Recent Cinema From Spain 2015 in Miami

The 5th annual Recent Cinema from Spain film series will take place in November at the emblematic Olympia Theater in Miami.

The Recent Cinema from Spain series presents today’s best films from Spain in Miami. This showcase will feature appearances by leading figures in the Spanish film industry, who have helped place “Made in Spain” productions at the vanguard of filmmaking worldwide.

After only three editions, this film series has become well established in the city of Miami. From its success among the public and critics alike, over these two years the event has earned a place for itself on the city’s cultural and cinematic calendar.

Wednesdays Don’t Exist

• On Thursday, November 19 at 7 pm. Introduction by actor William Miller and talkback following the film.
• Original title: Los Miércoles No Existen.
• Written and directed by Peris Romano, Spain, 2015, 128 minutes.
• In Spanish with English subtitles. U.S. Premiere.

Wednesdays Don’t Exist is a close look at modern relationships. This romantic comic drama with singing (yes, singing) examines how seemingly insignificant decisions can, like falling dominoes, have a huge impact on our lives years after making them. A beautiful puzzle of the moments and decisions in six characters’ lives and the emotional and sentimental breaks that result.

Roundtable

• On Friday, November 20, from 5 pm to 6 pm.
• Roundtable with William Miller, Goya Toledo, Miki Esparbé and Miguel Ángel Muñoz.
• At Centro Cultural Español de Miami, 1490 Biscayne Blvd, Miami.
• In Spanish. Free event, no RSVP necessary. Limited seating, please arrive early.

Requirements To Be A Normal Person

• On Friday, November 20 at 6:45 pm. Double feature. Introduction by actor Miki Esparbé and talkback following the film.
• Original title: Requisitos Para Ser Una Persona Normal.
• Written and directed by Leticia Dolera, Spain, 2015, 90 minutes.
• In Spanish with English subtitles. Miami Premiere.

Everybody tries to fit in, but few people go about it as methodically as Maria de la Montana (played by writer-director Leticia Dolera), who hopes to reach normality through a 7-item checklist. Her mentally challenged younger brother (Jordi Llorda) and overweight friend (Manuel Burque) seem to have most of the bases covered, and the success of Maria’s quest may boil down to just being herself. Brightly colored and boasting a jangly folk score by Luthea Salmon, this romantic comedy is, as one might home from its title, charmingly eccentric. Winner of Best New Screenwriter, Cinematography and Editing Awards at the Málaga Spanish Film Festival.

Magical Girl

• On Friday, November 20 at 9:45 pm. Double feature.
• Directed by Carlos Vermut, Spain, 2014, 127 minutes.
• In Spanish with English subtitles.

Luis (Luis Bermejo) has a 12-year-old daughter with a terminal illness and a last wish –to have a dress just like the main character of her favorite Japanese anime series. He will try do to everything to achieve it but his fate intersects with an unbalanced young woman (Goya and Feroz winner Bárbara Lennie) and a teacher with a troubled past (José Sacristán). Luis, Barbara and Damian will be trapped in a world of blackmail where instincts and reason will struggle changing their lives forever.

Talk

• On Saturday, November 21 at 6:45 pm. Double feature. Introduction by actors Goya Toledo and Miguél Ángel Muñoz and talkback following the film.
• Original title: Hablar.
• Written and directed by Joaquim Oristrell, Spain, 2015, 75 minutes.
• In Spanish with English subtitles. U.S. Premiere.

Shot in a single, continuous take, Talk is a journey between theater and film set in a lower class neighborhood in Madrid on a blazing August night in 2014. For 75 minutes and over one mile, the camera follows 20 characters in economic, political and existential turmoil as they talk, argue, laugh, cry, taunt, whisper, scream, steal, date, fight, embrace and offer the audience a reflection on the immense power of the word.

Breathless Time

• On Saturday, November 21 at 9:45 pm. Double feature.
• Original title: Tiempo Sin Aire.
• Directed by Andrés Luque Pérez and Samuel Martin Mateos, Spain, 2015, 106 minutes.
• In Spanish with English subtitles. U.S. Premiere.

Maria (Juana Acosta), a Colombian nurse who lost her daughter at the hands of three militiamen, travels to the Spanish Canary Islands accompanied by her youngest son to find one of the killers and get her revenge. She keeps with her a picture that she found in the ruined home, showing a face, an inscription and a name: Ivan (Felix Gomez). Gonzalo (Carmelo Gomez), a school psychologist whose existence changes dramatically the moment he meets Maria, joins her incessant and obsessive search. Meanwhile, in their little corner of the island, Ivan and his girlfriend Vero are unaware that their lives are about to change forever.

Off Course

• On Sunday, November 22 at 6:45 pm. Introduction by actor Miki Esparbé and talkback following the film.
• Original title: Perdiendo el Norte.
• Written and directed by Nacho G. Velilla, Spain, 2015, 102 minutes.
• In Spanish with English subtitles.

Hugo (Yon González) and Braulio (Julián López) both have university degrees but no jobs, and think they can escape the economic doldrums by leaving Spain for Germany. But what looked like a land of opportunity on TV presents more challenges to the two friends than they expected in this sparkling comedy.