2009 FESTIVAL OF NEW SPANISH CINEMA

Intelligent, cutting edge, irreverent, hilarious, terrifying, outrageous, superb, brutal, tender, award winning—all that and more in this year’s Festival. The newest productions coming from Spain travel to Ottawa, Chicago, Portland, Seattle, Miami, Puerto Rico and San Francisco.

TEASERLAND.COM

As an added bonus, Pragda will precede each screening of the FESTIVAL OF NEW SPANISH CINEMA with a surprise presentation from Teaserland.com—an entertaining online festival which features fake movie trailers made by well known directors such as Isabel Coixet shown alongside those by up-and-coming filmmakers. There’s something for everyone! In Spanish. Check back soon. We will have them with English subtitles.

CLANDESTI: FORBIDDEN CATALAN CINEMA UNDER FRANCO

This is the story of a generation of independent filmmakers whose innate unwillingness to conform forced them to produce, distribute, and exhibit radical films in Catalonia during Franco’s dictatorship. Shooting under the pretense of amateur filmmaking, they hid within crowds of protesters, producing works that were often highly creative and even experimental.

SHORTMETRAJE

Exploring the diversity and richness of the short film genre- from fiction film, and experimental film to animations, this program promises a twisting ride, full of rational and emotional attempts to understand the divine and the worldly, our capacity for evil, and the limits of our compassion. Where can you see these Spanish short films? Film Society of Lincoln Center. When? December 14-18, 2008. Do not miss them!

FESTIVAL OF NEW SPANISH CINEMA

LATINBEAT

AMERICAN SPECTRUM

Lunch with...Marta Sanchez

Interview with Marta Sanchez about Pragda activities promoting Spanish films in the U.S. It was published in El Pais June 27 2009.

Straight from the Underground brochure

Clandestí: Forbidden Catalan Cinema Under Franco premieres on May 8. Pragda is proud to announce the upcoming film series co-organized by The Film Society of Lincoln Center. The program brings together a generation of independent filmmakers whose innate unwillingness to conform forced them to produce, distribute, and exhibit radical and clandestine films in Catalonia during Franco’s time.

Central del Curt & Cooperativa Cinema Alternatiu (1974-82)

Do you want to know about the clandestine film distribution network and how they operated in Spain? How did they manage to debut Viridiana (Buñuel, 1961) in the underground while the regime attempted to suppress the film on charges of blasphemy and obscenity? Central del Curt distributed their films in recreation centers, private homes, cinema clubs, universities, social and cultural associations, and even parochial schools. In Catalan. Text contains 40 pages.

Desacuerdos: Film collectives and activist films (1967-1981)

Honoring the film series Clandestí: Forbidden Catalan Cinema Under Franco hosted by THE FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER, se selected some hard-to-find educational text for you. This one is about the history of activist & political films in Spain during Franco’s time. In Spanish only sorry!. File contains 39 pages.

Spanish Women Behind the Camera

Five new features and shorts honors achievements and contributions by Spanish women in the areas of directing, screenwriting, editing, and other disciplines. These visionary cinematic voices present audiences with provocative, distinctive, refreshing, and surprising perspectives. Viewers will be challenged to explore the diverse array of themes confronting women in film as well as traditional notions of women’s issues.

Franco’s Crimes by Paul Preston

Paul Preston’s lecture at the BFI Southbank, London on January 2008, grounding Spain (Un)censored in its full historical context.

On-line Poster Exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art

Breaking the Code

Daring films that mocked repression in Franco’s Spain. Foreword of the book published on the occasion of the exhibition Spain (Un)Censored, bringing a historical context to the period.

Dissenting Voices? Spanish Films Under Franco

Did film flourish in the Spain of General Franco because of - or in spite of - the political climate? This exhibit opened January 2008 at the BFI Southbank Gallery on the occasion of the Spain (Un)censored program. Curated by David Sharp and Jose de Esteban.

Press Relase: Festival of New Spanish Cinema in Houston

Rice Cinema and the Hispanic Studies Department at Rice kick off the Festival of New Spanish Cinema with a personal appearance of Septembers’ Academy Award Nominated Carles Bosch.

Films that fooled Franco by Susana Urra

Articleon the historical retro hosted by BFI Southbank Jan/Feb 2008. Published by Expatica.