The energy of Almodóvar. The risk-taking of Amenábar. The unadulterated exhilaration of Buñuel. The fourth annual 2011 Festival of New Spanish Cinema —our biggest and riskiest yet— unveils the next generation of Spanish film legends.

Featuring first-time filmmakers and established artists alike, this year’s program offers something for Spanish cinema lovers of all persuasions: award-winning comedies, romances, dramas, and thrillers, including a lost horror classic.

And in true Spanish style an opening party and visiting filmmakers, along with trailers and special online interviews with directors, at www.pragda.com, that offer added insight into the films and a direct line to Spain.

Organized by Pragda and Northwest Film Center. Supported by the Embassy of Spain in Washington DC, the Consulate of Spain in San Francisco and Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales (ICAA) of the Spanish Ministry of Culture. Additional support comes from American Airlines and Eurochannel. Wine courtesy of Martín Códax Albariño and Las Rocas Garnacha, our exclusive wine sponsor. Special thanks to our Portland co-sponsors and hosts for school and classroom visits.

'With or without love' ( Una hora más en Canarias)

On September 30th at 7pm and October 1st at 4pm

Directed by David Serrano, Spain, 97 min., 2010. This technically polished, fast-moving, screwball musical comedy is the third feature by successful director (Soccer Days) and screenwriter (The Other Side of the Bed) David Serrano. Beautiful married superbitch Claudia (Colombian star Angie Cepeda, Captain Pantoja and the Special Services) has been dumped by her lover, Pablo (Quim Gutierrez, Dark Blue Almost Black, Cousinhood). He takes off with his new girfriend to the Canary Islands to escape Claudia’s relentless attempts to win him back, but she soon follows, aided (for a time) by her loyal (for a time) sister Monica (Juana Acosta from the 2011 Golden Globe-winning television mini-series Carlos). Pablo soon finds himself torn between three strong and manipulative women who will do whatever it takes to get what they want. Set against the gorgeous backdrop of Tenerife and scored with catchy pop songs and colorfully choreographed musical numbers, The quirky, stellar cast has great fun inhabiting a breezy tropical fantasy about people who dream, sing, dance and fall in love.

'Every song is about me' (Todas las canciones hablan de mí)

On October 1st at 6:30pm

Directed by Jonás Trueba, Spain, 104 min., 2010. Cast: Oriol Vila, Bárbara Lennie, Miriam Giovanelli, Ramón Fontseré. This woody-allenesque romantic comedy inspired by the French New Wave, follows the story of Ramiro, an immature thirty-something wannabe poet who one day is dumped by his fiancée, Andrea. Up and coming Jonás Trueba captures the confusion of a generation haunted by music and books, by the need to find a path amidst the certainty of uncertainty and by the compulsion to find love when love has become but the topic of yet another indie-pop song. With community support by Tierra Educational Center.

'Kidnapped' (Secuestrados)

On October 1st at 9pm and October 3rd at 7pm

Directed by Miguel Angel Vivas, Spain, 85 min., 2010. Best Horror Feature winner at Austin’s Fantastic Fest 2010, Vivas’ film about a family’s first night in their new home gone terribly wrong just may leave audiences in a total state of shock. This taut, high-octane, grittily realistic thriller is shot in fewer than a dozen intricately choreographed sequence shots that create an accurate, hyper-real rendering of the home invasion experience. Though the storyline has been done several times, Vivas’ directing style, the rich characters and the unrelenting gruesome detail make Kidnapped a superb horror movie.

'Who can kill a child?' (¿Quién puede matar a un niño?)

On October 1st at 11pm

Directed by Narciso Ibañez Serrador, Spain, 107 min., 1976. Once available only on poor VHS copies circulated among aficionados, this legendary, taboo-breaking horror classic’s disturbing imagery helped keep it out of easy public viewing. A Hitchcockian thriller with salutes to Night of the Living Dead and Lord of the Flies, it tells the tale of a British couple who take a holiday to a small Spanish island—an island apparently devoid of adults but inhabited by some very unnerving children, who have long stopped being fans of adults.

'80 Days' (80 egunean)

On October 2nd at 4:30pm (with filmmaker José Mari Goenaga in attendance!) and October 9th at 2pm

Directed by José Mari Goenaga and Jon Garaño, Spain, 105 min., 2010. A delightful story of illicit desire handled with warmth, delicacy and humor. Forbidden by society to develop their budding passion, childhood girlfriends Axun and Maite were forced to embark on very different paths in life. When Axun returns to their hometown of San Sebastian 50 years later, the women are reunited and given anotherchance to explore this unrequited love.

'The Great Vazquez' (El gran Vázquez)

On October 2nd at 7pm

Directed by Oscar Aibar, Spain, 106 min., 2010. This madcap and amorally funny biopic dramatizes the life of the influential Spanish cartoonist Manuel Vazquez Gallego. In 1960s Barcelona, Vázquez’ characters were a huge success in the comics published by Bruguera. Meanwhile, Spain’s top cartoonist gets what he wants when he wants, artfully dodging anyone he owes money to, and marrying gaily, collecting one family after another. With a cigarette permanently dangling from his lip, Santiago Segura —better known for being the director and star of the successful Torrente saga—plays the artist with rascally energy.

'Half of Oscar' (La mitad de Óscar)

On October 8th at 5pm and October 9th at 7pm

Directed by Manuel Martín Cuenca, Spain and Cuba, 89 min., 2010. Cast: Verónica Echegui, Rodrigo Sáenz de Heredia. An exploration of family taboos, this quiet and austere third feature from Martín Cuenca (The Weakness of the Bolshevik) delves into the deepest regions of the human soul. Oscar’s routine is interrupted when his aging grandfather is moved to the hospital and his sister, Maria, whom he hasn't heard from in two years, will be coming home. Silence and subtext speak volumes in this poignant film about impossible loves.

'Lovestorming' (No controles)

On October 15th at 5pm and October 16th at 7pm

Directed by Borja Cobeaga, Spain, 96 min., 2010. Oscar-nominated Borja Cobeaga (One Too Many, The Friend Zone) directs this Spanish box-office hit, a fast-paced, side-splitting comedy starring sexy star Unax Ugalde in the Spanish take on The Hangover. With all flights cancelled after a snowfall, Sergio is stranded in a road-side hotel on New Year’s Eve with his ex-girlfriend and an annoying old classmate. Propelled by his friend’s persistence and assisted by an eccentric team of strangers, Sergio attempts to win back his ex-girlfriend in the countdown to dawn, when flights will resume.

'Chico & Rita'

On October 23rd at 5pm

Directed by Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal, Spain and Great Britain, 90 min., 2010. Vibrant animation, passionate Latin storytelling and music from the greatest period of creativity in Cuban-American jazz meld to chronicle the musical romance between Chico, a handsome piano player, and the beautiful Rita, an enchanting singer in 1948 Havana. But Chico and Rita’s love affair sparks heartache and longing across the decades, as rum-soaked evenings lead to drastic decisions for the star-crossed pair, traversing the glamourous jazz clubs of New York City, Paris, Hollywood and Las Vegas. With animation design by Barcelona artists Javier Mariscal and Tono Errando and music orchestrated by Cuban pianist, bandleader, and composer Bebo Valdés, the film also features spirited re-recordings of standards by Nat King Cole, Charlie Parker, Chano Pozo, Dizzy Gillespie, and more, from a range of contemporary singers such as Idania Valdés, Carlos Sarduy, Horacio Hernández, Rolando Luna, Germán Velazco and Jorge Reyes. With community support from Miracle Theatre Group and ASIFA Portland.

'Bicycle, Spoon, Apple' (Bicicleta, cullera, poma)

On October 23rd at 7:15pm

Directed by Carles Bosch, Spain, 105 min., 2010. As both the former mayor of Barcelona and former president of Catalonia, Pasqual Maragall has been a popular leader for the people of Spain. In 2007, this charismatic public figure was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Following Maragall for two years, director Carles Bosch (who helmed the Oscar-nominated documentary film Balseros) creates an intimate portrait of the man and his family. By bringing us so deep into the life of an Alzheimer’s sufferer, Bosch demystifies the disease—resulting in a documentary that’s sure to leave viewers forever changed. Sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association of Oregon

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