor as she explores every cranny of her complex role. Other perfs are well up to scratch -- Verdu in particular has become a guarantor of a pic's quality, and doesn't disappoint here." – Jonathan Holland, Variety.

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Friday, June 20 – 7:30 PM

Saturday, June 21 – 7:30 PM

U.S. Premiere: BARCELONA (A MAP) (BARCELONA (UN MAPA)), 2007, ELS Films De La Rambla S.A., 90 min. Director Ventura Pons zeroes in on five segments, fascinating dialogues between landlord couple Ramon (José Maria Pou) and Rosa (María Núria) and various tenants in their building whom they have decided to evict. But each conversation touches on many other issues besides residency – life in the city, gender identity and politics, loneliness and crime. Filmmaker Pons has a way of making conversations rivetingly cinematic, and his exceptional cast augment his efforts with sterling, moving performances. At the end of the evening, startling revelations are forthcoming that are entirely appropriate. "…a typically thought-provoking item from …Ventura Pons…the script is brilliantly brought to life by a gathering of fine thesps…its deftness of touch and sheer humanity make it surprisingly accessible fare." – Jonathan Holland, Variety.

U.S. Premiere: SUNDAY LIGHT (LUZ DE DOMINGO), 2007, Nickel Odeon Dos, 111 min. José Luis Garci directs this stirring period melodrama set in early 20^th century Spain. Álex González stars as a civil servant who arrives to work in a small village town hall and almost immediately falls for local landowner Alfredo Landa’s daughter (Paula Echeverría). But the community is far from idyllic, with the town lorded over by the family of the authoritarian mayor (Carlos Larranaga). When Gonzalez tries to remain neutral in village politics as his marriage approaches, the couple are punished by the mayor’s brutal sons. Narrated in flashback by one of the main characters, the tragic events unfold in bittersweet glimpses into an era of romantic chivalry, plagued by feudal, still-repressive impulses struggling to assert themselves in a modern age. Double feature preceded by short: Daniel Sanchez’s "Traumalogia" (22 min.)

Sunday, June 22 – 7:30 PM

Double Feature:

SUSO’S TOWER (LA TORRE DE SUSO), 2007, Mediapro, 100 min. Dir. Tom Fernández. When his old friend Suso dies of an overdose, Cundo (Javier Cámara) returns from Argentina to the Asturian mining village for the funeral. There he encounters his parents as well as many old acquaintances, formerly a bunch of hedonistic revelers. When Cundo gets it into his head that drawings Suso left behind are really messages from beyond the grave, directions for the old friends to build a tower in the late Suso’s front yard, he has a hard time convincing anyone. Little by little, though, his persistence unites them in the common task. "…that rare thing in Spanish cinema -- an authentically enjoyable comedy. Propelled by a charming central performance by the reliable Javier Cámara…" – Jonathan Holland, Variety.