Ventura Durall : 2020

What is the purpose of school today? This question led to an educational revolution launched by the Escola Nova 21 programme. "Lessons for a new school" (La Nova Escola) follows the programme, which is based on the learning of skills and which has generated an educational revolution in Catalonia, during the three years of its existence. Observing the phenomenon from the perspective of our species and analysing its historical and scientific context by listening to the most qualified voices in science, the film delves into the adventure of its promoters and those who have been at the heart of this experiment when the new methods were implemented. Can an education system be successfully changed from the bottom up? Only time will tell, but the seed for rethinking the education of the citizens of the future has come to stay. And it is unstoppable. Ventura Durall's documentary premiered at DocsBarcelona 2020.

Pilar Palomero : 2020
Schoolgirls

"I'm here to confess, Father, for I have sinned. – What sins have you committed, my child? – I don't know." In the Catholic girls' school choir, Celia's voice must not be heard. But her mute acceptance of the conservative dictates of an environment utterly bereft of colour and individuality is soon shaken up by the arrival of a new classmate, Brisa. Standing on the threshold of adolescence, Celia discovers a thirst for life in all its multifaceted glory. A bond quickly develops between the two girls, and together they rail against the authority figures and their rigid rules. In small acts of rebellion, Celia finds the courage to express her growing distrust of the value system governing her world in 1990s Spain, as questions start to form about her own family background – a topic on which her mother has always kept silent. Pilar Palomero's feature debut premiered in the Generation Kplus section at Berlin International Film Festival 2020.

Alberto Dexeus & Ànnia Gabarró : 2019
The Perseids

Legend has it that the town and the thermal power plant of Escatrón were built over the Spanish Civil War battlefield, leaving behind the dead bodies and burials of its victims. The ghosts and spirits still wander through its streets and buildings, semi-abandoned nowadays. Following her parents' divorce, Mar arrives in Escatrón to spend the strangest summer of her life. The relationship between Mar and her father has not been easy, so she takes refuge in these mysterious legends that float around the town and through a group of young people that seem to function according to some rules which are unknown to her. Mar will discover this to be a more fascinating place than it seemed at first, helping her to get closer to her father to try to make peace with him. Blurring the line between reality and fiction, the tale carefully captures familial and historical troubles, confusing the ghosts of the past and those of the present. Alberto Dexeus and Ànnia Gabarró's feature debut premiered in competition at Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema 2019, and screened in competition at Gijón International Film Festival 2019.

Jaione Camborda : 2019

Arima is something you glimpse through the mist, something you can sense but still fail to see clearly. A dream, a memory, a desire. In a village of greenery and grey stone, Arima is the story of four women and a girl whose existence is disrupted by the sudden arrival of two strangers. One of them is fleeing from the other, sneaking around town like an elusive being, a ghostly presence of uncertain existence. The other character – an injured man carrying a gun – will disrupt the women's way of life in different ways. The whole plot takes place on the fine line between reality and imagination, between dreams and nightmares, fear and desire, discovering a tangle of echoes from the past, mysteries and mirror games. Jaione Camborda's feature debut premiered in competition at Mostra Internacional de Cinema 2019, and received the Award to the Direction at its Spanish premiere in competition in the New Waves section at Sevilla European Film Festival 2019.

David Fernández de Castro & Marc Parramon : 2019
Me llamo Violeta

Two very different families with one thing in common: in both there is a transgender child. Violeta, eleven, daughter of actor Nacho Vidal, is having a relatively placid transition so far, although her parents, at first baffled, took a while to accept her new identity. Alan did not have that luck: a victim of harassment at school, the support of his family was not enough to prevent his suicide, an end that shocked his school and his hometown. Focused above all on these two stories, this deeply emotional film shows that our society is making progress in accepting transgender children but that there is still a long way to go. David Fernández de Castro and Marc Parramon's documentary premiered at Festival de Málaga 2019, and was winner of the Audience Award and the Amnesty International Award at DocsBarcelona International Documentary Film Festival 2019. Their film screened in the Made in Spain section at San Sebastián International Film Festival 2019.

Belén Funes : 2019
La hija de un ladrón

Sara is twenty-two and has always been alone. Her only companion is her six-month-old son. Dani is the man of her life and also the father of her child, but they are not a couple anymore. With Martín, her younger brother, Sara dreams of rebuilding the family she has never had. The father who abandoned them, Manuel, decides to come back into their lives after years of absence and his release from prison. But there are certain wounds that can't be healed. Sara knows he's the main obstacle to her plans and she makes a difficult decision: to distance him from herself and her brother. Belén Funes's feature debut was winner of the Silver Shell for Best Actress when it premiered in competition at San Sebastián International Film Festival 2019.

Pedro Almodóvar : 2019
Dolor y Gloria

Salvador Mallo, a film director in his physical decline, experiences a series of re-encounters. Some of them in the flesh, others remembered. His childhood in the 1960s, 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 1980s and the pain of the breakup while this love was still alive and intense; writing as the only therapy to forget the unforgettable; the early discovery of cinema; and the infinite void that creates the incapacity to keep on making films. In recovering his past, Salvador finds the urgent need to recount it and, in that need, he also finds his salvation. Pedro Almodóvar's feature received the award for Best Actor when it premiered in competition at Festival de Cannes 2019.

Oliver Laxe : 2019
O que arde

When Amador Coro gets out of prison for having provoked a fire, nobody cares much about him. Trying to keep a low profile, he returns to his hometown, a small village hidden in the mountains of rural Galicia, to live with his elderly mother, Benedicta, and three cows. Life goes on calmly, following the rhythm of nature – until one night when a fire starts to lay waste to the region. Oliver Laxe's third feature was winner of the Prix du Jury when it premiered in competition in the Un Certain Regard section at Festival de Cannes 2019.

Marta Lallana & Ivet Castelo : 2019

Paula, a 14-year-old girl, has to spend the summer in Ojos Negros, a town in the Aragon region of eastern Spain, with her aunt and grandmother whom she barely knows. There she discovers the family tensions that are uncovered in the wake of her grandmother's illness. Trying to escape this suffocating atmosphere, she meets Alicia, a girl of her age with whom she establishes an intense friendship. Together they will venture into the adult world and at the end of a stifling summer, Paula will understand what it means to grow up. Marta Lallana and Ivet Castelo's feature debut, their final degree project, was winner of the Silver Biznaga for Best Spanish Film when it was presented in the Zonazine section at Festival de Málaga de Cine Español 2019.

Isabel Coixet : 2019
Elisa & Marcela

When Marcela and Elisa meet on their first day in high school, it is love at first sight. A deep friendship begins which soon turns into a romantic relationship. Nothing can prevent the two girls' feelings for each other, not even Marcela's suspicious parents, who eventually send their daughter to boarding school. Years later, the two women meet again and decide to live together. Both are respected teachers, but their partnership has to be kept secret from the critical Catholic population. For this reason, Elisa decides to pose as a man and marry Marcela. Their wedding photo depicts two young women, one in a black dress with her hair up, the other with a short haircut and wearing a suit; both are looking hopefully into the future. But their love remains exposed to great dangers. Based on true events, a deeply empathetic rendition of the story of Elisa Sánchez Loriga and Marcela Gracia Ibeas, who were married in the church of San Jorge in A Coruña in northwest Spain in 1901. A paean to passion, dignity and resistance. Isabel Coixet's feature premiered in competition at Berlin International Film Festival 2019.

Julio Medem : 2018
The Tree of Blood

A young couple, Marc and Rebeca, travel to an old farmhouse in Basque Country that used to belong to her grandparents. Once there, they will write the shared history of their genealogical roots, creating a large family tree of around twenty-five years of relationships criss-crossed in love, heartbreak, sex, madness, jealousy and infidelity – and which hides a secret that has marked their lives for ever, and that could endanger their own love story. Julio Medem's ninth fiction feature premiered in Madrid in October 2018.

Celia Rico Clavellino : 2018
Viaje al cuarto de una madre

Leonor is keen to leave home. She's just broken up with her partner and isn't happy in the job her mother Estrella has secured for her in a tailor's workshop. She wants to escape the small-town mentality of southern Spain and experience the big-city life in London. But leaving her mother when they are both still reeling from the recent death of a loving husband and caring father is not easy. Whatever decision Leonor makes will have important consequences. A detailed examination of the minutiae of the myriad nuances inherent in family life. The film delicately handles the challenges of generational difference in a close emotional relationship, where so much remains unspoken and nothing can be taken for granted. Celia Rico Clavellino's feature debut premiered in the New Directors section at San Sebastián International Film Festival 2018 where it won the Youth Jury Award, and had its UK premiere at London Film Festival 2018.

Alejo Levis : 2017
I Never Want to Lose You

The story focuses on a couple, Paula and Malena, who move into Paula's family home, a large dark house in the countryside, filled with a lifetime of objects. One morning, Paula receives a call from the retirement home where her mother lives and suddenly, a whirlwind of memories, emotions, broken promises and contradictions take hold of her. But Paula refuses to accept the pain she feels and goes through various stages of mourning, from panic to denial until in the end by reliving the best moments spent with her loved one, Paula learns to say goodbye. Alejo Levis's second feature premiered at Festival de Málaga de Cine Español 2017.

Meritxell Colell Aparicio : 2018
Con el viento

Mónica, 47, has been living in Buenos Aires for 20 years working as a dancer when the news reaches her that her father is on his deathbed back in Spain. By the time she arrives, he's already passed away. Resisting the impulse to return as quickly as possible to her faraway life, she stays to help her mother sell the family home. When it becomes clear that she's not merely bidding farewell to the place of her childhood, the past pushes its way into Mónica's existence with unexpected force; old conflicts and regret about missed chances bubble up, and she realises she has limited time left with her mother. Winter comes. The perpetual silence, the extreme cold and the difficulty of living with her mother are proving tough for Mónica. As still no one ever says much in this family, Mónica works through her inner turmoil primarily via her body, finding an outlet in dance. The film tells the story of a family unable to communicate and is a thoughtful and loving portrait of a traditional rural lifestyle which is beginning to disappear. It's a story about distances. But most of all, it is an inner journey to learn again how to live and love better. Meritxell Colell Aparicio's feature debut premiered in the Forum section at Berlin International Film Festival 2018, and was winner of the Silver Biznaga for Best Spanish Film at Festival de Málaga de Cine Español 2018.

Jaime Rosales : 2018

Petra doesn't know who her father is. Her entire life, it's been hidden from her. After the death of her mother, she embarks on a search that leads her to Jaume, a famous artist and a powerful, ruthless man. On her path to uncovering the truth, Petra also meets Jaume's son, Lucas, as well as Marisa, his mother and Jaume's wife. That is when the story of these characters begins to intertwine in a spiral of malice, family secrets and violence that drives them all to the edge. But fate's cruel logic is derailed by a twist that opens a path to hope and redemption. Jaime Rosales's feature premiered at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs at Festival de Cannes 2018.

Asghar Farhadi : 2018
Todos lo saben

Laura returns to the village where she was born, on a Spanish vineyard, to attend her sister Ana's wedding. She is back from Argentina for the occasion, single-handedly looking after her two children as her husband couldn't make it. Parents, children, grandchildren, friends – numerous generations mingle in the family home, enjoying a fun-filled reunion. Among them, Paco stands out. He runs a local vineyard with his partner, Bea, and we quickly learn that he once had a passionate affair with Laura many years ago. As the joyful wedding evening gets into full swing, there's a power cut. A storm is brewing, and Laura soon realises that her 16-year-old daughter, Irene, has gone missing after going to bed. Having not long gathered together a search party, the family receives a text message: Irene has been kidnapped and will be killed if they alert the police. The kidnappers are demanding a ransom of €300,000. Anxiety reaches a peak and Alejandro, Irene's father, flies over from South America. As it dawns on the family that the kidnapping must have required the complicity of one or more relatives, suspicion sets in, resentment bubbles to the surface and secrets are revealed. Asghar Farhadi's feature premiered in competition at Festival de Cannes 2018.

Hans Weingartner : 2018

'You know, the thought that everything is ephemeral is comforting, even though it's sad. I think that's one of the most important lessons in a relationship. You're part of me, but you don't belong to me.' Jan believes that people are selfish by nature, so he's not surprised when the person who was supposed to give him a lift leaves him stranded in Berlin. Jule, however, thinks that people are fundamentally kind and sociable, and she offers Jan a lift in her camper van. They are both heading towards the Atlantic: Jan to Spain, and Jule to her boyfriend in Portugal. They only plan to travel as far as Cologne together, but with every passing mile, they discover more about each other's lives. Does capitalism turn people into Neanderthals? Does monogamy lead to unhappiness, and can you choose who you fall in love with? A road trip across Western Europe, romantic and hungry for life, about two people torn between wanderlust and the longing to finally arrive. Hans Weingartner's feature premiered in the Generation 14plus section at Berlin International Film Festival 2018.

Ramón Salazar : 2018
La enfermedad del domingo

Anabel is a successful businesswoman with a wealthy husband. At a reception in her villa she meets a woman, a member of the catering staff who has been hired for the evening. This woman is none other than her own daughter Chiara, whom she had left over thirty years ago. Chiara was just eight years old at the time. She now approaches her mother with an unusual request: to spend ten days together with her. Anabel agrees and follows her daughter to a remote house in the mountains. She begins exploring the largely uninhabited region; meanwhile Chiara initially does her own thing and seems to pursue a mysterious goal. In the end, unexpected borderline experiences bring mother and daughter closer together and Anabel finds herself having to make the most difficult decision of her life. Ramón Salazar's feature premiered in the Panorama section at Berlin International Film Festival 2018.

Samuel M Delgado & Helena Girón : 2016
Montañas arditens que vomitan fuego

Out in the open, on a mysterious volcanic island, a goatherd is tending his flock. The island's black rock, however, hides the murky depths of a cave complex, as well as shafts that formed in the course of volcanic activity. In these bowels of the earth, which served as a refuge for the resistance during the war but still welcome any lost soul, time has stopped. The enchanting magic of the place exists out of time and geographical location, yet the heart of the island quietly whispers a testimony of local history and mythology. Samuel M Delgado and Helena Girón's short premiered in the Imagina section at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2017.

Víctor Erice : 1983
The South

Recalling her youth in 1950s northern Spain, Estrella revisits her relationship with her beloved father Agustin, raised in the south, and realises how little she knew of him and his secrets. Víctor Erice's delicate and mysterious film reveals his abiding fascination with memory and loss, missed opportunities and the links between private dreams and political realities. The performances, like the meticulously lit compositions and evocative soundtrack, are superb, exquisitely beautiful and profoundly moving. His second feature premiered in competition at Festival de Cannes 1983.