A Guide to Latin American, Latinx & Caribbean Studies: Spanish & Latin American Cinema (under construction)

"Today’s Latinx motion pictures are built on the struggles—and victories—of prior decades. Earlier filmmakers threw open doors and cleared new paths for those of the twenty-first century to willfully reconstruct Latinx epics as well as the daily tragedies and triumphs of Latinx lives. Twenty-first-century Latinx film offers much to celebrate, but as noted pop culture critic Frederick Luis Aldama writes, there’s still room to be purposefully critical. In Latinx Ciné in the Twenty-First Century contributors offer groundbreaking scholarship that does both, bringing together a comprehensive presentation of contemporary film and filmmakers from all corners of Latinx culture. The book’s seven sections cover production techniques and evolving genres, profile those behind and in front of the camera, and explore the distribution and consumption of contemporary Latinx films. Chapters delve into issues that are timely, relevant, and influential, including representation or the lack thereof, identity and stereotypes, hybridity, immigration and detention, historical recuperation, and historical amnesia. With its capacious range and depth of vision, this timeless volume of cutting-edge scholarship blazes new paths in understanding the full complexities of twenty-first century Latinx filmmaking."

"This study explores how five major directors—Pedro Almodóvar, Alejandro Amenábar, Álex de la Iglesia, Guillermo del Toro, and Juan José Campanella—modelled their early careers on Hitchcock and his film aesthetics. In shadowing Hitchcock, their works embraced the global aspirations his movies epitomise. Each section of the book begins with an extensive study, based on newspaper accounts, of the original reception of Hitchcock's movies in either Spain or Latin America and how local preferences for genre, glamour, moral issues, and humour affected their success. The text brings a new approach to world film history, showcasing both the commercial and artistic importance of Hitchcock in Spain and Latin America." - from the publisher

"Emerging as one of the most exciting, fascinating, and special kinds of filmmaking in the world, Spanish cinema has been producing excellent directors, actors, and films for decades, including during the dark times of the Franco regime. With directors (Pedro Almodovar), actors and actresses (Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz), and films (Abre los ojos and Alatriste) amassing popularity, the outlook for Spanish cinema appears brighter than ever, and it is deservedly winning numerous fans abroad." "Historical Dictionary of Spanish Cinema provides an understanding of the role Spanish cinema has played in film history through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on producers, directors, film companies, actors, and films." - from the publisher

"A History of Spanish Film explores Spanish film from the beginnings of the industry to the present day by combining some of the most exciting work taking place in film studies with some of the most urgent questions that have preoccupied twentieth-century Spain. It addresses new questions in film studies, like 'prestige film' and 'middlebrow cinema', and places these in the context of a country defined by social mobility, including the 1920s industrial boom, the 1940s post-Civil War depression, and the mass movement into the middle classes from the 1960s onwards. Close textual analysis of some 42 films from 1910-2010 provides an especially useful avenue into the study of this cinema for the student. [the book]: uniquely offers extensive close readings of 42 films, which are especially useful to students and teachers of Spanish cinema; analyses Spanish silent cinema and films of the Franco era as well as contemporary examples; interrogates film's relations with other media, including literature, pictorial art and television; explores both 'auteur' and 'popular' cinemas; establishes 'prestige' and the 'middlebrow' as crucial new terms in Spanish cinema studies; considers the transnationality of Spanish cinema throughout its century of existence. Contemporary directors covered in this book include Almodóvar, Bollaín, Díaz Yanes and more." - from the publisher

"Describes various movements, films, and directors of twentieth-century Spain since the silent era. This book allows you to place films and genres in Spain's political, economical, and historical contexts. It presents a visual portfolio that illustrates key points of many of the films analyzed." ""100 Years of Spanish Cinema" provides an in-depth look at the most important movements, films, and directors of twentieth-century Spain from the silent era to the present day. This book features: a Glossary of Film Terms that provides definitions of essential technical, aesthetic, and historical terms; a visual portfolio that illustrates key points of many of the films analyzed; and, a historical chronology that presents a clear, concise time line to help students quickly place films and genres in Spain's political, economical, and historical contexts." - from the publisher

"Cine español en cien películas es un libro necesario para aventurarse y descubrir la historia de nuestro cine a través de completos análisis cinematográficos, cuya amenidad y claridad de exposición guiarán tanto a lector especializado como a aquel que quiera descubrir a los directores, actores y actrices que han formado parte de nuestras vidas en la oscuridad de la sala de cine."

"Cine español en cien películas is a necessary book to venture out and discover the history of our cinema through complete cinematographic analyses, whose amenity and clarity of exposition will guide both specialized readers and those who want to discover the directors, actors and actresses who they have been part of our lives in the darkness of the movie theater."

"Between 1996 and 2011 two governments of different sides succeeded one another and Spanish society underwent relevant transformations with the delegitimization of terrorism, jihadist convulsions and warmongering reactions, humanitarian emergencies, the economic crisis, the end of ETA and the new political subjects of the 15-M movement at the beginning of the second decade of the XXI. In Spanish cinema there is a new generation of filmmakers and women's access to screenwriting and directing jobs; it is the main emergence of a cinematography located before several crossroads: the digital revolution, the diversification of genres and formats, the innovations in the exhibition and the more plural audiences, of an increasingly transnational cinema with a global identity.The main contribution of this book are the analyzes of 131 films that reveal the diversity of genres, styles, fictional figures, personalities, dialogues with reality, social or political commitment, etc. of cinema in these years marked by these transformations. This corpus is complemented with chapters dedicated to drawing a panorama of the history, politics and society of Spain; to map the new trends, evolution of authors, styles and genres, representations of contemporary conflicts and political discourse of our cinema; to give an account of the cinema made by the largest generation of women in all its history; and to reflect on the social perception and public reception of films.of cinema in these years marked by these transformations"-- Back cover (translation).

"The Cinema of Latin America is the first volume in the new 24 Frames series of studies of national and regional cinema. In taking an explicitly text-centered approach, the books in this series offer a unique way of considering the particular concerns, styles and modes of representation of numerous national cinemas around the world. This volume focuses on the vibrant practices that make up Latin American cinema, a historically important regional cinema and one that is increasingly returning to popular and academic appreciation. Through 24 individual concise and insightful essays that each consider one significant film or documentary, the editors of this volume have compiled a unique introduction to the cinematic output of countries as diverse as Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, Mexico, Bolivia, Chile and Venezuala. The work of directors such as Luis Buñuel, Thomas Guiterrez Alea, Walter Salles, and Alfonso Arau is discussed and the collection includes in-depth studies of seminal works as such Los Olvidados, The Hour of the Furnaces, Like Water For Chocolate, Foreign Land, and Amoros Perros." - from the publisher

"This engaging book explores some of the most significant films to emerge from Latin America since 2000, an extraordinary period of international recognition for the region's cinema. Each chapter assesses an individual film, with some contributors considering the reasons for the unprecedented commercial and critical successes of movies such as City of God, The Motorcycle Diaries, Y tu mamá también, and Nine Queens, while others examine why equally important films failed to break out on the international circuit. Written by leading specialists, the chapters not only offer textual analysis, but also trace the films' social context and production conditions, as well as critical national and transnational issues. Their well-rounded analyses provide a rich picture of the state of contemporary filmmaking in a range of Latin American countries. Nuanced and thought-provoking, the readings in this book will provide invaluable interpretations for students and scholars of Latin American film." - from the publisher

"The Question of Class in Contemporary Latin American Cinema responds to the renewed interest in class within and outside academia by examining the aesthetics and politics of class in a representative selection of films from the contemporary cinemas of Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina. It explores the relationship of cinematic practices to conflicting socio-political transformations taking place in these five countries such as the intensification of neoliberalism, the Turn-to-the-Left, and the growth of the middle classes in the period from 2003 to 2015. Utilizing a critical comparative method , it sheds a critical light on the presumed depoliticization (or new, aestheticized politicization) of contemporary Latin American cinema. The combined textual and industrial analyses of films from strikingly different cinemas and directors through the lenses of class allows for a contextualization of this trend and the observation of its limitations. Furthermore, this book distinguishes cinematic figurations that correspond to new conceptualizations of class introduced in social studies from figurations of class that have yet to be conceptualized." - from the publisher

"Twenty essays by major filmmakers and critics provide the first survey of the evolution of documentary film in Latin America. While acknowledging the political and historical weight of the documentary, the contributors are also concerned with the aesthetic dimensions of the medium and how Latin American practitioners have defined the boundaries of the form." - from the publisher

"Argentine Cinema and National Identity covers the development of Argentine cinema since the late 1950s to the mid-1970s, a period that has been understudied. This essential cultural history delves on the dialect tradition versus modernity that was in place during those years and also comprises an examination of the political economy of film production as well as the different laws, including that implementing censorship that regulated this cultural industry. It also pays particular attention to two historical film genres: the historical film genre per se and the gauchesque, a genre based on outlaw gauchos that was crucial for nation-building in the nineteenth century. This volume investigates the way Argentine cinema positioned itself when facing the competition of glossy American films and resorted to the historical and gauchesque to bridge the stark divisions between the Argentine left and right in the late 1960s." - from the publisher

"The earliest films made in Cuba—newsreel footage of the Cuban-Spanish-American War—date from the end of the nineteenth century, but Cuba cannot be said to have had an indigenous film industry before the revolution of 1959. The melodramas, musicals, and comedies made until then reflected Hollywood’s—and the United States’s—cultural domination of the island, but the revolution precipitated urgent debates about the role of cinema in a socialist country and the kinds of films best suited to the needs of the people and their rulers. Among the feature films, documentaries, and short subjects made in accordance with revolutionary principles are celebrated works by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Humberto Solás, and other filmmakers who have had a profound influence on both Latin American and world cinema.Michael Chanan provides a comprehensive, authoritative, and absorbing account of Cuban cinema both before and after the revolution, deftly setting individual films and filmmakers within the larger framework of Cuba’s social, political, and cultural history. First published as The Cuban Image in 1984 to wide acclaim, Cuban Cinema now appears in a new, expanded edition that updates Chanan’s discussion to the beginning of the twenty-first century. New chapters address ongoing concerns about freedom of expression; Havana’s restored importance within the Latin American film industry through the Havana Film Festival, before state support for filmmakers dwindled in the economic collapse that followed the fall of the Soviet Union; Cuban cinema’s place within the globalized cultural market; and the changing audience for Cuban films. The only book-length study of Cuban cinema written in English, this indispensable work on one of the world’s most vital national cinemas offers a unique perspective on the Cuban experience in the twentieth century."

"In recent years, Mexican films have received high acclaim and impressive box-office returns. Moreover, Mexico has the most advanced movie industry in the Spanish-speaking world, and its impact on Mexican culture and society cannot be overstated. Mexico's Cinema: A Century of Film and Filmmakers is a collection of fourteen essays that encompass the first 100 years of the cinema of Mexico. Included are original contributions written specifically for this title, plus a few classic pieces in the field of Mexican cinema studies never before available in English. These essays explore a variety of themes including race and ethnicity, gender issues, personalities, and the historical development of a national cinematic style. Each of the book's three sections-The Silent Cinema, The Golden Age, and The Contemporary Era-is preceded by a short introduction to the period and a presentation of the major themes addressed in the section. This insightful anthology is the first published study that includes pieces by Mexican and North American scholars, including a piece by the internationally acclaimed essayist Carlos Monsivais. Contributors include other acclaimed scholars and critics as well as young scholars who are currently making their mark in the area of film studies of Mexico."

"This is the first academic book dedicated to the filmmaking of the Mexican born directors Guillermo del Toro, Alejandro González Iñárritu, and Alfonso Cuarón. The book examines the career trajectories of the directors and presents a detailed analysis of their most significant films."

"This book traces the evolution of Portuguese cinema between the beginning of the New Cinema movement in 1960 and the height of the economic crisis in 2010 from a socio-cultural and economic perspective. It aims to explain why this vibrant and creative industry has not been more commercially successful and pays especial attention to questions of financial viability, domestic consumption, international distribution, and the effects of legislation. It shows how film-makers have responded to historical difficulties and material obstacles and how market conditions have influenced aesthetics. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data, film theory, and history, the book assesses the place of Portuguese cinema within Portuguese culture as well as the wider film world. While focussed on the case of Portugal, it also sheds light on problems faced by other peripheral film cultures in the international marketplace and on the festival circuit." - from the publisher

"Best known to international audiences for its carnivalesque irreverence and recent gangster blockbusters, Brazilian cinema is gaining prominence with critics, at global film festivals and on DVD shelves. This volume seeks to introduce newcomers to Brazilian cinema and to offer valuable insights to those already well versed in the topic. It brings into sharp focus some of the most important movements, genres and themes from across the eras of Brazilian cinema, from cinema novo to musical chanchada, the road movie to cinema de bordas, avant-garde to pornochanchada. Delving deep beyond the surface of cinema, the volume also addresses key themes such as gender, indigenous and diasporic communities and Afro-Brazilian identity. Situating Brazilian cinema within the country's changing position in the global capitalist system, the essays consider uneven modernization, class division, dictatorship, liberation struggles and globalization alongside questions of entertainment and artistic innovation." - from the publisher

"Completed a year after his death in 1983, this program presents the definitive biography of Spain’s renowned Surrealist film maker and iconoclast, Luis Buñuel. Using photographs, film excerpts, and numerous interviews with Bunuel, the video chronicles his early friendships with Salvador Dalí and Federico García Lorca, the stormy reactions to many of his groundbreaking films, and the influence he has had on international cinema. Among those interviewed are directors Federico Fellini, John Huston, and Jose L. Saenz De Heredia; Buñuel’s wife, Jeanne Rucar, and son Juan; actor Francisco Rabal; and Octavio Paz." - from Letterboxd.com

" master filmmaker, inimitable, and unrelenting in his assault on bourgeois values. Bunuel's method is free from all artifice, and his honesty and humour are to extreme to accept any compromise in exposing our deceit and our decadence. Like Pasolini, his work offers a remarkably sophisticated political analysis, but remains based in the essentially peasant values of storytelling, and the purposefully unsystematic supervisions of laughter." - from Amazon.com

"This is a major new study of the films of Luis Bunuel, Surrealist scourge of the bourgeoisie and enduring influence on European cinema.Uniquely, the book offers an extended analysis of Bunuel's films in the context of contemporary debates in film studies, focusing in particular on questions of subjectivity and desire. Throughout, Bunuel's films are viewed as both the brilliant, subversive expressions of the director's fantasies and obsessions and as reflections of wider cultural norms and preoccupations. Making use of psychoanalysis and gender theory, Peter Evans explores Bunuel's characteristic thematics of transgression and his status as exile or outsider.The whole range of his work is discussed, from the critically neglected 'bread and butter' Mexican melodramas of the 1950s to such classics of European cinema as The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, That Obscure Object of Desire, and Belle de Jour. Accessible, lively, and compelling, The Films of Luis Bunuel provides a much needed revaluation of one of the world's greatest film-makers." - from the publisher

"As one of the foremost Spanish directors of all time, Luis Bunuel's filmography has been the subject of innumerable studies. Despite the fact that the twenty films he made in Mexico between 1946 and 1965 represent the most prolific stage of his career as a filmmaker, these have remained relatively neglected in writing on Bunuel and his work. This book focuses on nine of the director's films made in Mexico in order to show that a concerted focus on space, an important aspect of the films' narratives that is often intimated by scholars, yet rarely developed, can unlock new philosophical meaning in this rich body of work. Although in recent years Bunuel's Mexican films have begun to enjoy a greater presence in criticism on the director, they are often segregated according to their perceived critical value, effectively creating two substrands of work: the independent and the studio potboiler. The interdisciplinary approach of this book unites the two, focusing on films such as Los olvidados, Nazarin, and El angel exterminador alongside La mort en ce jardin, The Young One, and Simon del desierto, among others. In doing so, it avoids the tropes most often associated with Bunuel's cinema-surrealism, Catholicism, the derision of the bourgeoisie-and the approach most often invoked in analysis of these themes: psychoanalysis." - from the publisher

"Documents the improvished district of Las Hurdes in Spain. There are few natural resources in the area and physical barriers have tended to isolate it. The film captures the poverty, illiteracy and disease which frame the lives of the peasants. Scenes of malnutrition, death, despair and pestilence pile upon one another, but through all of this, the film makes no political comment; it simply portrays the lives of the people."

"A comedy that concerns a family's attempts to change the wealthy patriarch's somewhat indulgent and hedonistic ways by fooling him into thinking his large fortune is gone. They assume a life of poverty in Mexico in an attempt to teach him a lesson. However, he discovers it's a ruse, but continues to perpetuate the facade of ignorance while sneaking off during the day to conduct his thriving business in order to teach his overly dependent family a lesson."

"Relato sobre la marginalidad de un grupo de niños en los arrabales, las ciudades perdidas y los barrios más pobres que existían en la ciudad de México de los años 50." "Story of a gang of children, set in the 1950s in the poorest slums of Mexico City."

"After a man discovers his wife's infidelity and she tells him their daughter is not his child, he abandons them both. As the years pass, the man is wracked with guilt about deserting his daughter and decides to search for her."

"The story of a young peasant who is forced by his brothers to leave his bride on their wedding night to see their dying mother. Knowing that most of her sons are just waiting for her to die in order to get their inheritance, the old woman asks her one good son to travel to the city to retrieve her will. This means taking the dilapidated town bus to his mother's home town; a bus filled with colorful characters, including a seductive young woman."

"A story of a small town located on the banks of a deep dark river that is caught up in a cycle of revenge and a violent way of life. Blood feuding has become the code of honor here."

"A motley crew of passengers on a rundown streetcar go on a series of picaresque adventures, with elements of political, social and religious satire expressed in the form of a fairy tale."

"A virtuous and devout priest who is concerned with both the spiritual and temporal well-being of others, encounters nothing but failure and rejection. He embarks on a pilgrimage where he begins to doubt his ability to forgive and becomes full of self-doubt."

"Banned in Spain and denounced by the Vatican, Luis Buñuel’s irreverent vision of life as a beggar’s banquet is regarded by many as his masterpiece. In it, novice nun Viridiana does her utmost to maintain her Catholic principles, but her lecherous uncle and a motley assemblage of paupers force her to confront the limits of her idealism. Winner of the Palme d’or at the 1961 Cannes Film Festival, Viridiana is as audacious today as ever." - from Criterion.com

"A group of high-society friends are invited to a mansion for dinner and find themselves inexplicably unable to leave, in Luis Buñuel’s daring masterpiece The Exterminating Angel (El ángel exterminador). Made just one year after the director’s inter­na­tional sensation Viridiana, this film, full of eerie comic absurdity, continues Buñuel’s wicked takedown of the rituals and dependencies of the frivolous upper classes." - from Criterion.com

"Simon of the Desert is Luis Buñuel’s wicked and wild take on the life of devoted ascetic Saint Simeon Stylites, who waited atop a pillar surrounded by a barren landscape for six years, six months, and six days, in order to prove his devotion to God. Yet the devil, in the figure of the beautiful Silvia Pinal, huddles below, trying to tempt him down. A skeptic’s vision of human conviction, Buñuel’s short and sweet satire is one of the master filmmaker’s most renowned works of surrealism." - from Criterion.com

"Set in 1920's Spain, this film is a scathing examination of moral decay. Tristana, a victim of her own captivating beauty, is desired by two men. One is her lecherous guardian whose physical advances repulse her and cause her to have nightmares of his death by decapitation, and the other is a young artist who wants to marry her, but lacks the courage."

"In Luis Buñuel’s deliciously satiric masterpiece, an upper-middle-class sextet sits down to a dinner that is continually delayed, their attempts to eat thwarted by vaudevillian events both actual and imagined, including terrorist attacks, military maneuvers, and ghostly apparitions. Stringing together a discontinuous, digressive series of absurdist set pieces, Buñuel and his screenwriting partner Jean-Claude Carrière send a cast of European-film greats—including Fernando Rey, Stéphane Audran, Delphine Seyrig, Jean-Pierre Cassel, and Bulle Ogier—through a maze of desire deferred, frustrated, and interrupted. The Oscar-winning pinnacle of Buñuel’s late-career ascent as a feted maestro of the international art house, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie is also one of his most gleefully radical assaults on the values of the ruling class." - from Criterion.com

"In the world of 1950s Spanish art cinema, Carlos Saura keeps some very prestigious company with other noted Spanish directors-- Berlanga, Bardem, and Luis Buñuel. In the beginning, Saura labored under the iron censorship of the fascist Franco regime, but he later won international recognition for his portrayals of life stunted by political oppression. In later films, such as the Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and Flamenco, Saura's talent for injecting his films with assurance and vigor, punctuated by unforgettable moments of poetry, shines forth. In this program, Saura discusses his filmmaking techniques, and how, by incorporating a mixture of incisiveness, humor, action, and romance, he conveys the gist of Spanish and Latin culture to world audiences."

"Carlos Saura began what would become his trilogy with this depiction of a single dress rehearsal for choreographer Antonio Gades’s adaptation of poet/playwright Federico García Lorca’s tale of passionate revenge. No mere recording of a ballet, Bodas de sangre (Blood Wedding) uses gripping camerawork and heart-pounding rhythmic editing to evoke the experience of moving with the dancers every step of the way." - from Criterion.com

"Saura's biggest international box-office success was this self-reflexive meditation on both Bizet's popular opera Carmen and the original novella by Prosper Mérimée. Antonio Gades plays a choreographer who gets involved with his neophyte lead dancer (Laura del Sol), and grows dangerously jealous. Depicting the ups and downs of their affair in between rehearsals for Gades's ballet, Carmen is a visually hypnotic hall of mirrors in which the dancers become inseparable from their personas." - from Criterion.com

"The Flamenco Trilogy's most straightforward narrative is also its most forthrightly theatrical, a modern take on composer Manuel de Falla's gypsy ballet, dressed up in pink sunsets and hellishly red fires. Set in a dusty Andalusian village, El amor brujo (Love the Magician) is a seductive melodrama of a man (Antonio Gades) whose beloved is haunted by the ghost of another." - from Criterion.com

"Aragón, Spain, 1938. Carmela and her two companions quit their posts as entertainers for the Republican troops in search for a better fortune. By mistake, they cross over to the Nationalist zone, get arrested and subsequently executed."

"A dramatization of the short story by Jorge Luis Borges. In this story, a descendant of famous ancestors dreams of more heroic times ... until a serious accident takes him to the doors of death, where the past and the present mingle -- and where he meets his final destiny."

"A series of flamenco dances are performed by three hundred dancers and photographed by Vittorio Storaro."

"Set in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the film tells the story of director Mario Suarez's quest to make the ultimate tango film. Lonely after his wife (one of the film's stars) has left him, Mario must find the themes that will hold the film together, while simultaneously permitting his musicians and dancers the freedom of expression that is necessary to satisfy the tango-hungry Argentine audience. Things become complicated when Mario falls in love with Elena, a beautiful and talented young dancer who is the girlfriend of the powerful and dangerous Angelo Larroca, an investor in the picture. And Mario's creative vision is challenged by his investors when he plans a scene that recreates Argentina's dark years of political suppression and 'disappearances.'"

"Three-time Academy Award nominee Carlos Saura's latest foray into the music of Argentina explores the heart of traditional Argentine folklore and its stunning musical heritage, from traditional styles to modern dance."

"A shy young boy is brought out of his cocoon by a wise teacher who shows him the wonder of the natural world around him, amidst the growing tensions and chaos of the Spanish Civil War in Galicia."

"Nicholas, a toy designer, found the woman of his life and the son he never had, in one fell swoop, one morning, on the plane that takes them from Alicante to Barcelona: Ingrid, an ornithologist and a recent widow of an aviator killed in Iraq, and her son, eight-year-old Raul who has a powerful imagination. This love story of three is perfect until Ingrid suddenly decides that everything is over. Why?"

"Nicolás encuentra a la mujer de su vida y al hijo que él no ha tenido, pero que ansía tener, de un solo golpe, una mañana, en el avión que los lleva de Alicante a Barcelona. Él es inventor de juguetes. Ella, Ingrid, viuda reciente de un capitán de aviación muerto en Iraq, es una ornitóloga que estudia en Cataluña el paso de las palomas torcaces. Raúl tiene ocho años y es un fantaseador de primer orden. A partir de este encuentro, la historia de amor a tres será perfecta hasta que repentinamente Ingrid decide que todo se ha acabado. ¿Por qué? No hay quien entienda sus razones: nunca serán más felices de lo que han sido hasta ese momento."

"In Ourense Spain, trainee priest Salvador returns from the war in 1940, with some of his beliefs in tatters. He returns to the seminary, working as a teacher. One of his pupils is Lorenzo, whose father Ricardo, a fervent Republican, has gone into hiding in the family home aided by his wife Elena. Believing Elena to be a widow, Salvador clumsily begins to woo her, while puzzling over the contradictory remarks Lorenzo constantly makes. Lorenzo's older sister Elenita is pregnant, and she and her republican boyfriend Lalo attempt to run away and find freedom in Portugal. Salvador brings his suspicions to the attention of the rector, as Lorenzo, unable to lie successfully, is stripped of his innocence--and his father--by a war that he does not understand."

"In this program the Spanish motion picture producer, Pedro Almodovar, traces his colorful career from obscure independent filmmaker to his 1988 Oscar-nomination. He explores his unique creative perspective, particularly his frequent use of characters living on the fringes of traditional Spanish society."

"This book offers a comprehensive film-by-film analysis of Spain’s most famous living director, Pedro Almodóvar. It shows how Almodóvar's films draw on various national cinemas and genres, including Spanish cinema of the dictatorship, European art cinema, Hollywood melodrama and film noir. It also argues that Almodóvar's work is a form of social critique, his films consistently engaging with and challenging stereotypes about traditional and contemporary Spain in order to address Spain's traumatic historical past and how it continues to inform the present. Drawing on scholarship in both English and Spanish, the book will be of interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students of film studies and Hispanic studies, scholars of contemporary cinema and general readers with a passion for the films of Pedro Almodóvar." - from the publisher

"Once the enfant terrible of Spain’s youth culture explosion, the Movida, Pedro Almodóvar’s distinctive film style and career longevity have made him one of the most successful and internationally known filmmakers of his generation. Offering a state-of-the-art appraisal of Almodóvar’s cinema, this original collection is a searching analysis of his technique and cultural significance that includes work by leading authorities on Almodóvar as well as talented young scholars. Crucially included here are contributions by film historians from Almodóvar’s native Spain, where he has been undervalued by the academic and critical establishment. With a balance between textual and contextual approaches, the book expands the scope of previous work on the director to explore his fruitful collaborations with fellow professionals in the areas of art design, fashion, and music as well as the growing reach of a global Almodóvar brand beyond Europe and the United States to Latin America and Asia. It also proposes a reevaluation of the political meanings and engagement of his cinema from the perspective of the profound cultural and historical upheavals that have transformed Spain since the 1970s." - from the publisher

"This is an exciting and excited collection of essays by a talented group of psychoanalysts, scholars and artists who take us right into the dark, antic, ribald, mocking heart and brilliant mind of that enfant terrible of Spanish film--Pedro Almodóvar. His wildly joyous, and viciously murderous, transgressive social misfits loving and torturing each other leap out here on the edge of fragmentation - yet are held together by this analytic approach that never lectures but urges exploration. The chapters are a film festival--a carnival of his movies. Spanish history and how it holds trauma is also offered. Power, desire and intense passion is fulsomely addressed by the editors; a fascinating read."

"n these frank and passionate conversations, Almodovar discusses his career to date with a humour that is distinctly his own." - from the publisher

"Diego is a matador unable to practice his craft after being badly gored. Maria is a successful Madrid lawyer. Diego teaches bullfighting to Angel, who wants to bullfight so he can die an exciting death and escape his strict, guilt-inducing Catholic mother. Angel has confessed to a string of recent murders--which he assumes he must be responsible for--having seen them happen in a series of hallucinatory visions, and Maria is defending him. Thanks to Angel, Diego and Maria finally meet. They might have gone through life forever unfulfilled were it not for him -- now they have each found someone with whom to share the ultimate pleasure. All that remains for them is the execution of their Liebestod."

"Cocaine-snorting homosexual hedonist writer-director Pablo Quintero is bereft--because his boyfriend Juan has just moved out. Pablo meets Antonio at a party, and they share a few passionate nights, but Antonio soon proves far too clingy for Pablo's taste. All hell breaks loose when Antonio comes across a sad, yearning love note from Juan, which ignites in Antonio a bonfire of jealous possessiveness. Pablo's transsexual sister Tina and her daughter Ada get involved in the mess as well. None of their lives will ever be the same because of this tragic unrequited love triangle."

"When a woman's lover leaves her, she discovers that the police are looking for her because of his criminal activities. After talking to a female lawyer, she discovers that her lawyer is her old lover's new girlfriend."

"Comedy about an orphaned mental patient who is determined to create an ideal family for himself, so, in an irrationally inspired bid for love, he kidnaps a recovering drug addict/porn star."

"The husband of a TV anchorwoman, ex-lover of her long-estranged singer-actress mother, is mysteriously killed, and both mother and daughter come under suspicion in a frenzied investigation filled with romantic mix-ups and mistaken identities."

"A dizzy dame hairdresser, Kika, gets involved with a host of unusual characters: a homicidal expatriate Yank writer, Nicholas, and his bewildered stepson, Ramon, an uncommunicative underwear photographer; a vampish, oddball femme tv reporter, Andrea, who's constantly on the lookout for "reality" scoops and who wears a rubber suit with a revolving video camera mounted on her head; a lesbian maid, Juana, and her mentally-deficient convicted rapist brother, Pablo, who escaped while on parole from prison to attend a religious festival in his home town."

"Leo is a successful writer of fabulously popular romance novels, published under the nom de plume Amanda Gris. Needy and demanding, her own romantic life has taken a nosedive since her husband Paco joined the peacekeeping forces in Bosnia in order to escape her. Despising the lucrative fluff she has been writing, she is depressed, drinks too much, tries to commit suicide, and is outraged when her publisher derides the gritty novel she has tried to submit. Her friend Betty suggests that she take up journalism, keeping her other identity secret. Newspaper editor Angel loves her bodice-rippers, but wants her to succeed as a journalist. Can Leo face the truth of her disintegrating marriage? Can she withstand the revelation of her secret?"

"Madrid, Christmastime 1970: a prostitute gives birth to a son on a city bus in the dead of night. Victor, a handsome young misfit, is neither evil nor violent, but an inexperienced, hungry young man, and things tend go out of control when he is around. One such incident involves Elena, a rich girl dabbling in drugs, a terrible fight, one gun, and two police officers--David and Sancho. Victor, freed from prison, sleeps with the wives of the two officers who put him in jail -- first Sancho's wife Clara, then David's wife Elena, whom he both lusts for and bears a grudge against. The entire history of Spanish repression and guilt seems to gather inside the heads of these men and women. The essential question remains: How, as the grip of the Franco years is broken, will freedom reign?"

"Manuela is a devoted single mother who needs to come to grips with the death of her 17-year-old son, Esteban. She had never told Esteban about his father, but after reading her son's journal she realizes she has to find Esteban's father, and explain what has happened. She leaves Madrid for Barcelona, to reconnect with her old friend Agrado, who introduces her to Rosa, a young nun in trouble, and Huma Rojo, a brilliant actress whom young Esteban idolized. A Hollywood melodrama done up as Greek tragedy translated into the context of everyday modern life, the film sums up both the boundlessness and the limitations of a mother's love."

"Marco, a journalist grieving for a love affair that ended ten years' ago, falls in love with Lydia, a bullfighter also on the rebound. Benigno, a nurse, dedicates his life to his only patient, a young dancer in a coma as a result of an accident four years' before; he talks to her, reads to her, holds photographs in front of her closed eyes. When Lydia is brought comatose to the hospital where Benigno works, he and Marco become friendly, and the nurse encourages the journalist to talk to her and hope for a miracle. Marco is Sancho to Benigno's Quixote, and as Benigno's hopes for his patient become fantasies, Marco tries to inject reality. Does a miracle await?"

"In 1980 Madrid, filmmaker Enrique Goded is scrambling for inspiration. A bearded young man arrives at his production office, claiming to be his old parochial school friend Ignacio Rodriguez. Ignacio has written a story called "The Visit" about their early experiences with a sexually predatory priest named Manolo, which would make a great project--but only if he can play the lead. Enrique takes the story home and reads. And reads. Filled with standard deceits, double-crosses, passions, desires, seductions, crimes of the flesh and of lucre, this film noir thriller is appropriately convoluted and dark, and involves blackmail, false identities, lust, drug addiction, and cover-ups--just for starters--since the story we see may or may not be the one that Enrique read."

"The central focus in Volver is a family of women: mother and grandmother Irene, her daughters Raimunda and Sole, and Raimunda's 14-year-old daughter Paula. Irene is dead: She died with the girls' father in a fire many years ago in their birth village in La Mancha. Raimunda lives in Madrid with Paula and her shiftless husband, who is malevolent, irrelevant, or absent. Separated Sole runs an unlicensed beauty parlor in her apartment. Their old aunt, Paula, still lives in the village and speaks about her sister Irene as if she were still alive. When the aunt dies, some things change, many things return, and Raimunda's troubles become extremely complicated. She bustles through them with passionate determination, a hard-working woman pulled in fifty directions, making a life for her family, reveling in every emotion but self-pity."

"Pedro Almódovar's acclaimed tale of sex, secrets and cinema. When her father becomes gravely ill, beautiful Lena consents to a relationship with her boss Ernesto Martel. An extremely wealthy and much-older man, he pays for her father's hospitalisation and provides her a lavish lifestyle. Lena's dream, however, is to act and she soon falls for the director of her first film - a project bankrolled by her jealous husband to keep her near. Upon his discovery of the affair, Ernesto stops at nothing to ruin Lena's happiness.La Concejala antropófaga = The cannibalistic councillor: The story of an aspiring writer obsessed with the desire to eat a man's legs."

"Since his wife was burned in a car crash, Dr. Robert Ledgard, an eminent plastic surgeon, has wanted to create a new skin with which he could have saved her. After twelve years, he cultivates a skin that is a real shield against every assault. Now, besides the years of study and experimentation, the unscrupulous doctor needs to find an accomplice, and a human guinea pig. Marrilia, the woman who looked after him from birth, is his most faithful accomplice. His guinea pig: a mysterious and volatile captive woman who holds the key to his obsessin and whose identity masks a shocking mystery. A masterfule tale of secrets, obsession, and revenge."

"When it appears as though the end is in sight, the pilots, flight crew, and passengers of a plane heading to Mexico City look to forget the anguish of the moment and face the greatest danger, which we carry within ourselves." - from IMDB.com

" Pedro Almodóvar directs this Spanish drama based on the short stories 'Chance', 'Soon' and 'Silence' from Alice Munro's book 'Runaway'. When recently widowed Julieta (Emma Suárez) discovers that her 18-year-old daughter Antía (Blanca Parés) has run away, she vows to put aside her grief for her late husband and do everything she can to find her daughter. The more she searches, however, the more Julieta realises she doesn't know Antía very well at all. " - from Amazon.com

"It tells of a series of reencounters experienced by Salvador Mallo, a film director in his physical decline. Some of them in the flesh, others remembered: his childhood in the '60s, when he emigrated with his parents to a village in Valencia in search of prosperity, the first desire, his first adult love in the Madrid of the '80s, the pain of the breakup of that love while it was still alive and intense."

"Dos mujeres coinciden en una habitación de hospital donde van a dar a luz. Ambas están solteras y se quedaron embarazadas por accidente. Janis, de mediana edad, no se arrepiente y está exultante. La otra, Ana, una adolescente, está asustada, arrepentida y traumatizada. Janis intenta animarla mientras pasean por los pasillos del hospital. Las pocas palabras que intercambien en esas horas crearán un vínculo muy estrecho entre las dos, que por casualidad se desarrolla y se complica, afectando a sus vidas de forma decisiva."

"Two women, Janis and Ana, coincide in a hospital room where they are going to give birth. Both are single and became pregnant by accident. Janis, middle-aged, doesn't regret it and she is exultant. The other, Ana, an adolescent, is scared, repentant and traumatized. Janis tries to encourage her while they move like sleepwalkers along the hospital corridors. The few words they exchange in these hours will create a very close link between the two, which by chance develops and complicates, and changes their lives in a decisive way." --Container.

"Javi believes he can hear the voices of the dead and that they whisper to him their secrets, which were left unspoken in life. At his mother's house in the mountains, he is fascinated by the room in which his father died and which his mother carefully keeps locked. But, Javi also learns that the living have their secrets as well."

"Lourdes (Bárbara Lennie) is a young college student who is assigned a film-making project. She decides to make a documentary about the small Basque town where she lives and its colorful inhabitants. Over the course of making her film, Lourdes gains new perspectives on her rural community, by observing the intimate details of the lives of the people living there. But, in doing so, Lourdes ultimately winds up learning the most interesting things about herself."

"In 1931, Fernando, a handsome, young Spanish Civil War deserter who befriends a free-thinking artist, finds himself in a romantic dilemma when the artist's four beautiful daughters return to their country home. Which woman should he love?"

"Cuba, 1948. Chico is a young piano player with big dreams. Rita is a beautiful singer with an extraordinary voice. Music and desire unite them as they chase their dreams and each other from Havana to New York, Paris, Hollywood and Las Vegas. With an original soundtrack by legendary Cuban pianist and five-time Grammy-winning composer Bebo Valdés, Chico & Rita captures a defining moment in the evolution of history and jazz."

"A saga spanning over half a century of the twisted goings on between families in Northern Spain. From the Carlist Wars of 1875 to the Spanish Civil War in the thirties, the fathers, sons and grandsons are locked in an absurdly stubborn and emotionally exhausting conflict. Sometimes there seems to be no escape from how family ties dictates our fate."

"Jota, a troubled former pop star is the sole witness to the crash of a motorcycle ridden by a young woman. After learning of the woman's amnesia Jota pretends to be her lover, naming her Lisa and creating a fictitious life for her."

"Called in to fumigate an unnamed region of Spain after a plague of woodlice, Angel tried to keep body and soul together after he falls in love with demure, unhappily married Angela, and in lust with sexy Mari."

"As young children, Otto (Fele Martínez) and Ana (Najwa Nimri) become best friends, leading to the marriage of Ana's mother, Olga (Maru Valdivielso), to Otto's father, Álvaro (Nancho Novo). When Otto and Ana become teenagers, they begin a sexual relationship, which they hide from their parents. The two fall deeply in love and seem destined to spend the rest of their lives together. However, their relationship is tested when Otto's mother dies and the two are separated."

"After learning that her boyfriend, Lorenzo (Tristán Ulloa), a talented but troubled writer, may have committed suicide, the beautiful Lucía (Paz Vega) decides to escape to a remote Spanish island. When she arrives, she meets Carlos (Daniel Freire), a scuba diver, and Elena (Najwa Nimri), Lorenzo's former lover. As the twisted story unfolds, Lucía learns more about Lorenzo's tragic past, which may have been the inspiration for his latest novel -- and the root of his depression."

"In an area of northern Spain known as Basque Country, the Spanish government and the region's people are in a constant political struggle as the Basque people strive for autonomy, an effort that occasionally leads to bloodshed. Attempting to start a dialogue between the opposing factions, director Julio Medem conducts a series of interviews with numerous individuals about the issue -- even though the interviewees refuse to be in the same room. Through editing, Medem creates the conversation."

"Ana leads a sheltered existence with her father on Ibiza until a mysterious philanthropist stumbles on Ana's artwork and invites her to Madrid to develop her skills as a painter. There Ana meets Said, a Berber refugee, and suddenly their passionate relationship leads to the discovery of other past lives that Ana appears to have had. As these are peeled away Ana begins to question who she is and her journey takes her across eras and continents on a voyage that goes far beyond self-discovery."

"A young woman is dying from cancer, so she decides to live her life with a passion and zest she has never known before."

"Hannah, a recluse who wears a hearing aid, is forced by her employer to take a vacation. On holiday she finds a job on an oil rig caring for Josef, a burn victim who has temporarily lost his sight. Hannah's job is to care for Josef until he is stable enough to be transferred. There is almost no one on the rig, except a cook, an oceanographer and a few others out at sea. Hannah tends to Josef and he slowly breaks her shell of silence."

"In 2017, the economy will have collapsed, Spain is ruined, financially and morally, and redemption and forgiveness seem impossible in the barren, windswept landscape. The confrontation between the two former lovers who have lost their son due to bad health care (again a result of the current collapse of public infrastructure) is played out as a chamber piece. Futuristic concrete architecture symbolizes their current battle ground which tears open the wounds that never healed."

"A portrait of everyday life in Spain on October 24, 2015, when over 22,000 Spaniards recorded snippets from their day and then sent these contributions to Isabel Coixet and her production team, who painstakingly whittled the list down to around 400.The first Life in a day (2011 ; Kevin Macdonald) received a magnificent reception in the festivals and in YouTube; the Spanish version tries to repeat success on our screens without the surprise factor but with a much more powerful weapon -- our daily realistic view of experiencing life. The sociological experiment is served." - Cine en serio

"Elvira, an attractive but insecure twenty-something, joins her sisters Jimena and Sol to celebrate the birthday of their mother, Sofía. A divorced concert pianist, Sofía announces that she's fallen in love but is interrupted by the doorbell as she describes her new partner. While the three gleefully speculate about their mother's new boyfriend, their joy suddenly gives way to shock when she returns with Eliska, and the sisters realize that their mother is a lesbian. The young women handle the shock in different ways." - from Wikipedia

"A romantic comedy where both Cervantes and Shakespeare fall for the same woman."

"A sexually ignorant and childless couple, heir to the husband's communion wafer factory, adopt two Martians and are later joined by an escaped mental patient."

"Marco, a professional basketball coach in the midst of a personal crisis, is training a team of people with intellectual disabilities. What starts as a problem ends up becoming a life lesson."

"Julia, a hard-working real estate agent, finds 300 million pesetas hidden in a dead man's apartment and is forced to face the wrath of a very peculiar community of neighbors led by an unscrupulous administrator."

"A wacked out western fantasy. 10 year old Carlos has run away from home to find his grandfather in the deserts of central Spain."

"Rafael is at the top of the heap at the department store where the ladies department is his own small kingdom. A hit with customers and coworkers alike, the suave Rafael is able to sell anything to anyone, and seems a shoe-in for store manager. Rafael is beaten out by rival Don Antonio. When Don Antonio mysteriously disappears, Rafael is the most likely suspect, and one person knows the secret that could bring him down."

"Martin, a young American grad student (Elijah Wood) ... is drawn into a complex murder mystery when his landlady is brutally slain. ... The gifted student joins forces with the brilliant Professor Arthur Seldom (John Hurt) to solve a series of murders seemingly linked by a series of codes and symbols. As they try to crack the code and find a dangerous killer, an elaborate puzzle begins to unravel in which every action has an effect beyond anything that Martin could have imagined."

"Ruy and Tito, two young Cubans, share a similar dream-- to become music stars. Their families and the same circle of friends keep them grounded and motivated. But their lives will be transformed by an offer to record an album and perform abroad, and tensions rise and relationships are changed." "Dos amigos, Ruy y Tito, que tienen un grupo musical intentan salir adelante en la Cuba actual y triunfar con sus canciones. La oportunidad que esperan llegará de la mano de unos productores españoles en busca de talentos, pero no todo será tan bueno como aparenta y ambos deberán pensar bien que hacer con sus vidas."

"Pepita, una joven cordobesa de origen rural, va a Madrid en la posguerra para estar cerca de su hermana Hortensia que está embarazada y en prisión. Pepita conoce a Paulino, un valenciano de familia burguesa, que lucha junto a su cuñado Felipe en la sierra de Madrid. A pesar de la dificultad de su relación, se enamoran apasionadamente. Hortensia es juzgada y condenada a muerte. La ejecución no se llevará a cabo hasta que después del parto. Pepita intenta por todos los medios y en todas las instancias que condonen la ejecución."

"Two sisters, Pepita and Hortense, must endure the terror and hardships of Franco's fascist regime. Hortense is pregnant and in prison, always wondering when she will be sentenced to execution as she sees her fellow inmates being led off. Pepita tries to live and love in the midst of fear for her sister."

"A boy who has escaped from his village hears the cries of the men who are looking for him. What remains before him is an infinite and arid plain that he must cross if he wants to get away definitively from the hell from which he is fleeing. Faced with the stalking of his persecutors at the service of the town foreman, his steps will cross those of a shepherd who offers him protection and, from that moment, nothing will be the same for either of them."

"A group of women take a bus trip to a remote Spanish village overwhelmingly populated by men. The women dream of a better life while the men ache with more romantic yearnings."

"A terrified Pilar hastily flees from her husband Antonio's rage in the middle of the night with her young son as if her life depends on it. Reaching her sister Ana's house, Pilar breaks down in turmoil. Banging on Ana's front door is Pilar's husband, Antonio, who in a fit of rage screams for Pilar to return home. With Ana's support, Pilar is determined to save herself from Antonio's rage. Yet the very passionate Antonio is far from a one-dimensional brute, and the bond between Pilar and Antonio is deep."

"In the year of our Lord 2000, Spanish director Sebastián and his executive producer Costa are shooting a motion picture about Christopher Columbus, his first explorations, and the way the Spaniards treated the Indians. To get film made within the limitations of their modest budget, Costa has chosen the Cochabamba area of Bolivia, the cheapest and most Indian of Latin American countries as the location. They hire many supernumeraries, local actors, and extras, and things go more or less smoothly until a conflict erupts over the privatization of the water supply, sold to a multinational. Sebastian cares only for the film, Costa that it is made on time and within budget. The trouble is that one of the local actors is a leading activist in the protest movement. 500 years after Columbus, a David vs. Goliath conflict erupts into the infamous Bolivian Water War, catching the filmmakers firmly in the middle."

"When her beloved grandfather refuses to talk and eat, 20 year-old Alma enlists her uncle and a friend to try to buy back an ancient olive tree that had been sold against her grandfather's wishes."

"SummaryA group of seniors go to a sex education class where they remember your body is still alive. They learn from each other, talk about their experiences ... Olga, the teacher helps them cope with the problems caused by age ..."

"Dolores is a mature and kind woman whose husband abandons her because he can't stand her generosity. Desperate to get her husband back, she decides to devote her life to works of charity. She decides that one of her charitable acts is to go to bed with all the other men of the town. Dolores, now known as "Lolita," becomes so famous that all men seek out her help now. It is through her compassionate sex that she brings back the color and the happiness to a town that was immersed in sadness."

"Laid off from the local shipyard, six men spend their days at the town bar, where they discuss their current state. Santa puts up a tough front. The morose José openly worries about his wife, whom he fears might leave him. Amador, the oldest of the bunch, keeps reassuring everyone that his wife will be back any day now from her trip. Meanwhile, Lino refuses to give up hope of employment, going to interview after interview for jobs being offered to applicants half his age. Presiding over the glum bunch is Rico, the bar owner and the men's co-worker from their shipyard days."

"Caye, a Madrid prostitute, comes to the aid of Zule, a Dominican streetwalker beaten by a government official blackmailing her for free sex. They form a strong bond and imagine themselves as royalty, to offer them a glimpse of hope."

"A beautiful, young TV reporter and her crew cover the night shift at the local fire station. When the station receives a call from an old lady trapped in the her apartment, the reporter and crew decide to ride along. Once the building is sealed off, the news crew, firefighters, and residents all become trapped inside, and with the camera running, nothing may survive but the film itself."

"A lonely doorman in a Barcelona apartment building goes unnoticed by the residents, but knows everything about their lives."

"The true account of seven Cuban refugees (and their families) who attempted to immigrate to America via a series of homemade rafts."

"El escritor Rafael Sánchez huyó de ser fusilado, en los últimos días de la Guerra Civil española. Una novelista, tiempo despues, se da a la tarea de encontrar y unir las piezas de esta enigmatica historia, sin saber que en el camino se encontrara con varias cosas, incluso con ella misma ..."

"A writer is assigned to write about the Spanish Civil War. After her article is published, she receives a letter which leads her to research the shooting of the poet Rafael Sánchez. She becomes intrigued by the identity of the mysterious soldier who spared Sanchez' life."

"Spain, 1966: Antonio is a teacher and a Beatles fan, facets he combines by getting his pupils to recite the lyrics from Help in English class. When he learns that his idol John Lennon is making a film in Almeria, he resolves to meet him. On the journey he picks up two young runaways: Bethlehem, a pregnant girl fleeing a convent, and Juanjo, a boy escaping a dictatorial father."

"Recent divorcée Adela, seeking a fresh start, moves to Madrid with her infant son. Widowed grocer Antonia is the mother of Adela's new roommate, Inés. A terrorist bombing in Madrid forever alters both their lives. These women's lives intersect, however, in the way that the seemingly cursory, often inelegant, momentary interruptions of life--the petty arguments, procrastinated plans, quiet sacrifices, acts of compassion, and conciliatory gestures--occur to both. The film focuses on these 'solitary fragments' that capture life at its most intimate, in an honest expression of struggle, loneliness, and validation."

"Natalia and Carlos, both aged 20, are in love and struggling to survive in today's Spain. Their limited resources prevent them from getting ahead as they'd like to. They have no great ambitions because they have no great hopes. To earn some money, they decide to shoot an amateur porno film. The birth of their daughter Julia is the main catalyst for the changes they make." - from IMDb.com

"Summer in a working-class neighborhood in the south of Spain. Tano, a young guy currently locked up in juvenile hall, receives a 48-hour leave to attend his brother's wedding. Together with his best friend Richi, Tano plans to enjoy his weekend pass to the limit and do all the things he normally can't: party, steal, have sex and hang out with his buddies. By the end of his 48-hour pass, Tano has also witnesses the collapse of all the things he takes for granted in his life: the neighborhood, his family, friends and loved-ones. More than just two days of freedom, Tano's leave turns out to be a journey into maturity."

"Grupo 7 has a tough assignment: to clean the most dangerous drug trafficking networks out of the city and bring an end to the corrosive power that has taken hold of the streets. A detail of four, the unit is led by Ángel (Mario Casas), a young officer aspiring to detective, and Rafael (Antonio de la Torre), a violent, arrogant yet efficient cop. But Grupo 7's modus operandi is slipping outside the bounds of the law through their use of violence, coercion, lies and half-truths. For them, anything goes. As they gain ground in their mission, the two officers head in opposite directions. Angel takes de path of ambition and police excesses while Rafael will begin to change as a result of his feelings for beautiful, enigmatic Lucia." - IMDb.com

"The Spanish deep South, 1980. A series of brutal murders of adolescent girls in a remote and forgotten town bring together two disparate characters - both detectives in the homicide division - to investigate the cases. With deep divisions in their ideology, detectives Juan and Pedro must put aside their differences if they are to successfully hunt down a killer who for years has terrorized a community in the shadow of a general disregard for women rooted in a misogynistic past." - from Atípica Films

"Based on a true story, Spaniard Ramon Sampedro fights a 30-year campaign to win the right to end his life. The film explores Ramón's relationships with two women: Julia, a lawyer who supports his cause, and Rosa, a local woman who wants to convince him that life is worth living. Through the gift of his love, these two women are inspired to accomplish things they never previously thought possible. Despite his wish to die, Ramón taught everyone he encountered the meaning, value and preciousness of life."

"Revered author Miguel de Unamuno decides to publicly support the Spanish coup of July 1936 and immediately faces reprisals from the government, losing his position as rector at the University of Salamanca while many of his colleagues are imprisoned. Meanwhile, Nationalists take control of Salamanca, and General Francisco Franco moves his headquarters to the city. Unamuno, who believes he has enough influence to liberate the innocent, heads to Franco's palace, determined to beg him for clemency."

"Ane's life takes a turn when you start receiving weekly anonymously a bouquet of flowers at home. Meanwhile the lives of Lourdes and Tere are also affected by a mysterious flowers. An unknown deposits each week a bouquet in memory of someone who was important in their lives. This is the story of three women, three lives altered by the mere presence of flowers. Flowers will sprout in them feelings that seemed forgotten ... But after all, are nothing more than flowers."

"After the First Carlist War, Martín heads back to his family's farmhouse, and he finds out with surprise that his little brother Joaquín is much taller than usual height. Martín becomes convinced that people will be willing to see the 'tallest man on Earth', so they travel around Europe, and the wealth and the level of fame they achieve changes the family forever." -- Wikipedia.

"Higinio and Rosa have been married for a few months when the Spanish Civil War breaks out, and his life is seriously threatened. With the help of his wife, he decides to use a hole dug under in his own house as a temporary hiding place. But even after the war, with the fear of possible reprisals, as well as the love they feel for each other, they find themselves condemned to a confinement that will last for more than 30 years."

"Higinio y Rosa llevan pocos meses casados cuando estalla la Guerra Civil, y la vida de él pasa a estar seriamente amenazada. Con ayuda de su mujer, decidirá utilizar un agujero cavado en su propia casa como escondite provisional. El miedo a las posibles represalias, así como el amor que sienten el uno por el otro, les condenará a un encierro que se prolongará durante más de 30 años"--Container.

"A woman purchases the orphanage she spent her own childhood in, hoping to restore and reopen the long abandoned facility as both a home for herself and her husband and son, and a school for disabled children. However, her son's imagination seems to run wild in their new home, as he becomes increasingly involved with a group of seemingly imaginary friends."

"Conor O'Malley (Lewis MacDougall) is a 13-year-old boy who suffers school bullying at school and whose mother suffers from a serious illness. Through the window of his room, Conor sees a tree that has stood for thousands of years. One day, after midnight, Conor wakes up and finds a monster in the window. But it is not the monster he expected, the one of the nightmare he has almost every night since his mother began the hard and endless treatment. No, this monster is something different, and he wants the most dangerous thing of all: the truth. Can this amazing tree that has come alive in your imagination help you overcome your problems?"

"A woman nearing her forties, Andrea Soriano, has always pushed aside personal questions and romantic relationships in pursuit of professional success. Now a major illness forces her to reconsider her life--work, family, friendships, men--causing a psychological and emotional crisis pushes her toward a drastic decision."

"Two opposing characters--she, docile and sensitive, he, domineering yet childish--are forced to mature when their lives are shattered by a tragic, cruel and violent civil war."

"Ami is a sensitive 7 year old, whose mother Carmen is obsessed with giving her husband Gabriel a son. When Carmen becomes pregnant, her relationship with her daughter begins to deteriorate. When the new son is born, events turn into a nightmare."

"Silvia, a headstrong village girl is made pregnant by local mommy's boy Jose Luis, the man she plans to marry. Unfortunately, financial necessity has turned Silvia's mother Carmen into the local scarlet woman and Jose's overbearing underwear magnate mother Conchita is none too pleased about her son's wedding plans."

"Madrid, 1974. Lucia, a young woman well-situated in society, is condemned to ten years in Yeserias prison because of her relationship with an anti-Franco militant. Sharing the same food, living space, joys and sorrows with women united in a fight against desperation, Lucia learns to live and appreciate tenderness and laughter in this place of suffering."

"A look at the life of Cuban author Reinaldo Arenas, from childhood in Cuba to his death in New York City. His writings and homosexuality get him in trouble with Castro's Cuba and he spends two years in prison before leaving for the United States. Victimized by a government that banned his books and jailed him for a crime he didn't commit, [poet] Reinaldo [Arenas] endured unspeakable persecution in a courageous stand against censorship and oppression. Without a country, but not without integrity, he fled to America where he continued to fight for personal expression and produced a stirring body of work." Based on the memoir of the same name.

"After his brother has murdered a member of a rival gypsy clan and gone into hiding, Caco becomes both the de facto figurehead of his 'family' and protector of his handi-capped nephew. As tension mounts between the two clans, the threats of revenge against the nephew for the crime of his father are played out against a backdrop of rapturous flamenco music and dance performances."

"Three young people share a flat in Madrid; Javi, Chemita (childhood friends) and Luna (Chemita's cousin). One weekend they decide to have a party and Carmelo, Luna's boyfriend (a real lout) and Tripi, Chemita and Javi's ex-flatmate, immediately agree to join in. Nobody could possible image everything that's going to happen this weekend or that nothing will ever be the same again. Three days of mix-ups and madness which surprisingly bring a little bit of good sense into their lives."

"Josefina's personal journey back to Nuremberg, Germany, where she arrived as an immigrant from Spain being only 18, along with other 2 million Spaniards who left to Europe in order to find a future." - from IMDb.com

"Viggo Mortensen plays the Spanish soldier-turned-mercenary Captain Alatriste, a heroic figure from the country's 17th century imperial wars."

"Violeta, a teen who lives in a riverside village in Mali, has only an arranged marriage with a lascivious old man to look forward to and decides to run off to a faraway place. Meanwhile, in neighboring Niger, mechanic Buba is a skilled soccer player; his brother, Mukela suggests he should try his skills in Europe, where 'nobody dies of hunger.' Violeta meets the two boys when they're all loaded on a large truck, with many others, in central Niger. The route is across the pitiless expanse of the Tenere desert toward Morocco, via Algeria. They're dropped off in the desert a four-hour walk from Tamanrasset, in southern Algeria, but end up going round in circles as the horrors begin to mount." "14 kilómetros es la distancia que separa África de Europa ... Es la barrera que separa los sueños de millones de personas que ven en Occidente se única salida para escapar de la miseria. De la mano de Violeta, Buba y Mukela recorreremos un largo y peligroso viaje a través del Sahara para conocer lo que nunca eseñan los medios de comunicación. Esta película quiere aportar un poco de luz a las sombras de la inmigración."

"Zhao, a young Spanish woman of Chinese origin is torn between the love of his life, a young photographer who lives with an intense story of love and commitment that binds him to the country where she was born and which will require sacrificing present."

"In a small village, during the years after the Spanish civil war, Andreu discovers a man and boy in the wreckage of a wagon in the woods. The dying boy names a culprit: a local ghost called Pitorliua. Andreu's father and the dead man were friends, fellow trade unionists, and on the losing side. Was his death some sort of revenge, a score settling? Under suspicion, Andreu's father flees, and he is sent to live with his grandmother, aunts, and a collection of cousins, including Nuria, who had one hand blown off by a bomb. Andreu and Nuria are outcasts and misfits, paying the price for their parents' socialism, and they see intrigue and adventure around every corner. In his attempt to discover the truth about his friend, Andreu is drawn into the deceit, conspiracies, and cover-ups of the post-civil war world."

"Julia, a woman suffering from a degenerative sight disease, finds her twin sister Sara hanged in the basement of her house. Everything points to suicide, but Julia is compelled to investigate what she intuitively feels is a murder case. As Julia begins to uncover clues to the truth of her sister's death, those close to her begin to disappear. Her sight gone and confined to her sister's house, Julia soon finds herself trapped in a nightmare from which she cannot awake."

"Wilaya es una sencilla y bella historia sobre dos hermanas que se reencuentran en los campamentos saharauis. Nos cuenta cómo es la vida allí a través de Fatimetu, una española de origen saharaui que se ve obligada a regresar a los campamentos tras la muerte de su madre, y su relación con Hayat, su hermana, férreo ejemplo de superación que nos demuestra que si se quiere se puede salir adelante incluso en las circunstancias más adversas."

"Fatimetu, a Sahrawi refugee, returns to her home camp after 16 years. She must choose between life in the desert and her family and friends in Spain, her brother's expectations for her and her new job driving items between camps." - from IMDb.com

"Álex y Virginia, una pareja con planes de boda, compran un piso sobre plano a las afueras de una gran ciudad. Reúnen todos sus ahorros para pagar la entrada, más una hipoteca de 40 años. Cuando sólo faltan unos meses para la entrega de los pisos, paran las obras y precintan la zona. Álex quiere una solución y hará lo que sea para conseguir su casa y tener la vida que había soñado."

"Alex and Virginia spend their savings on a flat in a building under construction. The developers take short cuts and the couple seek compensation from the speculators through the law courts." - from IMDb.com

"A film essay in tableaux, 'Futures market' traces the connections between memory, public space, and the real estate bubbles that led to the international financial crisis."

"After Diego is left standing at the altar, he and two of his male cousins take a trip down memory lane by going to the spot where they vacationed as children. There, the men flaunt their bachelorhood, and Diego meets the woman with whom he lost his virginity."

"A mysterious epidemic spreads across the planet, causing the world population to be trapped inside buildings while developing an irrational fear of open spaces that causes instant death. One man seeks to find his missing girlfriend without ever going outside as Barcelona descends into chaos."

"The Basque Swastika is a rare film that looks at the Nazi occupation of the Basque area in France. Featuring interviews with survivors and children of residents, as well as extensive newsreel footage; the film opens a compelling window on Basque resistance and cooperation with the Nazis. The most intriguing element is the discovery of a short Nazi propaganda film called In the Land of the Basques, which was made right in the middle of World War II by a favored German filmmaker, Herbert Brieger ..." - BEO website

"Set in poor, steamy Havana, La Partida centers on an intense love affair between two hitherto heterosexual young men. Reiner and Yosvani- best friends and soccer mates. In order to support his mother, wife and baby, Reiner prostitutes himself to older male foreigners while the shy Yosvani is reluctantly engaged to a girl and lives with her bombastic loan shark father. Sharing a kiss at a nightclub, the two men succumb to their desires, followed by a lusty rooftop encounter where they quickly fall hard for one another. But as their love intensifies, the challenge is not with them but with the unforgiving outside world they exist in. The Last Match is an unashamedly sexy and romantic tour de force."

"August 1936, the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. 51 members of the Claretian community of Barbastro (Huesca) are martyred, die for their faith. The film recounts the last weeks of his life, since they are held until they are finally shot. During that time, they perform various writings they talk about their situation, of his fellow captives, people who saw them. These writings have been the basic testimony used to narrate this real fact in film version."

"A documentary about the famous Spanish flamenco guitarist, Paco de Lucía. Includes 2 CDs of music performed by Paco de Lucía." Directed by the musician's son.

"Two people in love, two apartments - one in Barcelona and another on in Los Angeles - and the images of their past, present and future. Can love survive 10,000 km?" - from IMDb.com

"In southern Spain, two young men want to enter the world of drug trafficking to make some quick cash and start a business."

"Each day after work, Carlos, a language school teacher, frequents the heady surroundings of his local cruising ground. One evening he encounters a teenage boy from his class named Toni, and the two engage in brief sexual tryst. As the relationship between teacher and student begins to develop, some dark truths emerge about the young man and his mysterious group of friends."

"The father of an ill girl tries to obtain her daughter last wish, the dress of the main character of a Japanese TV series. Because of this last wish he will meet a disturbed girl and a retired professor."

"This is a mad satire about five individuals living in a mental institution. While inside, they come up with a plan to save the global economy and at the same time punish those responsible." - from IMDb.com

"16 years-old Dario got away from home, running from his familiar hell. Luismi, his unconditional friend, Caralimpia, a poor looser in a winners suit and Antonia, an old lady that collects abandoned furniture in her three weeler will become his new family. Three generations meet in city thats too big to be alone. Its summertime." - from IMDb.com

"Nine sexy, shocking, and always intriguing films from Spain's most exciting queer filmmaker. Take an explicit trip through a cruising ground in the body of a curious guy, peek in to the bedroom of a couple as they discover themselves and each other, take your place on the dance floor in a sexually charged club, or watch the aftermath of a casual hook up in the back of a car."

"A Japanese executive in Tokyo. A sub-Saharan community. A family in Madrid. Three stories of contradictions that unfold in different places on the planet, in different socio-cultural spheres."

"After his boyfriend Norberto breaks up with him and runs away to Iceland, heartbroken Bruno decides to set out to find him. He soon meets Arnau, a handsome local tour guide in Reykjavik, who is determined to help Bruno in his exceedingly idealistic search. Their trip will become a grieving process for them both, until they reach the remote island of Grimsey."

"Buenos Aires, 1971. Carlitos is a seventeen-year-old with movie star swagger, blond curls and a baby face. As a young boy, he coveted other people's things, but it wasn't until his early adolescence that his true calling, to be a thief, manifested itself. When he meets Ramon at his new school, Carlitos is immediately drawn to him and starts showing off to get his attention. Together they will embark on a journey of discovery, love and crime. Killing is just a random offshoot of the violence, which continues to escalate until Carlitos is finally apprehended. Because of his angelic appearance, the press dubs Carlitos "The Angel of Death." Showered with attention because of his beauty, he becomes an overnight celebrity. Altogether, he is believed to have committed over forty thefts and eleven homicides."

"The Silence of Others reveals the epic struggle of victims of Spain's 40-year dictatorship under General Franco as they continue to seek justice four decades into democracy. Filmed over six years, the film follows the survivors organizing the groundbreaking "Argentine Lawsuit" to fight a state-imposed amnesia of crimes against humanity, where the emotional court battle uncovers a country still divided over its fascist history"--POV website.

"Un divorcio, una hipoteca y la peor pesadilla de una pareja que se rompe: tener que compartir casa con tu ex." "Nadia and Adrián starts their particular world war when she files to divorce him." - from IMDB.com

"Editor Helga Pato is approached with the puzzling question "Would you like me to tell you my life?" during a train trip. Her seatmate turns out to be Ángel Sanagustín, a psychiatrist who is an expert in personality disorders. During the trip, Ángel tells him the sordid and delusional story of the worst clinical case he has ever faced: Martín Urales de Úbeda, an extremely dangerous paranoid patient obsessed with garbage as an instrument of control."

"Moi travels with his boyfriend, Biel, to his family home after the death of his mother. Despite arriving to the warm embrace of his sister, Moi struggles to come to terms with his new reality-manifesting in a new disconnect with Biel. When his sister's boyfriend surprises everyone with his unannounced arrival, their delicate seclusion is shattered, and replaced by a potently sensual and tense mood."

"Javi is a young rent boy in need of work. So when he arrives at the local bathhouse, his priority is not a quick encounter, but gainful employment, What he doesn't anticipate finding, in its steamy, illicit walls, however, is love, and murder. A gloriously colorful gay musical, replete with a drag queen chorus, celebrating the exuberant joys of the make body and hot sex with stunningly choreographed dance numbers and cheeky lyrics, it is a true unadulterated pleasure from start to finish."

"The film is a part of the trilogy of films made by Fernando Fuentes concerning the Mexican Revolution. The film centers on the drunkard Colonel Carrasco, whose wife Marta leaves him taking his young son. The child, Juan, grows into an admirable and well-mannered young man. Having been promoted to a higher rank of power amidst the Mexican Revolution, the indulgent and corrupt Colonel accepts a bribe to free a revolutionary, Felipe Martinez, from his prison. Martinez has been sentenced to execution at the hands of a firing squad. Carrasco asks to have the revolutionary replaced by absolutely anyone. In a twist of fate, that anyone turns out to be his own long lost son Juan. Upon receiving this news, Marta races to the prison and explains the predicament to Carrasco. He subsequently desperately attempts to prevent the gunning down of his son by his very own government officials." - from Wikipedia

"This is the story of Rosalío Mendoza, a Mexican landowner during the Mexican Revolution of 1910. Rosalío survives by befriending both the army and the revolutionaries. Everyone is welcomed in his ranch, but the situation becomes unbearable and Rosalío must choose whose side he is on." - from Wikipedia

"Villa was portrayed by Domingo Soler. Directed by Fernando de Fuentes, the film tells the story of a group of friends who hear about the revolution and Villa and decide to join him, only to suffer the cruel reality of war under the command of a Villa who simply does not care about his men."

"This film by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea is the most renowned work in the history of Cuban cinema. After his wife and family flee in the wake of the Bay of Pigs invasion, the bourgeois intellectual Sergio (Sergio Corrieri) passes his days wandering Havana in idle reflection, his amorous entanglements and political ambivalence gradually giving way to a mounting sense of alienation. With this adaptation of an innovative novel by Edmundo Desnoes, Gutiérrez Alea developed a cinematic style as radical as the times he was chronicling, creating a collage of vivid impressions through the use of experimental editing techniques, archival material, and spontaneously shot street scenes. Intimate and densely layered, Memories of Underdevelopment provides an indictment of its protagonist’s disengagement and an extraordinary glimpse of life in postrevolutionary Cuba." - from Criterion.com

"This clever self-reflexive satire about the battle of the sexes in contemporary Cuba tells the story of an educated, liberal filmmaker who, in doing research for a film about the social problem of machismo in Cuban society, finds himself falling in love with the sexy, liberated Lina, a pioneering female dockworker."

".This Cuban film details the unusual relationship between the flamboyant, educated Diego (Jorge Perugorría) and the young, homophobic, pro-Revolution David (Vladimir Cruz). Miserable at being dumped by his girlfriend, David at first spurns the attentions of Diego; however, at the prompting of his Communist roommate, Miguel (Francisco Gattorno), he cultivates an acquaintanceship with Diego in order to investigate his liberal leanings. Of course, Diego's cultured ways prove fascinating to the younger man and a true friendship grows. Add the slightly crazy neighbor Nancy (Mirta Ibarra), who frequently attempts suicide, as romantic fodder for David, and this playful drama becomes a heartwarming film."

"In this romantic comedy from the directors of Strawberry and Chocolate, Yoyita, now a world-famous diva, returns to her home town of Guantanamo for an elegant reception and a surprise reunion with her once beloved, Candido. Overjoyed with the rekindled memories of her first love, Yoyita's elated heart fizzles while in Candido's embrace. Joining Yoyita's funeral procession back to Havana are her sexy niece Gina, a former professor blacklisted for political nonconformity, and her husband Adolfo, a tasteless government official in charge of the funeral proceedings. As the cortège wends westward across Cuba, its path keeps crossing that of Mariano, a gallant truck driver who once had a crush on Gina and whose recurring presence crystallizes her doubts about her marriage."

"On September 11, 1973, President Salvador Allende's democratically-elected Chilean government was overthrown in a bloody coup by General Augusto Pinochet's army. Patricio Guzman and five colleagues had been filming the political developments in Chile throughout the nine months leading up to that day. The bombing of the Presidential Palace, during which Allende died, would now become the ending for Guzman's seminal documentary THE BATTLE OF CHILE, an epic chronicle of that country's open and peaceful socialist revolution, and of the violent counter-revolution against it. After its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and winning eight Grand Prize awards at other international festivals, when THE BATTLE OF CHILE came to the United States it was immediately hailed by critics as 'Spellbinding', 'Overwhelming', and as 'An epic!' The Village Voice called it "The major political film of our time," and the San Francisco Chronicle "A landmark in the presentation of living history on film." Long banned in Chile after Pinochet's coup, only in 1997 could Guzman return to show THE BATTLE OF CHILE there for the first time. CHILE, OBSTINATE MEMORY (included on the fourth disc here) is the extraordinarily moving record of that homecoming, and a fitting conclusion to a 'thrilling documentary double feature,' 'the unusual opportunity to see one film artist sustain an inquiry into the life of a troubled country over the course of decades.'" - from Icarus Films

"Water, the longest border in Chile, also holds the secret of a mysterious button that was discovered in its seabed. Chile, with its 2,670 miles of coastline, the largest archipelago in the world, presents a supernatural landscape. In it are volcanoes, mountains and glaciers. In it are the voices of the Patagonian indigenous people, of the first English sailors and also those of its political prisoners. Some say that water has memory. This film shows that it also has a voice."

"When two gay thugs Angel (Eduardo Noriega) and El Nene (Leonardo Sbaraglia) join a plan to hold up an armored truck with a group of seasoned gangsters, their love and loyalty to each other is tested. Angel is wounded by police gunfire during the robbery, forcing El Nene to kill them all in a fit of rage. Things become complicated when they escape to Uruguay and the police threaten to torture the driver's moll if she doesn't tell them where they are. With their pictures plastered on the cover of every paper, drowning in drugs and alcohol, the gang begins to bicker. Against his boss's wishes El Nene leaves the apartment and roams the streets where he meets a prostitute named Giselle (Leticia Bredice) in whom he begins to trust."

"In 1976, during the time of the 'disappeared ones' in Argentina, two boys are moved to the countryside by their parents in an effort to keep the family together as long as possible."

"Against the backdrop of WTO rioting, seven of the corporate world's elite gather in pursuit of the top job at Dekia Corporation. What begins as a normal job interview for an executive position quickly unravels as candidates fall prey to The Method, a psychologically brutal recruiting system in which only one can remain at the Madrid firm."

"Rafael Belvedere (Ricardo Darin) no está conforme con la vida que lleva. No tiene ideales, vive metido hasta el tope en el restaurante fundado por su padre; carga con un divorcio, no se ha tomado el tiempo suficiente para ver crecer a su hija Vicky, no tiene amigos y prefiere eludir un mayor compromiso con su novia actual. Además hace más de un año que no visita a su madre que sufre de mal de Alzheimer y está internada en un geriátrico. Rafael sólo quiere que lo dejen en paz. Pero una serie de acontecimientos inesperados lo obligarán a reflexionar sobre su situación. Y en el camino, le ofrecerá apoyo a su padre para cumplir el viejo sueño de su madre: casarse por la Iglesia."

"Rafael is a 42-year-old divorced father and restaurant owner who is overwhelmed with life. He feels guilty that he doesn't visit his mother, who is stricken with Alzheimer's disease; he lives in his father's shadow; he doesn't spend enough time with his daughter and he can't commit to his girlfriend. When a series of unexpected events occurs, Rafael re-evaluates his life."

"Durante 25 años un crimen ha permanecido imborrable en la memoria de Benjamín Esposito, ahora, en su madurez decide volver sobre esa historia: recorrer de nuevo aquel pasado de amor, muerte y amistad, pero esos recuerdos puestos en libertad repasados unas mil veces, cambiarán su visión de ese pasado, y reescribirán su futuro."

"Recently retired criminal court investigator Benjamín decides to write a novel based on a twenty-five-year-old unresolved rape and murder case which still haunts him. Sharing his plans with Irene, the beautiful judge and his former colleague, Benjamín's initial involvement with the case is shown through flashbacks as he sets out to identify the murderer. But Benjamín's search for the truth will put him at the center of a judicial nightmare, as the mystery of the heinous crime continues to unfold in the present, testing the limits of a man seeking justice and personal fulfillment at last."

"Julio (Gael García Bernal) and Tenoch (Diego Luna) embark on a thrilling journey filled with sexual exploration and the investigation of their inner selves. After convincing the beautiful Luisa (Maribel Verdú) to take a trip with them to an imaginary beach, the trio heads off in search of adventure. Will the unstable, spontaneously exhibitionistic Luisa seduce one or both of the boys--and will their relationship change depending on the distribution of her favors?"

"Harry Potter, Ron and Hermione return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for their third year of study, where they delve into the mystery surrounding an escaped prisoner who poses a dangerous threat to the young wizard."

"No children. No future. No hope. In the year 2027, eighteen years since the last baby was born, disillusioned Theo (Clive Owen) becomes an unlikely champion of the human race when he is asked by his former lover (Julianne Moore) to escort a young pregnant woman out of the country as quickly as possible. In a thrilling race against time, Theo will risk everything to deliver the miracle the whole world has been waiting for. Co-starring Michael Caine, filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men 'Lifts you to the rafters, transporting you with the greatness of its filmmaking. The action is swift, ferocious and spectacularly choreographed.' (The New York Times)" - from Amazon.com

"Dr. Ryan Stone (Oscar winner Sandra Bullock) is a brilliant engineer on her first shuttle mission with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (Oscar winner George Clooney). On a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalski completely alone, tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the darkness. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. But the only way home may be to go farther out into the terrifying expanse of space."

"In Mexico City's upscale Colonia Roma district, a quiet but swift change is on its way. Pivoting around Dr Antonio's middle-bourgeoisie family, the lives of two women--the devoted live-in maid and housekeeper of Mixteco heritage, Cleo, and her academic employer, Sofía--become inextricably intertwined, as a seemingly ordinary business trip to Quebec paves the way for a bitter heartbreak. Over a span of one long year--from the quadrennial 1970s World Cup to the blood-drenched Corpus Christi Massacre--the unforeseen and sometimes unbearable complications of love; a new life amid death, and an almost stubborn will to find good in evil, pepper Sofía and Cleo's daily routines. And before irrevocable transformations and startling revelations, life always finds a way." - from IMDb.com

"Three different people are catapulted into dramatic and unforeseen circumstances in the wake of a terrible car crash: a young punk stumbles into the sinister underground world of dog fighting; an injured supermodel's designer pooch disappears into the apartment's floorboards; and an ex-radical turned hit man rescues a Rotweiler with a gunshot wound."

"Fate brought them together, now vengence will tear them apart. A violent car accident unexpectedly throws together the lives of a college professor, an ex-con and a young mother with a reckless past. The crossing of their paths takes them through the heights of love, the depths of revenge and the promise of redemption."

"A wealthy American couple touring Morocco become the focus of an international incident involving a poor Moroccan farmer. A San Diego nanny makes a disastrous decision to take her charges with her to a wedding in Mexico while her employers are absent. A deaf-mute Japanese teen tries to deal with a relationship with her father and the world in general that has been upended by the death of her mother."

"Uxbal is a man on the wrong side of the law who struggles to provide for his children on the dangerous streets of Barcelona. As fate encircles him, Uxbal learns to accept the realities of life, whether bright, bad, or biutiful."

"A black comedy story of an actor famous for portraying an iconic superhero as he struggles to mount a Broadway play. In the days leading up to opening night, he battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career, and himself."

"Inspired by true events, during an expedition of the uncharted American wilderness, legendary explorer Hugh Glass is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. In a quest to survive, Glass endures unimaginable grief as well as the betrayal of his confidant John Fitzgerald. Guided by sheer will and the love of his family, Glass must navigate a vicious winter in a relentless pursuit to live and find redemption."

"The author recounts his youth during the 70s and 80s, which was marked by his passion for films."

"Alberto Fuguet vuelve en VHS a la no icción para contar su adolescencia y juventud en los años 70 y 80, marcadas a fuego por su desatada aición al cine, al tiempo que descubría la ciudad y vivía su despertar sexual y sus inicios profesionales de manera intensa. Analizando las películas de su vida y la trayectoria de algunos de sus cineastas y actores favoritos, como Matt Dillon o Jacqueline Bisset, comentando el arte del aiche y del tagline, rememorando sus idas a las viejas salas de cine o a los videoclubs que invadieron Santiago hace tres décadas, contando anécdotas candentes de su paso por los medios de comunicación y relexionando sobre la onda disco y el pop, Fuguet logra articular un libro divertido y a la vez emotivo, fragmentario y coherente, desfachatado y versátil, que echa mano a versos, fotos y archivos personales." - from Amazon.com

"It's Christmas Eve, 1986, and Borja is a precocious teenager with a passion for film. As his extended family comes together to celebrate the holiday, the combined forces of the suffocating Chilean heat, free-flowing drinks, and repressed desire contribute to the eruption of long-held secrets." - from Amazon.com

"Héctor travels from Hermosillo to Mexico City with the hope of posing naked for the photography collective, Feral. Leaving his friends and his inhibitions behind, Héctor is determined to experiment with his desire without limits, promising himself to always say yes to every new situation, no matter what. A raw and explicit examination of sexuality and desire."

"The Golden Labyrinth is the first comprehensive study of the films of Guillermo del Toro. Extensively researched, and presented in an entertaining and readable fashion synonymous with Noir Publishing, The Golden Labyrinth covers all del Toro s work to date, but goes further, covering their inspirations, genesis, and production. Going further than a typical film book, The Golden Labyrinth explores such diverse inspirations as the work of the alchemists that inspired the Cronos Device of del Toro s full-length debut, the terrible events of the Spanish Civil War that underlay some of his most critically acclaimed work, and the Celtic mythology that provides the beating heart of Hellboy II, to name but three. Del Toro is the future of 21st century fantasy film, with the forthcoming production of the Peter Jackson produced The Hobbit, del Toro will become the North Star that future filmmakers will follow. Yet despite the enormity of the project, del Toro still has several diverse projects in development, as both producer, and writer/director. While Hollywood contents itself with endless recycling of ideas long worn out, del Toro s only problem is so many ideas, not enough time to make them all. Inspired by his upbringing in Mexico, and by the stories told to him by his grandmother, del Toro is first and foremost a master storyteller, whether as writer, director, artist or producer, he serves his inner muse, not caring about box office returns (and thus, ironically, producing them). But, as with his films, there are further depths to the man, for he uses his films not to escape from our reality but to make sense of it." - from the publisher

"Guillermo del Toro made an auspicious and audacious feature debut with Cronos, a highly unorthodox tale about the seductiveness of the idea of immortality. Kindly antiques dealer Jesús Gris (Federico Luppi) happens upon an ancient golden device in the shape of a scarab, and soon finds himself the possessor and victim of its sinister, addictive powers, as well as the target of a mysterious American named Angel (a delightfully crude and deranged Ron Perlman). Featuring marvelous special makeup effects and the haunting imagery for which del Toro has become world-renowned, Cronos is a dark, visually rich, and emotionally captivating fantasy." - from Criterion.com

"This electrifying thriller features sexy Academy Award(R)-winner Mira Sorvino (ROMY AND MICHELE'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION) and screen favorite Charles S. Dutton (A TIME TO KILL, ALIEN 3). A team of scientists discover a miracle cure that stops the spread of a deadly disease ... only to find three years later that something has gone terribly wrong! Their creation has taken on a horrifying life of its own ... able to mimic and destroy its every predator -- even man! And now, it threatens to wipe out an entire city ... unless they stop it in time! A stylish, acclaimed hit featuring riveting performances from a superb cast, MIMIC delivers heart-pounding thrills that never let up!" - from Amazon.com

"During the Spanish Civil War, young Carlos is abandoned at a completely isolated orphanage. The tensions therein have been building for years, exacerbated by the unexploded bomb resting menacingly in the courtyard. Bullies scheme, tempers flare, and a ghost that visits Carlos's bed seems to be the key to it all."

"An Academy Award–winning dark fable set five years after the end of the Spanish Civil War, Pan’s Labyrinth encapsulates the rich visual style and genre-defying craft of Guillermo del Toro. Eleven-year-old Ofelia (Ivana Baquero, in a mature and tender performance) comes face to face with the horrors of fascism when she and her pregnant mother are uprooted to the countryside, where her new stepfather (Sergi López), a sadistic captain in General Francisco Franco’s army, hunts down Republican guerrillas refusing to give up the fight. The violent reality in which Ofelia lives merges seamlessly with her fantastical interior world when she meets a faun in a decaying labyrinth and is set on a strange, mythic journey that is at once terrifying and beautiful. In his revisiting of this bloody period in Spanish history, del Toro creates a vivid depiction of the monstrosities of war infiltrating a child’s imagination and threatening the innocence of youth." - from Criterion.com

"Elisa is a mute, isolated woman who works as a cleaning lady in a hidden, high-security government laboratory in 1962 Baltimore. Her life changes forever when she discovers the lab's classified secret -- a mysterious, scaled creature from South America that lives in a water tank. As Elisa develops a unique bond with her new friend, she soon learns that its fate and very survival lies in the hands of a hostile government agent and a marine biologist." Academy Award winner, Best Picture.

"Dr. Jano is speaking at a medical convention at an Argentinean hotel well past its prime. He is attracted to Helena, single mother and co-owner of the hotel. Amalia, Helena's teenage daughter, is starting to explore both her faith and her sexuality, spending much of her time with her best friend Josephina. In their imaginations, the girls tend to conflate the erotic, the religious, and the lurid. Then Dr. Jano makes an anonymous sexual advance towards Amalia in public, and sets in motion a chain of events that will have serious consequences for all of them."

"A bourgeois woman is driving alone on a dirt road when she becomes distracted and runs over something. In the days following this jarring incident, she becomes dazed and emotionally disconnected from the people and events in her life. She becomes obsessed with the possibility that she may have killed someone. The police confirm that there were no accidents reported in the area and everything returns to normal, until a gruesome discovery is made."

"A comedy about eight men in their 40s, all with identity crises, and the women in their lives."

"Julián receives an unexpected visit from his friend Tomás, who lives in Canada. The two men, accompanied by Julián's faithful dog, Truman, will share emotional and surprising moments prompted by Julián's complicated situation." - from IMDb.com

"Road movie concerning three disparate characters traveling through Patagonia on the way to San Julian."

"Abraham Bursztein, an 88-year-old Jewish tailor, leaves his home in Buenos Aires against his family's wishes to travel to Poland, where he sets out to find the friend who saved him from certain death at the end of the Nazi occupation. Against all odds, and after more than 7 decades without any contact between them, Abraham will try to find his old friend and fulfill his promise to return and tell him the about the life he saved." -Adapted from the Cines Argentinos WWW site.

"For just about everybody, adolescence means having to confront a number of choices and life decisions, but rarely any as monumental as the one facing 15 year-old Alex (Ines Efron,) who was born an intersex child. As Alex begins to explore her sexuality, her mother invites friends from Buenos Aires to come for a visit at their house on the gorgeous Uruguayan shore, along with their 16-year-old son Álvaro (Martin Piroyanski.) Alex is immediately attracted to the young man, which adds yet another level of complexity to her personal search for identity, and forces both families to face their worst fears." - from Film Movement

"Lala, a teenager from the most exclusive suburban neighborhood in Argentina, is in love with Guayi, the family's 20-year-old maid. They hatch a plan to rob Lala's family to fund their dream of living together in Paraguay at the shores of Lake Ypoa. Unexpectedly, however, Guayi is arrested and put in a minors institute near Buenos Aires for a crime she committed long ago. Desperate to be with her girlfriend, Lala hatches a dangerous rescue plan to get her back."

"In Chile, 1973, during the last days of Salvador Allende's presidency, an unassuming, apolitical employee at a morgue's recording office becomes obsessed with his neighbor, a dancehall girl involved with a band of left-wing activists--activists who begin to clog his own morgue as they are hunted down by the authorities after the coup that installs Augusto Pinochet. A brilliant, black-humored portrait of a man whose own breakdown mirrors that of his country's."

"Military dictator Augusto Pinochet calls for a referendum to decide his permanence in power in 1988, the leaders of the opposition persuade a young daring advertising executive - René Saavedra - to head their campaign. With limited resources and under the constant scrutiny of the despot's watchmen, Saavedra and his team conceive of a bold plan to win the election and free their country from oppression."

"A searing and intimate portrait of one of the most important and tragic moments in American history, seen through the eyes of the iconic First Lady, then Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. The film places us in her world during the days immediately following her husband's assassination. Known for her extraordinary dignity and poise, here we see a psychological portrait of the First Lady as she struggles to maintain her husband's legacy and the world of a 'Camelot' that they created and loved so well."

"Bruno is dumped by his girlfriend; behind a calm, indifferent expression, his mind plans a cold, sweet vengeance. He befriends her new boyfriend Pablo, with the idea of eroding the couple, either by introducing Pablo to another woman or by seducing him himself. Thus emerges Plan B, a perilous romantic journey that calls his own sexuality into question."

"Sixteen-year-old Martín has a crush on his adult swimming coach Sebastian. After Martín tells Sebastian of his feelings and is rejected, a tragedy occurs, and one of the two is left in a crippling world of 'whaf-ifs' and 'might-have-beens'."

"Desperate for work, Martin finds a temporary job at Eugenio's house. When Eugenio recognizes Martin as one of his long lost childhood friends, he offers him work for the summer. As they re-connect and their relationship grows beyond friendship, social differences that grew between them since childhood could prove to be a challenge too difficult to overcome."

"Berger se acerca al carnaval con precisión pictórica y vitalidad, pero no se trata del desfile sino de sus preparativos, de la espera, de las horas previas al acontecimiento en el que los cuerpos se sueltan y se transforman. La película convierte la víspera en motivo de misterio y regocijo visual."

"Marco Berger turns his unparalleled eye for the male form to one of the world's largest displays of masculine bodies, a traditional South American Carnival. Using two men as our primary guides, we watch the men of the town prepare and, eventually participate, in a parade like no other. The sensual joy of watching the men of the community transform into dionysiac figures via costumes, glitter, and feathers is the perfect canvas for Berger's talents. A visual, erotic feast for the senses."

"The brilliant debut by Guatemalan filmmaker Jayro Bustamante is a mesmerizing fusion of fact and fable, a dreamlike depiction of the daily lives of Kaqchikel speaking Mayans on a coffee plantation at the base of an active volcano. Immersing us in its characters' customs and beliefs, IXCANUL chronicles with unblinking realism, a disappearing tradition and a disappearing people."

"When handsome and charismatic Pablo arrives at his affluent family's house, everyone is eagerly awaiting his return. A seemingly exemplary pillar of Guatemala City's Evangelical Christian community, Pablo's announcement that he intends to leave his wife for another man sends shockwaves through the family. As Pablo tries to acclimate to his new life in the city's gay subculture, his ultra-religious family does everything in its power to get their prodigal son back on track, no matter the cost."

"On the eve of an imminent apocalypse, two buddiess - one gay, one "undecided" wander the streets. Deep in conversation, Alex and Diego bond while sharing their fears and desires about sex and intimacy. Once they make their way to Alex's bedroom, the true nature of their relationship is made clear. The strength of their unbreakable friendship helps them test the limits of trust and loyalty while pushing one another into exciting new realms of sexual exploration. A smart, heartfelt mix of drama, science fiction and romance, Velociraptor is a brilliant evocation of what it means to be young man, exploring male friendship and desire in an entirely fresh way."

"An adolescent coming of age tale, These Peculier Days is the story of eight friends who graduate high school and celebrate by staying in a cabin in the woods. There, the lines between these teens sexuality is blurred as allegiances and love affairs are made and broken. An unabashed, erotic look at modern sexual fluidity between young adults, These Peculiar Days is both fresh and endlessly compelling."

"A man relinquishes his family fortune to live in poverty with the woman he loves. Many years later, now a widower and a famous singer, his daughter's boyfriend is reliving his plight. But he is determined to do all he can do to prevent the groom's father from interfering."

"A Mexican master (Alexandro Jodorowsky) leads a Christ figure (Horacio Salinas) and other disciples to a mountain of immortal wise men."

"Lies, double personalities, and the evil pettiness of life in a small town converge in Leopoldo Torre Nilsson's brilliant adaptation of a novel by Manuel Puig. Nene, a married woman with two children, receives news that her childhood sweetheart, Juan Carlos, has died. She gradually pieces together a complex mosaic of his life. What emerges is a brilliant, acid-sharp portrait of a man driven by fear into a life of self-deception."

"Remake of the 1967 literary adaptation, in which a wayfarer travels to a mysterious arid village to meet the father who long ago abandoned his wife." Based on the novel by Juan Rulfo.

"An Argentine teacher lives in blissful ignorance of the evils perpetrated by her country's government. Over time, she begins to suspect that her adopted daughter may have been the child of a murdered political prisoner. When she attempts to unearth the truth, her investigation reveals levels of political corruption so abhorrent that the illusions of her past life are irrevocably shattered."

"Three sisters, stereotypically the whore, the saint and the virgin, own a cafe in an isolated area of Ecuador. The Tigress (the whore) has supernatural powers which she will keep as long as her younger sister remains a virgin. The Tigress becomes increasingly "macho" until her sisters forsake her and the local police move in."

"Santiago (Gustavo Londono) arrives at his home shortly after a Colombian presidential candidate has been publicly assassinated. A riot has broken out, but Santiago's overbearing wife, Josefina (Maria Cristina Gálvez), is oblivious to the danger. Having spent the day preparing a birthday cake for their solitary neighbor, Laura (Vicky Hernández), she now insists that Santiago cross the street to deliver it. Dutifully, he does, and soon discovers in Laura the woman who will change his life forever."

"In the wilds of Argentina, Mario (Federico Luppi) and his wife, Ana (Cecilia Roth), work to stop the construction of a dam. The structure will generate massive amounts of electricity -- but will also flood the valley, effectively ending the livelihoods of scores of local shepherds. Joining in their struggle against the project is Hans (Jose Sacristan), a geologist who's a newcomer to the community. In time, Hans also becomes a mentor to the couple's son, Ernesto (Gaston Batyi)."

"This luxuriant adaptation of Laura Esquivel s much-loved novel (directed by her then husband Alfonso Arau) broke box-office records for a Spanish-language film. In a Mexican border town in 1910, neighbours Pedro and Tita wish to marry, but Tita s mother Elena refuses to give her consent, since she wants her youngest daughter to stay living with her as a full-time carer. So Pedro marries Tita s sister Rosario instead and Tita pours her innermost feelings into her cooking, triggering similar responses in anyone who samples it, whether lovelorn grief or overwhelming passion. But Tita s concoctions are just one of many magical-realist touches in this sensuous and intoxicating film, which offsets the real-life historical background of the Mexican Revolution with tales of ghosts, mysterious lights and an ancient legend that claims that human beings are essentially matches, combustible at any moment when given the right trigger." - from Amazon.com

"Set during the 1954 American-led military coup to overthrow Guatemalan president Jacobo Árbenz, this coming-of-age tale follows a young boy, Neto (Óscar Javier Almengor), who dreams of one day flying in a hot air balloon. After the U.S. military arrives in the country, he watches as his family and friends are negatively affected. First, his father loses his job, and then the whole family is forced to leave the city, which culminates in the death of one of their own."

"After the widowed Esperanza loses her daughter to a rare virus, she searches her faith for an explanation. When St. Jude appears to her and tells her that her daughter is still alive, Esperanza becomes convinced her daughter was kidnapped and sold as a sex slave. Becoming a prostitute, she sets out to find her daughter in Tijuana. She eventually finds her way to Los Angeles where she unexpectedly finds true love."

"In this controversial mockumentary, all California based Mexicans, who represent a third of the state's population, inexplicably disappear and before long the lack of these Latino maids, construction workers, policemen, teachers etc, lead to a social, political and economic disaster which threatens the whole concept of the Californian Dream."

"No hay distancia que pueda romper en enorme lazo que existe entre una madre y su hijo. Esa es la razón que motiva a Carlitos, un humilde niño de nueve años cuya madre emigró a los Estados Unidos en busca de una mejor vida para los dos. Mientras Rosario lucha día a día por un futuro prometedor, el destino obliga a CArlitos a emprender un viaje extraordinario para encontratse con ella. Tanto el público como la critica especializada han aclamado esta conmovedora historia de amor sín fronteras entre madre e hijo."

"After his grandmother dies a young boy heads to the United States to find his mother."

"In the lush tropics of South America, an innocent desire blossoms. At the turn of the 20th century, youthful romantic Florentino Ariza spots the stunning and sheltered Fermina Daza and immediately falls in love with her. Denied by her father, Florentino refuses to give up his dream of winning her hand. But when Fermina marries a distinguished man, Florentino must hide his love for her for more than fifty years." Based on the novel by Gabriel García Márquez.

"Far from a conventional biopic, Steven Soderbergh’s film about Che Guevara is a fascinating exploration of the revolutionary as icon. Daring in its refusal to make the socialist leader into an easy martyr or hero, Che paints a vivid, naturalistic portrait of the man himself (Benicio Del Toro, in a stunning, Cannes-award-winning performance), from his overthrow of the Batista dictatorship to his 1964 United Nations trip to the end of his short life. Composed of two parts, the first a kaleidoscopic view of the Cuban Revolution and the second an all-action dramatization of Che’s failed campaign in Bolivia, Che is Soderbergh's most epic vision." - from IMDb.com

"A teenage Honduran girl forms an unlikely friendship with a Mexican gang member who is helping her to smuggle her family into the United States."

"A unique and powerful coming of age story. Her parents separated and her older sister at the cusp of adolescence, Jorgelina is facing a vacation at the beach where she knows she'll be painfully left aside. Instead, she decides to go to the country with her father and Mario, the son of a farmhand and her 'country' playmate. In this bucolic setting, a secret is accidentally revealed when Jorgelina notices on Mario's pants the bloodstains he can't explain."

"Raquel has worked as a housemaid for an upper-class Santiago, Chile, family for 23 years. On Raquel's 41st birthday, Pilar Valdez and family force the sullen, withdrawn maid to emerge from her kitchen sanctum and join the family for a celebration, but her discomfort is as strong as the family's need to acknowledge their awkward dependence on her. Raquel becomes unable to care for the house alone and new help is hired, which throws her into a jealous frenzy. The home soon becomes the stage for Raquel's darkly comedic tricks as she drives away anyone trying to take her place."

"A feature documentary that follows unaccompanied child migrants on their journey through Mexico as they try to reach the United States. We follow children like Olga and Freddy, 9-year old Hondurans, who are trying to reach their parents in the U.S. Children like Jose, a 10-year old El Salvadoran, who has been abandoned by smugglers and ends up alone in a Mexican detention center, and Kevin, a streetwise 14-year-old Honduran, whose mother hopes that he will reach the U.S."

"This is the story of Yuma, a strong-willed and rebellious girl from the poor neighborhoods of Managua who dreams of being a boxer."

"Miguel, a respected Peruvian fisherman, is expecting his first child with his beautiful wife, Mariela. However, their peaceful existence is threatened by Miguel's love for Santiago, a visiting artist whose presence is viewed as a threat by the villagers. When a fatal accident befalls the community, Miguel is faced with hiding his true feelings or coming to terms with who he is and risk losing everything, including those he loves."

"The director's debut feature film deals with the issue of sociopolitical conflict in a remote mountain region of Colombia as seen through the eyes of a child."

"A lonely and embittered man Roberto, living in Buenos Aires, tries to help Jun (a newly arrived Chinese man) find his only remaining relative. This comedy shows how random events create our lives."

"Aquí: Pedro returns home to a small mountain village in Guerrero, Mexico after years of working in the US. He finds his daughters older, and more distant than he imagined. His wife still has the same smile. Having saved some earnings from two trips to the US, he hopes to now finally make a better life with his family, and even to pursue his dreams on the side by starting a band: Copa Kings. He cherishes the everyday moments with his family. Allá: The villagers think this year's crop will be bountiful. There is also good work in a growing city an hour away. But the locals are wise to a life of insecurity, and their thoughts are often of family members or opportunities far away, north of the border. While working in the fields, Pedro meets and begins to mentor a teenager who dreams of the US. That place somehow always feels very present, practically knocking at the door."

"Obsessed with sex, the seventeen-year-old daughter of strict, religious parents details her thoughts and exploits on a blog."

"Victor, a seventeen year old wheelbarrow leader, dreams of becoming famous, often absorbed by the RV in the appliance store in the municipal market. He receives an unusual proposal, to carry 7 boxes of unknown content, in exchange for a torn half of a $100 bill. He will get the other half when he finishes the job."

"Flamenco is one of the world's few art forms that is believed to be passed down exclusively through bloodlines. For Barcelona's Gypsy community, it cannot be learned at a school or on paper. It is lived within the home, created at the bar and perfected on the street corner. Bajari goes to all those places with the dancer Karime Amaya-who is working with some of the most talented up-and-coming musicians and dancers to create an innovative show-and little 5-year old Juanito Manzano who takes his first steps to dance in it and earn his white flamenco boots. Their experiences form a journey of discovery of this living tradition and create an intimate portrait of how flamenco's legacy is kept alive within Barcelona's tight-knit Gypsy community." - from IMDb.com

"A trip through the diversity of black and native Peruvian music."--IMDb

"Una chica fiestera hardcore y mujeriego que tiene una enfermedad terminal se atrevieron por sus amigos para seducir a una mujer joven profundamente herido por la reciente muerte de su hijo."

"A hardcore party girl and womanizer who is terminally ill is dared by her friends to seduce a young woman who is deeply wounded by the recent death of her young son."

"A nine-year-old boy's preening obsession with straightening his hair elicits a tidal wave of homophobic panic in his hard-working mother." - from IMDb.com

"Mexico and the United States share the greatest border between the first and third world. Thousands of migrants expose themselves to every danger as they travel north on a train called The Beast. That's where they meet the Patronas, a group of Mexican women who, every day since 1995, make food and toss it to the helpless as the train rushes by."

"On the verge of achieving his dream career, Tomás allows his older brother Martín Farina an inside look at his life as a professional football player. Martín, never able to fulfill his own dream of playing football, steps into the world of Tomás and his teammates through the lens of his camera. However, the rest of the club has their own opinions, some viewing Martín as an intruder, as he exposes their most vulnerable moments and their concerns for the future after the game has ended."

"Six short stories involving people out for vengeance. Vulnerable in the face of a reality that shifts and suddenly turns unpredictable, the characters cross the thin line that divides civilization and barbarism. A lover's betrayal, a return to the repressed past and the violence woven into everyday encounters drive the characters to madness as they cede to the undeniable pleasure of losing control."

"An Andean woman uses her powers to communicate with water spirits to stop a mining corporation from destroying a lake."

"Jess is a bohemian youth with secrets to hide from his shrewd parents. James feels trapped living with his irritable mother. After meeting for a sexual encounter, the two young men set off on a spontaneous road trip across rural Argentina to reunite with Jess' estranged brother."

"Five men are hired to paint the lines of a road. Painting 1 km/hour is slow enough to learn the lines between good and evil, laughter and despair, life and death. The challenges they face will change their lives forever." - from IMDb.com

"Don Cleo, a humble seller of Piñatas, who lives in a little town in El Salvador; arrives at home after a long day of work to find an extortion letter at his door steps. That letter tells him that if he doesn't pay $500 in 72 hours, a small fortune for him, he will be killed. He quickly decides to raise that money whatever way possible with friends, and acquaintances. However, after various attempts and finding himself further into trouble, he decides to confront his perpetrators. This desperate decision leads him to devastating results."

"Two unexpectedly idle university students and one younger kid brother set out to find a now-obscure folk-rock singer-songwriter who's now hospitalized, well, somewhere. This journey unfolds in a singularly unlinear fashion--but they're used to roundabout experiences."

"The true story of the Puccio Clan, a family who kidnapped and killed people in the 80s."

"A winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, who has been living in Europe for decades, accepts an invitation to receive another award. In Argentina he finds both similarities and irreconcilable differences with the people of his hometown." - from IMDb.com

"Daniel Mantovani, escritor argentino galardonado con el Premio Nobel de Literatura, hace cuarenta años abandonó su pueblo y partió hacia Europa, donde triunfó escribiendo sobre su localidad natal, Salas, y sus personajes. En el pico de su carrera, el alcalde de Salas le invita para nombrarle "Ciudadano Ilustre" del mismo, y Montavani, contra todo pronóstico, decide cancelar su apretada agenda y aceptar la invitación."

"Matias and Jeronimo, childhood friends, before starting high school they both experience their sexual awakening and their friendship takes a new turn. Matias's father breaks their relationship up by accepting a job far away. Ten years later, Matias returns to his old town for carnival with his girlfriend and unexpectedly runs in Jeronimo. Feelings slowly start to reappear and reach a climax, but at what price?"

"Madrid, August 2007. Curro is imprisoned after taking part in the robbery of a jewelry store. Eight years later, he leaves prison with the intention of beginning a new life, together with his girlfriend Ana and his son, but he encounters an unexpected situation and a stranger, José, who will take him to an unknown course, close to vengeance." - Wikipedia

"A dramatic thriller about Andrés and Pedro, a father and son. When 12 year-old Pedro fatally injures another boy in a fight, they are forced to flee the violence in Caracas, Venezuela."

"Marina and Orlando are in love and planning for the future. Marina is a young waitress and aspiring singer. Orlando is 20 years older than her and owns a printing company. After celebrating Marina's birthday one evening, Orlando falls seriously ill. Marina rushes him to the emergency room, but he passes away just after arriving at the hospital. Instead of being able to mourn her lover, suddenly Marina is treated with suspicion. The doctors and Orlando's family don't trust her. A woman detective investigates Marina to see if she was involved in his death. Orlando's ex-wife forbids her from attending the funeral. And to make matters worse, Orlando's son threatens to throw Marina out of the flat she shared with Orlando. Marina is a trans woman and for most of Orlando's family, her sexual identity is an aberration, a perversion. So Marina struggles for the right to be herself. She battles the very same forces that she has spent a lifetime fighting just to become the woman she is now - a complex, strong, forthright and fantastic woman."

"Desire is mysterious. Desire is overwhelming. Desire is tragic. Desire is FURIOUS. The many permutations of that strange thing called desire are on full display in this stunning collection of short films: Daytime Doorman tracks the burgeoning desire between Marcelo and his sexy doorman Marcio. Xavier charts the beginnings of desire, when Nicholas begins to notice his son, Xavier, only pays attention to certain types of boys. The Other Side is about the frustrations of unfulfilled desire when the object of your lust is beyond your reach- literally. The Tigers Fight explores what happens when one man, unbound by the ancient traditions, decides to subvert what's expected of him to declare his desire for his best friend, and finally, in Loris Is Fine we learn about the lengths two young lovers will go to prove that their love is beyond desire." -TLAreleasing.com

"Lorenzo is a quiet teenager living with his family at the edge of the world in beautiful Patagonia. One day, Lorenzo's father decides to host the son of a friend from Buenos Aires named Caito, who had to go to hospital for a long stay. At first, Caito appears shy, tough, and hardly ever speaks, but over time the two boys become friends. However, Caito quickly wears out his welcome with Lorenzo's parents."

"Carmen lives in a gypsy community in the suburbs of Madrid. Like every other woman she has ever met, she is destined to live a life that is repeated generation after generation: getting married and raising as many children as possible. But one day she meets Lola, an uncommon gypsy girl who dreams about going to university, draws bird graffiti and likes girls. Carmen quickly develops a complicity with Lola and discovers a world that, inevitably, leads them to be rejected by their families."

"Jose lives with his mother in Guatemala City, where, dominated by conservative Catholic and Evangelical Christian religion, living one's life as an openly gay man is hard for Jose to imagine. His mother has never had a husband and is determined to hold on to him. Jose fills his free time with dating apps, but when he meets attractive and gentle Luis, they pursue an unexpected relationship with more emotion than Jose has ever felt. He is thrust into new passion and pain."

"What begins as a provocative party game quickly becomes a wild ride full of twists and "textual tension" in this comedy about the secrets we all carry in our pockets." - from IMDB.com

"Dirigida por Manolo Caro (La Casa de las Flores), 'Perfectos desconocidos' es la delirante historia de siete mejores amigos, quienes se reúnen para una velada durante un eclipse lunar. Eva (Cecilia Suarez) y Antonio (Bruno Bichir) son los anfitriones, ella propone un juego en el cual todos deberán leer en voz alta los mensajes y atender las llamadas que reciban en sus móviles durante la cena. ¿Qué sucederá al jugar con las personas que mejor se conocen en el mundo? ¿O será que sean un grupo de perfectos desconocidos?"

"When Ramin hid on a cargo ship leaving Turkey, he never expected to end up in Veracruz, Mexico by accident. Having escaped persecution as a young gay man in his home country of Iran, he suddenly finds himself far from everything he knows, living the life of an exile in this nostalgic, tropical port where his past and future are constantly confronted by new relationships and revived desires."

"The origins of the Colombian drug trade, as seen through eyes of an indigenous Wayuu family that becomes involved in the booming business of selling marijuana to American youth in the 1970s. When greed, passion and honor collide, a fratricidal war breaks out and puts their lives, culture, and ancestral traditions at stake."

"Ariel is a good-looking farm hand, living with his father and sister in a rural part of Buenos Aires. He has become familiar with sex thanks to Omar, a priest with whom he has been conducting a secret affair. Finally understanding the controversial nature of the relationship, Ariel breaks things off only to lean on his sexuality to seduce another man who works on his father's property."

"An explosive homoerotic prison drama set in 1970s Chile. Twenty-year-old Jaime is sent away for murder. There he meets and is taken under the protection of a tough older inmate. Amidst the violence of repression, an unlikely love story unfolds."

"Lucas travels to visit his sister, who lives in a remote town in Southern Chile. Beside the ocean shrouded in the wintry mist, he meets Antonio, a boatswain on a local fishing boat. When an intense romance blossoms between them, their strength, their independence, and their adulthood become immovable, just like the ebb and flow of the tide."

"Lucio Castro offers both a sun-soaked European travelogue and an epic, decades-spanning romance. When Ocho, a 30-something Argentine poet on vacation in Barcelona, spots Javi, a Spaniard from Berlin, the attraction is subtle but persistent. After a missed connection on the beach, a third chance encounter escalates to a seemingly random hookup. But are these two merely beautiful strangers in a foreign city, or are they part of each other's histories, and maybe even their destinies."

"Adrian and Sebastian live an openly gay life in New York as immigrants. When Sebastian's visa is rejected, the two must decide whether to return to Colombia where they face rejection and persecution for their sexual orientation or do whatever is necessary to stay in the United States."

"Handsome, twenty-something, Manuel, travels back to his hometown with an ulterior motive- to ask his parents for money to move to Denmark with his super-hot boyfriend. Soon after arriving, however, things start to get complicated-- his boyfriend dumps him, he has a surprising romantic encounter with an ex-teacher, and his parents are finding every possible means to avoid talking about his love life!"

"Amidst the devastation of post-crisis Spain, a mother and daughter bluff and grift to fund their extravagant daily life, with impending eviction never too far from sight."

"At sixteen, David is much like any teenager, but his boyish good looks rest upon a hulking, muscular body. His weightlifting obsession is driven by his mother Juana, a troubled artist whose only goal is to have her son reach physical perfection by his seventeenth birthday. With countless hours spent at a grungy gym in the company of a motley clique of pumped-up gym rats, David desperately searches for what it means to be a man, whilst also navigating his burgeoning sexuality. With his birthday approaching, Juana demands growth at any cost. Soon David's cohorts offer him dangerous chemical shortcuts, sending David into a dangerous spiral."

"A dramatization which chronicles the Palmares Quilombo, the most famous of the 17th century Brazilian groups of runaway black slaves. Shows how this self-governing community flourished for several decades under the reign of the legendary chieftan Ganga Zumba."

"Based on the true story of Xica da Silva, a legendary black slave who lived in the second half of the 18th century in Arraial do Tijuco in the State of Minas Gerais in Brazil. A diamond rush then transformed the interior of Brasil into a new El Dorado, a place of fabulous wealth and reckless excess. In this immoderate atmosphere, the slave Xica parlays an iron determination and a unique, unnamed sexual talent into a rise to power by becoming the totally indulged mistress of the new Contractor for the Portuguese Crown's diamond mines. This makes her for thirteen years the unofficial Queen of Brasil, lording it over her former masters and draining off the royal treasury into a series of unheard-of personal extravagances. Only when her lover is recalled to Lisbon does Xica's reign come to an end."

"Dona Flor (Sonia Braga) marries Vadinho (José Wilker), who is very handsome and passionate, but doesn't work or offer much else. She is able to make money for the family by cooking for her neighbors, but she gambles away most of the money. One day, Vadinho suddenly dies. Dona misses marriage, so she marries Dr. Teodoro Madureira (Mauro Mendonça). He is the opposite of Vadinho -- he has a great career, but he lacks passion. While Dona Flor is married to Teodoro, her late husband's ghost appears."

"Political terrorists, in a desperate bid to focus the world's attention on their fight for freedom, kidnap an American Ambassador. Now, the diplomat's life hangs in the balance-- helplessly caught between a government unwilling to cooperate-- and his fear of the captors themselves."

"The first monograph to examine Walter Salles' The Motorcycle Diaries, this book explains the significance of Salles' film with respect to the specific category of 'youth culture' as a historically and culturally situated concept. The Motorcycle Diaries looks at the film's engagement with 'emerging adulthood', the importance of travel as a source of self-discovery, and the film's impact on the iconicity of Che Guevara, the international emblem of a restless, rebellious youth. Combining insights from transnational film studies, tourism studies, and affect theory, as well as drawing on extensive historical materials, this book provides not only a necessary addition to existing scholarship on this popular movie, but also an inspiring model for the analysis of film in relation to youth culture - a burgeoning field of interest in Latin American scholarship. It will interest any scholar in film studies, specifically transnational cinemas, global cinema, Latin American cinema, Latin American history, postcolonial studies, cultural studies, tourism studies and global politics."

"Bitter former schoolteacher Dora (Fernanda Montenegro) supports herself by taking dictation from illiterate people in Rio de Janeiro who want to write letters to their families and then pocketing their money without ever mailing the envelopes. One day, Josue (Vinícius de Oliveira), the 9-year-old son of one of her clients, is left alone when his mother is killed in a bus accident. Reluctantly taking him in, Dora joins the boy on a road trip to find his long-missing father."

"On a break before his last semester of medical school, Ernesto 'Che' Guevara (Gael García Bernal) travels with his friend Alberto Granado (Rodrigo de la Serna) from Brazil to Peru by motorcycle. The two men soon witness the great disparities in South America, encountering poor peasants and observing the exploitation of labor by wealthy industrialists. When they reach a leper colony in Peru, Ernesto's values have changed so much that he sides with the sufferers, forgetting his own comfort."

"Based on the iconic novel by Jack Kerouac, "On the Road" tells the timeless story of Sal Paradise, a young writer whose life is shaken and ultimately redefined by the arrival of Dean Moriarty, a free-spirited Westerner. Traveling cross-country, Sal and Dean take off on a personal quest for freedom from the conformity and conservatism engulfing them, in search of the unknown."

"The story centers on Val, a hard-working live-in housekeeper in modern-day São Paulo. Val is perfectly content to take care of every one of her wealthy employers' needs, from cooking and cleaning to being a surrogate mother to their teenage son, who she has raised since he was a toddler. But when Val's estranged daughter Jessica shows up, the unspoken but intrinsic class barriers that exist within the home are thrown into disarray."

"Tall, dark, androgynously handsome, Pierre wears eyeliner and a black lace g-string, while having sex with both boys and girls. The confusion only goes deeper when the teenager's single, working-class mom is arrested for having stolen him at birth. Thanks to the wonders of DNA, he's returned to his biological parents: bourgeois, straight- laced and thrilled to have him back, at least until he shows up in a zebra-print mini dress."

"oung Lucas lives with his religious Aunt Lourdes in a quiet country town. He is helping her by playing hymnals on his keyboard for their weekly church meetings at their house. However, when the charitable aunt announces the arrival of her nephew Mario, a distant cousin Lucas never knew about, and fresh out of jail, things start to get interesting. Upon meeting, it's apparent that there is mutual attraction between them that starts as innocent flirtations and quickly turns into something sexual."

"Diego is leaving his hometown in Brazil to attend a film school in California for four years. He will have to leave behind everything he has ever loved including Matheus, a handsome young man with whom he fell madly in love and shared a brief passionate affair with. Ten years later, back in Brazil, he decides to write a novel about their relationship using his camera instead of his pen."

"Winner of both the Academy Award for best foreign-language film and the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or, Marcel Camus’ Black Orpheus (Orfeu negro) brings the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice to the twentieth-century madness of Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. With its eye-popping photography and ravishing, epochal soundtrack, Black Orpheus was an international cultural event, and it kicked off the bossa nova craze that set hi-fis across America spinning." - from Criterion.com

"During yet another drought-blighted year in the sertão, the arid hinterland of the north-east Brazil, ranch hand Manoel kills his boss after a dispute over money. Manoel and his wife Rosa flee, but instead of finding freedom and happiness, or at least expiation, the pair fall prey in succession to the whims of a black preacher who operates far outside the orbit of the Catholic Church."

"A Frenchman (Arduíno Colassanti), who is part of a faction from his country trying to stake a claim to Brazil before the Portuguese colonize it, is held by a hostile tribe that assumes he is Portuguese. The tribe, allied with the French, is looking to avenge the murder of one of their members by eating a Portuguese soldier during a feast. Although the Frenchman is incorporated into village life, and even given a wife by the tribe, his fate hangs in the balance."

"Ten-year-old Pixote (Portuguese slang for 'Peewee') is one of three million homeless children in Brazil. Hauled off to a crowded detention center, wide-eyed Pixote witnesses rapes, beatings and other acts of random violence by both the guards and the inmates. With the transvestite Lilica and his lover Dito, Pixote escapes from the reform school where he and his friends hit the streets alone, embarking on a life of violence and crime."--ContainerTen-year-old Pixote (Portuguese slang for 'Peewee') is one of three million homeless children in Brazil. Hauled off to a crowded detention center, wide-eyed Pixote witnesses rapes, beatings and other acts of random violence by both the guards and the inmates. With the transvestite Lilica and his lover Dito, Pixote escapes from the reform school where he and his friends hit the streets alone, embarking on a life of violence and crime."

"Based on a true story, Perfumed Ball tells the story of one of Brazil's most infamous outlaws, 'The Cangaceiros'. Set in the 1930's, the film follows Benjamin Abrahao, a Lebanese immigrant. A filmmaker and photographer, Abrahao sees an opportunity for fame and fortune in the elusive Lampiao ... Abrahao manages to track down Lampiao at his camp and talks him into becoming the subject of a documentary film."

"The erotic poems of Carlos Drummond de Andrade, a household name in Brazil, remained unpublished during his lifetime, as he feared they would be deemed pornographic. In this film, elderly residents of Rio read his poems and comment on their graphic, voluptuous imagery as memories of stolen pleasures, and bittersweet melancholy unfold."

"The story of the aging soccer hero from Cape Verde who holds onto his past so strongly he destroys his present. At the same time, this film explores a much broader tension, personal and political, between remaining true to one's dreams or making the best of the limited opportunities around us."

"A powerful, award-winning documentary examining the tragic series of events that followed a desperate bus hijacking in Rio de Janeiro in 2000 that turned deadly when a SWAT team took action against street kid Sandro do Nascimento, the drug-addled hijacker."

"uilt in the 1960s, Cidade de Deus (City of God) is a sprawling housing project built to keep the poor as far as possible from Rio's glamorous beaches and resorts. By the 1980s, it has degenerated into a war zone so dangerous that visitors from outside risk being shot to death on sight, a poisonous stew of poverty, drugs, and crime. "If you run away, they get you, and if you stay, they get you, too," says Rocket, who wants to be a photographer. Rocket's brother, friends, and neighbors begin with truck stick-ups, which lead to brothel hold-ups that lead to murder that leads to coke dealing that leads to street brawls with armies of gun-toting 11-year-olds. Soon a full-scale gang war rages in the City of God--understandably not covered by wary Rio photojournalists--but just the opportunity Rocket needs to make his move, get a job at a newspaper, and get out."

"Luanda, capital of Angola, is a huge city trying to cope with and overcome the profound legacy of a civil war that lasted for nearly 30 years. Vitório has just been discharged after almost 20 years of fighting in the war. During his last military assignment he stepped on a land mine and lost a leg. After recuperating, he finds himself alone, unemployed and homeless. He, along with the people that he encounters, attempt to build new lives at the same time as their country reconstructs in the postwar era."

"Documents how former drug-trafficker Anderson Sa, and Jose Junior's Grupo Cultural AfroReggae are working to unite a Rio slum, or favela, against a violent drug industry and police oppression. The Grupo Cultural AfroReggae organization uses music as an instrument of change, to offer an alternative to the drug lords as role models for the children of the favela, and Sa is the lead vocalist for their band, AfroReggae."

"This lively film goes behind the scenes of the samba and carnival world in Rio de Janeiro to reveal how the cultural clash of the African/Black and European/White cultures gave birth to a new tradition. The historian Haroldo Costa, an expert in carioca folklore, explains how African slaves' beliefs, gods, and music mixed with Spanish Catholic and Indian influences centuries ago to create the remarkable fusion that is Brazilian culture. The film includes interviews with many active performers and writers of samba such as the composer and singer Xango da Mangueira. He recalls the first days of carnival in Rio de Janeiro when he and his fellow performers sang and danced in the streets but were treated like vagrants and harassed by the police. Mae Helena D'Oxosse, a priestess in the umbanda tradition, incorporates samba in her religious practices and carries on a tradition among her working-class followers that is five hundred years old."

"When successful writer Edu falls in love with a young hustler, Fabio, his initial fear is about contracting HIV. Emotional matters soon loom large as well in their wild and passionate relationship."

"Carefree Elias works at a textile factory, juggling long shifts, dreams of the sea, and animated nights-out with no-strings sexual encounters. As he tries to discern where his future may lead him, Elias tries to take pleasure in the small things in life. After yet another night of working overtime, he and his coworkers decide to go out for a bit of fun, ultimately leading to new encounters and unexpected desires."

"Made following the discovery of amateur footage shot in China in 1966 during the first and most radical stage of the Cultural Revolution, IN THE INTENSE NOW speaks to the fleeting nature of moments of great intensity. Scenes of China are set alongside archival images of the events of 1968 in France, Czechoslovakia, and, to a lesser extent, Brazil. In keeping with the tradition of the film-essay, they serve to investigate how the people who took part in those events continued onward after passions had cooled. The footage, all of it archival, not only reveals the state of mind of those filmed--joy, enchantment, fear, disappointment, dismay--but also sheds light on the relationship between a document and its political context. What can one say of Paris, Prague, Rio de Janeiro, or Beijing by looking at the images of the period? Why did each of these cities produce a specific sort of record? Narrated in first person, the film reflects on that which is revealed by four sets of images: footage of the French students' uprising in May of 1968; the images captured by amateurs during the invasion of Czechoslovakia in August of the same year, when forces led by the Soviet Union put an end to the Prague Spring; shots of the funerals of students, workers, and police officers killed during the events of 1968 in the cities of Paris, Lyon, Prague, and Rio de Janeiro; and the scenes that a tourist--the director's mother--filmed in China in 1966, the year of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution."

"After exile in Brussels, between 1967 and 1974, where he studied painting, Al Berto returned to Portugal to devote himself to literature."

"Atanásio Nyusi, a compelling storyteller and legendary Mapiko dancer, takes us on a visually dramatic journey interweaving the politics of Mozambique's colonial past and its present. Using music, dance and the body as archive, we experience the ugliness of war through the beauty of dance and poetry. During Portuguese rule Mapiko was often used as social commentary to challenge colonization. The 10 year Independence War against the Portuguese stopped this dance for a few years. Mapiko has however seen a revival since the end of the civil war that followed the country's independence. Nowadays, it celebrates freedom, cultural identity and collective memory. As Atanásio himself says "the dance is linked to the domination, and so history war and culture are all linked. They are inseparable". Through his work, Atanásio has had an important role in promoting Mapiko as a contemporary art form. As an artist but also as a memory keeper, he now faces the challenge to transmit his knowledge to his son Natep. Blending observational footage, archive material and contemporary dance sequences, the film crosses the threshold between real and imaginary. These two parallel story-worlds are interwoven creating a visual narrative linking past and present in a radically shifting country."

"Set in Brazil's southern city of Porto Alegre, the film focuses on a socially repressed young man who only comes out of his shell during chatroom performances, when he strips and smears neon paints on his lithe body." - IMDb.com

"A few years from now, Bacurau, a small village in the Brazilian sertão, mourns the loss of its matriarch, Carmelita, who lived to be 94. Days later, its inhabitants notice that their village has literally vanished from online maps and a UFO-shaped drone is seen flying overhead. There are forces that want to expel them from their homes, and soon, in a genre-bending twist, a band of armed mercenaries led by Udo Kier arrive in town picking off the inhabitants one by one."

"Behind-the-scenes look at the gay, leather subculture through the experiences of five men competing to be Mr. Leather of Brazil."