News

In the ever-expanding universe of streaming content, a new Spanish series arrives not with a whisper but a shriek. “Rage” sets its stage in a hyper-modern Madrid, yet its concerns are timeless, distilled into a potent, high-octane dark comedy. The central idea is simple: what happens when women, pushed past their breaking point by a thousand daily indignities, finally push back?

The show presents an ensemble of female characters whose lives are beginning to fray from the pressures of deceit, professional obsolescence, and profound disrespect. Their deep-seated frustrations erupt in ways that are as shocking as they are bitterly funny.

This is a story about revenge, but one served with such explosive energy and unpredictable consequences that it feels less like a calculated plot and more like a necessary, chaotic exorcism. It captures a distinctly contemporary feeling of being utterly fed up.

The Five Faces of Vengeance

The series presents...

Estrenos muy diferentes para seriéfilos en Netflix, Apple TV+, HBO Max y Disney+. © Netflix, Apple TV+ & Max El Clan Olimpia (miércoles 9 de julio en Disney+) © Disney+

Una mujer y una decisión desesperada: vender hachís para salvar a su marido. La serie se titula El clan Olimpia y es una de las grandes apuestas españolas de Disney+ para este verano. Inspirada en hechos reales, esta ficción de seis episodios narra la historia de Olimpia (Zaira Romero), una mujer cuyo mundo cambia radicalmente cuando a su marido le diagnostican un cáncer. Desesperada por salvarle y mantener a su familia a flote, empieza a vender hachís en su barrio. Pero cuando decide costear un tratamiento en Estados Unidos, da un paso aún más peligroso: entra en el tráfico de cocaína. Junto a su socio, el Moreno, Olimpia ascenderá rápidamente en el mundo del narcotráfico, estrechando lazos con cárteles colombianos y la mafia napolitana.

Warner Bros. Discovery has announced the movies, TV shows, and live sports that will be available on the Max (soon to be called HBO Max) streaming service in July. The Max July 2025 lineup includes the feature films Sinners, A24’s On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, Opus, and Death of a Unicorn, and Utopia’s I Love You Forever.

The schedule includes the HBO Original documentaries Billy Joel: And So It Goes and Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print, as well as the HBO Original series Rage. You can also catch Shark Week beginning on July 20.

Sinners Featured Programming

Films

Sinners (Warner Bros. Film)

Debuts July 4

Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back. The cast includes Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku,...

Max’s Director for Local Original Productions in Spain has vowed the move back to the HBO Max moniker “doesn’t change the creative focus.” Instead, he predicted it would amplify the quality on the streamer.

“Many of you are asking what has happened,” Jose Maria Caro said at Conecta Fiction in Spain today about the decision, which was announced in the U.S. last month. “What does it change mean? Well, we cannot lose the value of HBO because it means many things to many people. It contributes a lot of value.”

Warner Bros Discovery announced in May it was moving away from Max and back to the HBO Max moniker that the global streamer had launched with in 2020. The rebrand is taking place this summer, and Caro said the move was a significant one.

“What’s in a name? It really matters to our editorial line,” he said,...

Una ácida sátira social dirigida por Félix Sabroso. © Max

HBO Max ha publicado el primer tráiler de su nueva serie original española Furia, creada, escrita y dirigida por Félix Sabroso (La isla interior).

En Furia, Marga (Carmen Marchi) es una artista esnob. Roberto (Alberto San Juan), su marido, directivo de televisión, está liado con Tina (Claudia Salas), la asistenta y la ha dejado embarazada. Vera (Pilar Castro), amiga de Marga, es una mediática cocinera, que tiene que cerrar su negocio por los achaques de un incisivo crítico. Nat (Candela Peña) es una dependienta de alta moda. Marga y Vera son sus clientas. Nat se ve amenazada cuando la empresa renueva plantilla contratando gente más joven. Adela (Nathalie Poza), la madre de Tina, está en paro y a punto de ser desahuciada, junto a su anciana madre por su cruel casero. Victoria (Cecilia Roth), vecina de Adela y Nat, es una...

"You young people suck!" HBO has revealed the official US trailer for the Spanish series Rage, premiering on Max for streaming starting in July this summer. Originally known as Furia, this will premiere in Spain on the exact same day, too. Five women face extreme situations like extortion, oppression, & manipulation. Their conflicts all intertwine, triggering a butterfly effect, ultimately leading to a shared catharsis. Rage, a series of eight 30-minute episodes, is created and directed by Félix Sabroso. The new series brings together five iconic actresses on screen together for the first time: Carmen Machi, Candela Peña, Cecilia Roth, Nathalie Poza, and Pilar Castro. These five women go to the limit and perpetrate revenge, but not even they are spared in this contemporary satire. Additional cast also includes Claudia Salas, Alberto San Juan, Ana Torrent, Claudia Roset, Mima Riera, Pedro Casablanc, Marilu Marini, Iván Pellicer, Francesc Garrido, Martxelo Rubio and Pepón Nieto,...

The new HBO Original series Rage (also known as “Furia”) will debut globally on the platform with two episodes on Friday, July 11, followed by new episodes weekly.

Created and directed by Félix Sabroso and produced in Spain by Producciones Mandarina, the series brings together five actresses on screen together for the first time: Carmen Machi, Candela Peña, Cecilia Roth, Nathalie Poza, and Pilar Castro.

The cast also includes Claudia Salas, Alberto San Juan, Ana Torrent, Claudia Roset, Mima Riera, Pedro Casablanc, Marilu Marini, Iván Pellicer, Francesc Garrido, Martxelo Rubio, and Pepón Nieto, among others.

Rage is a contemporary portrait of five women: five female characters who lead this surprising, realistic, and intense drama.

Five women who are ready to do anything in the face of extreme situations such as extortion, oppression, deceit, exclusion, or manipulation in a single shared universe articulated around five conflicts that will develop like a butterfly...

Pride Month can be celebrated in a variety of ways. From parades and festivals all over to corporations adopting rainbow logos in June for their own gain, community-driven festivities stand in stark contrast to corporate-driven ones. Still, there are plenty of ways to celebrate that don't involve partying or catching rainbow-colored swag from a T-Mobile float.

Why not plan your own queer film festival? LGBTQ+ films have become more prominent than ever, but that doesn't mean they're no longer important. Moreover, plenty of wonderful LGBTQ+ films don't receive the attention they deserve. Watching older movies can also serve as a historical education of sorts, reminding us that queer filmmakers and films have always existed. Take, for example, the 1919 German film "Different from the Others," one of the first films to depict gay people in a positive light, or the 1931 film "Mädchen in Uniform," often considered the first lesbian film ever made.

Cinco mujeres al límite encabezan esta ácida sátira social dirigida por Félix Sabroso. © Max

HBO Max ha anunciado la fecha de estreno de su nueva serie original española Furia, creada, escrita y dirigida por Félix Sabroso (La isla interior).

En Furia, Marga (Carmen Marchi) es una artista esnob. Roberto (Alberto San Juan), su marido, directivo de televisión, está liado con Tina (Claudia Salas), la asistenta y la ha dejado embarazada. Vera (Pilar Castro), amiga de Marga, es una mediática cocinera, que tiene que cerrar su negocio por los achaques de un incisivo crítico. Nat (Candela Peña) es una dependienta de alta moda. Marga y Vera son sus clientas. Nat se ve amenazada cuando la empresa renueva plantilla contratando gente más joven. Adela (Nathalie Poza), la madre de Tina, está en paro y a punto de ser desahuciada, junto a su anciana madre por su cruel casero. Victoria (Cecilia Roth), vecina de Adela y Nat,...

Eva Longoria is set to receive the prestigious Platino Honor Award at this year’s annual ceremony in Madrid.

The actor-director-producer will pick up the prize on April 27 in Municipal Palace at the 12th Platino Awards, considered the Oscars of Ibero-America, in recognition of her “outstanding audiovisual career and her representation of the Latino community in the American industry.”

Longoria’s guest actress appearances on U.S. television began in 2000, but it was 2004 when she achieved became internationally known as Gabrielle Solis in ABC’s Desperate Housewives.

Other appearances of Longoria’s include in Empire, Devious Maids, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, BoJack Horseman and Jane the Virgin, before founding her own production company, UnbeliEVAble Entertainment, where she was involved behind the camera on a myriad of projects including TV series Grand Hotel.

In 2023, Longoria made her directorial debut with Flamin’ Hot, a biopic about Richard Montañez, the janitor who claims to have invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos,...

Oscar-winning Spanish auteur Pedro Almodovar has made a name for himself with a series of brightly colored, delightfully kinky and unabashedly melodramatic titles, mixing comedy, drama, sex and violence to great success. He shows no signs of slowing down, with his latest outing in 2019 being the Oscar-nominated “Pain and Glory.” Let’s take a look back at all 22 of his films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1949 in Spain, Almodovar came to prominence during La Movida Madrilena, a cultural renaissance that blossomed at the end of Francoist Spain. Staring with his filmmaking debut “Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls Like Mom” (1980), the openly gay director showed an affinity for oddballs and outsiders, populating his films with transvestites, transexuals and homosexuals, all of whom had previously been relegated to the closet. He also showed a talent for working with women, and throughout his 40 year career has placed actresses such as Penelope Cruz,...

“Goyo” is an Argentine film written and directed by Marcos Canevale. It stars Nicolás Furtado, Nancy Dupláa and Soledad Villamil.

“Goyo”, an Argentine film available for streaming on Netflix, is a touching romantic story that arrives straight at your heart. The movie is characterized by a well-crafted script, proficient direction, and most notably, two central characters who make an indelible impression on viewers. Its simplicity and the bare honesty of characters are the movie’s standout features, making it a refreshingly straightforward portrayal of Asperger’s syndrome.

Meet the Characters

The movie’s plot revolves around Goyo, a young man with Asperger’s syndrome, who works as a guide in a museum in Argentina’s capital. His co-worker, Eva, is a few years older security guard who leads a complex life, dealing with a violent husband and two teenage kids. Goyo, an avid art lover, particularly fond of painting, invites Eva into his life,...

J.A. Bayona’s Netflix epic Society of the Snow swept Saturday night’s Platino Awards, picking up a total of six trophies including the top award of the night for best Ibero-American fiction film.

Bayona’s film follows the tragic events that take place after Uruguayan Air Force flight 571, chartered to fly a rugby team to Chile, crashes on a glacier in the heart of the Andes in 1972. Only 16 of the 45 passengers ultimately made it out alive as a handful of others perished on the mountain during the 72 days from the time of the crash until rescuers arrived.

Bayona also made his way to the stage to accept a trophy for best director, and his film’s haul also included best male performance for star Enzo Vogrincic, best editing for Jaume Marti and Andres Gil, best cinematography for Pedro Luque, and best sound for Oriol Tarragó, Marc Orts and Jorge Adrados.

In a triumphant night for Spain, J.A. Bayona’s Oscar-nominated “Society of the Snow” swept the top prizes at Platino Xcaret, named after the venue of the annual Platino Awards this year, which took place at the Xcaret Park, Riviera Maya, Mexico.

Argentina cinema’s plight, exacerbated by far-right president Javier Milei’s closure of its film institute, Incaa, was also on many people’s minds.

Citing veteran Argentine filmmaker Adolfo Aristarain as one of his inspirations, Bayona said upon receiving his best director award: “Argentina, we are here standing by your side, you’re not alone.”

Bayona’s harrowing account of the 1972 Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crash, from which only 16 people survived after 72 days stranded in the Andes, became Netflix’s second most-viewed non-English film of all time. “I wouldn’t be here without the book that Pablo Vierci wrote,” said Bayona, who also thanked his cast and crew,...

Note: the following blog piece ran earlier this year. We’re re-posting today in honor of Trans Awareness Week, November 12-18. Special thanks to author Adam Vargas.

***

It’s no secret that the moving image can leave a lasting impact, both consciously and subconsciously. This is especially true regarding images of people engaged in struggle and/or enjoying wild success—a phenomenon that supports the necessity for thoughtful representation of people of all backgrounds and experiences in film.

Today, representation is too often conflated with diversity, but they’re not exactly the same thing. Representation goes beyond the surface inclusion of different types of people popular media—it’s about lived experience and authenticity. Of course there are all types of communities that haven’t received much authentic representations of themselves in traditional cinema. For example: the trans community, which is itself unique and disparate far beyond what has been rendered onscreen,...

The San Sebastián Film Festival has revealed the lineup of Spanish titles that will screen as part of the Official Selection of its latest edition, which is due to unfold from September 22 — 30. Scroll down for the full list.

Selected titles include Un Amor from Isabel Coixet, who competes for the festival’s Golden Shell for the first time with the pic based on the book of the same name by Sara Mesa and starring Laia Costa at the head of a cast also featuring Hovik Keuchkerian, Hugo Silva, Luis Bermejo, Ingrid García-Jonsson and Francesco Carril.

Filmmaker Fernando Trueba, of the Oscar-nominated feature Chico & Rita (2012), will present his latest project, They Shot the Piano Player, directed alongside Javier Mariscal in the fest’s Special Screening sidebar. The film, narrated by the voice of Jeff Goldblum, follows the figure of Brazilian musician Tenorio Jr. during the early days of the musical movement known as bossa nova.

The Argentine drama series Love After Music recounts the life story of renowned Argentine pianist, singer, and songwriter Fito Paez. Fito Paez was a phenomenal composer with an in-depth knowledge of music. Fito was raised in a musical environment his entire life; therefore, it played a big role in his life. Fito’s intense passion for music propelled him to great success in the music industry, but his journey hadn’t been without challenges. Fito made his way into the history of Argentine music, conquering several obstacles and making his distinctive mark.

The series Love After Music shows Fito’s childhood in little doses. We observe little Fito becoming intrigued by numerous things around him as he progressively begins to recognize reality. Living creatures, the absence of his mother, the body of an unknown lady, and other factors cause him to reflect. Fito had a creative side concealed in him...

Category A festival in Argentina ran November 3-13.

Brazilian Haroldo Borges’ exploration of thorny adolescence in Bittersweet Rain took the best film award at the 37th Mar del Plata International Film Festival (Mdpiff) which wrapped Saturday.

Also a winner of industry prizes at Guadalajara and Ventana Sur and Málaga’s work-in-progress sections, Bittersweet Rain follows fatherless 15-year-old Bruno from a small town as he faces a degenerative eye disease.

Moreover, the drama claimed the audience award and received a special mention for the entire cast. Shot with non-professional actors, it is Borges’ first solo directorial outing after Son Of Ox and Noches desveladas.

Category A festival in Argentina ran November 3-13.

Brazilian Haroldo Borges’ exploration of thorny adolescence in Bittersweet Rain took the best film award at the 37th Mar del Plata International Film Festival (Mdpiff) which wrapped Saturday.

Also a winner of industry prizes at Guadalajara and Ventana Sur and Málaga’s work-in-progress sections, Bittersweet Rain follows fatherless 15-year-old Bruno from a small town as he faces a degenerative eye disease.

Moreover, the drama claimed the audience award and received a special mention for the entire cast. Shot with non-professional actors, it is Borges’ first solo directorial outing after Son Of Ox and Noches desveladas.

FIFA+ & Others License Football Doc ‘Brazil 2002: The Real Story’

World football-focused streamer FIFA+ has acquired 90-minute feature doc Brazil 2002: The Real Story for territories including Asia (excluding Japan), Turkey and New Zealand following a deal with distributor Abacus Media Rights. The doc has also sold to Canal+ Group for Canal+ Foot and myCanal (France); Sky Deutschland; Sky Italia; Dbs Satellite Services (Israel and West Bank); Supersport Africa (for Africa); Nos Portugal (Portugal and PALOPs); Movistar Plus+ (Spain); and Stan (Australia). Sky in the UK, Front Row Filmed Entertainment (Middle East) and Viaplay were unveiled as buyers back in February when the doc was announced. TelevisaUnivision also announced its acquisition of the film for North and South America...

Known as Pedro Almodóvar’s favorite horror film, 1979’s arthouse movie Arrebato (Rapture), is coming off its first U.S. theatrical run and going to video on demand and then DVD/Blu-ray. Altered Innocence has put together a stunning new 4K restoration of the mind-bending film about drug addiction, sex, and altered consciousness, written and directed by Spanish filmmaker and artist Iván Zulueta.

Playing like an extended drug trip, Arrebato opens with low budget filmmaker José Sirgado, played by Eusebio Poncela, editing a black and white vampire sequence from his latest horror movie. José is frustrated with the way the movie is coming along and leaves and goes home, where he finds his ex-girlfriend, Ana (Cecilia Roth), passed out. José receives an odd package in the mail which contains a cassette tape, a Super 8 film, and a key. The package is from an aspiring filmmaker named Pedro, played enthusiastically by Will More,...

It’s not until heroin is mentioned that Ana Turner (Cecilia Roth) stops and reconsiders the offer to partake by boyfriend José Sirgado (Eusebio Poncela). She’s game for acid and coke, but that stuff causes addiction. It ruins lives. “Not if you don’t take too much,” he says—a line he recently heard from an acquaintance named Pedro (Will More). This guy is a basket-case recluse who can barely muster two words while looking creepy in the corner of the room, staring daggers through the back of José’s skull. After snorting some heroin, though? He’s a Rhodes scholar ready to take on the world with slicked-back hair and confidence to spare. That’s when Pedro can explain his art and prove it’s more than what you can see.

This is a necessity, considering José is a “real” filmmaker scouting locations for his first movie starring Ana.

"Hallucinema!" Time to drop some acid and dive in. Altered Innocence has released a brand new trailer for the 4K restoration and re-release of the 1979 of Iván Zulueta's "cult masterpiece" 1979 feature Arrebato, which translates to Rapture. Described as "a dimension-shattering blend of heroin, sex, and Super-8 is the final word on cinemania. This towering feat of counterculture was the final film from Zulueta, Spanish cult filmmaker and movie poster designer." It's apparently Pedro Almodóvar's favorite horror film (he calls it "an absolute modern classic") and is also said to capture "an addiction/obsession to cinema better than any other film that I can think of..." The very meta Spanish film is about a filmmaking trying to make his second film, much like Zulueta. A low budget horror filmmaker gets in touch with an eccentric who is trying to film his consciousness during intense drug abuse. Starring Eusebio Poncela,...

All products and services featured by IndieWire are independently selected by IndieWire editors. However, IndieWire may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

The countdown to Mother’s Day has begun! If you’re looking for movies to binge this weekend (or whenever you have the time), we collected a list of films that honor the complexities of motherhood. From dark comedies and feel-good dramas to thrillers and cult classics, these movies will pull at your heart strings, and in some cases, tickle your funny bone.

The selection of films below are streaming now on Amazon Prime, Hulu, or HBO Max. If you’re not signed up to any of those platforms, here’s a short breakdown of what they offer: Amazon Prime costs $12.99 a month which unlocks a massive digital store that has just about anything you might need,...

Like many films at this year’s BFI London Film Festival, Natalia Meta’s The Intruder enjoys toying with what is real and what is supernatural in this Argentine psychological thriller. Reality becomes the dream and vice versa with apparent ease. Even lead character, Buenos Aires choir singer and a voice artist Ines (Erica Rivas from Wild Tales) becomes steadily confused and distressed by her experience of ‘something’ happening inside of her. This ‘something’ is the narrative’s mystery that we all hope to uncover in the end.

However, as curious as Ines’ investigation gets, the overplay of ambiguity favoured in filmmaker Meta’s second feature masks any truly satisfying resolutions – as fun as the film’s darkly playful and off-kilter nature is, even ending with a complete curve ball of something akin to Jonathan Glazer’s Under The Skin.

Whether alien invasion is the intended explanation, Meta’s muted...

In-house promotion sees Alexis Cassanet replace outgoing sales chief Cécile Gaget.

French film company Gaumont has appointed Alexis Cassanet as its new head of international sales and distribution, ahead of the official departure of its current sales chief Cécile Gaget on September 30.

Cassanet was recruited to the Gaumont sales team in 2016 in the role of co-head of international sales alongside Adeline Falampin, who joined at the same time. Both executives reported to Gaget, VP, international production and distribution.

Prior to joining Gaumont, Cassanet did a seven-year stint in the sales team of Snd, the film sales arm of French commercial broadcaster M6,...

Sebastián Schindel wrote and directed story of mother desperate to save accused son.

Netflix has picked up worldwide rights from FilmSharks to Argentinian thriller Crímenes de Familia starring double Goya winner Cecilia Roth.

Sebastián Schindel, whose previous drama The Son is a Netflix Original, wrote and directed the film about Alicia, a woman who will go to any lengths to protect her son Daniel after he is charged with the attempted murder of his ex-wife.

Roth stars as Alicia and her credits include Pedro Almodovar’s All About My Mother, Natalia Meta’s 2020 Berlinale selection and Argentinian thriller The Intruder.

What’s the way forward for Spanish-speaking TV players in a post Covid-19 landscape? Executives from four of the region’s biggest players – ViacomCBS, Spain’s Movistar Plus and Rtve, and Colombia’s Caracol Television – thrashed out possible scenarios on Tuesday at an Iberseries online panel. Their answers are hardly industry footnotes. After English and Mandarin, Spanish-language scripted production now doubles French or German in volume of titles, according to a March 2020 Ampere Analysis study, a point picked up on the panel. A post-covid 19 future looks likely to be spoken rather more en español.

Five tentative conclusions – and there was a fair degree of consensus – from the panel, an industry centerpiece for Iberseries:

The Bigger Picture

“I assume a global context with six-to-eight big players, playing globally, after recent mergers,” said Guillermo Borensztein, VP of sales and co-production, ViacomCBS International Studios. The immediate future is one of “atomization of offer,...

Argentine Academy Award winner Juan José Campanella (“The Secret in Their Eyes”) is planning “Outlaw,” a reboot of El Zorro, inspired by his take on the historical figure behind the legend, Joaquín Murrieta, the director announced at an online presentation of Viacom International Studios 2020-21 slate.

Part of his first-look deal with Viacom International Studios, “Outlaw” will be “told with much more realism,” he added.

Campanella also announced further details of drama-thriller series “Los Enviados,” which looks like the first title to go before the cameras from his first-look deal with Vis, announced last May.

Led by Pierluigi Gazzolo, president, Studios and Ott, ViacomCBS Networks International, Vis top executives also used the presentation to announce renewals and deliver an update on a swathe of new titles announced over the last few months.

Murrieta is still portrayed by some sources as a petty horse thief. Campanella, however, is taking a different tack,...

“Los Internacionales,” the latest fruit of an ongoing title-by-title production alliance between ViacomCBS International Studios and The Mediapro Studio, will launch May 20 in 11.15 pm primetime on Argentine broadcast network Telefe.

One day later, Cablevision, Argentina’s No. 1 cable operator. will make all eight episodes available on its Svod service Flow, which also produces the series, along with Miami-based Olympusat.

Set in Bogotá and Buenos Aires in 2002, the true facts thriller, mixing a to-catch-a-thief scenario and a corruption in high-places subplot, marks the third production between Vcbsis and The Mediapro Studio in the space of three years, after esports teen drama “NooBees,” now on Season 2, and Telefe primetime’s “Victoria Small,” in which series showrunner and Tms exec Daniel Burman portrays modern-day maternity with whimsical liberal irony.

Directed by Martín Hodara (“Black Snow”), Pablo Vázquez and Pablo Ambrosini (“Graduados”), the series also represents one of the biggest new plays on ViacomCBS...

Madrid — Cecilia Roth starrer “Alice,” Ana Piterbarg’s “La Habitación Blanca,” Brazil’s sure-to-be controversial “Princesa,” and Mexico’s “Intersex” look like potential standouts in the just-announced movie project pitching platform Maff Online by Filmarket Hub, part of the biggest push by far into a virtual marketplace made by any festival in the Spanish-speaking world.

Launched by Spain’s Malaga Festival and Filmarket Hub, a Spain-based year-round online market, Maff (the Malaga Festival Fund & Co-Production Event) will run April 27 to May 10.

Already, however, Málaga is staging a virtual version of Malaga Wip, which last year brought onto the market the Spanish horror allegory “El Hoyo” (The Platform”), a recent No. 1 movie on Netflix in the U.S. despite its Spanish language.

Showcasing movies in post-production, Málaga Wip runs March 23 to April 10. Parallel to this, a series of masterclasses given by experts in Spain and Latin America, aimed at honing the skills of Maff producers,...

It took me years to accept Berlinale press chief Frauke Greiner’s invitation to attend this world-class gatekeeper film festival, now under the new leadership of executive director Mariette Rissenbeek and artistic director Carlo Chatrian. Here’s what I’ve learned so far.

Germans don’t like it when you are late.

Thursday night’s Berlinale opening ceremony was held at the grand Palast, but I had to watch it on another latecomer’s iPhone. Because the ceremony was live, the ushers wouldn’t let anyone in the theatre until after the lengthy introductory remarks. I eventually recovered my seat, after a stern lecture from a young usher. Later, I found out that Rissenbeek and Chatrian — newcomers to the spotlight — were overshadowed by Prof. Monika Grutters Mdb, the Minister of State for Culture, who is in charge of this festival. She used her time to make a political statement, saying...

It took me years to accept Berlinale press chief Frauke Greiner’s invitation to attend this world-class gatekeeper film festival, now under the new leadership of executive director Mariette Rissenbeek and artistic director Carlo Chatrian. Here’s what I’ve learned so far.

Germans don’t like it when you are late.

Thursday night’s Berlinale opening ceremony was held at the grand Palast, but I had to watch it on another latecomer’s iPhone. Because the ceremony was live, the ushers wouldn’t let anyone in the theatre until after the lengthy introductory remarks. I eventually recovered my seat, after a stern lecture from a young usher. Later, I found out that Rissenbeek and Chatrian — newcomers to the spotlight — were overshadowed by Prof. Monika Grutters Mdb, the Minister of State for Culture, who is in charge of this festival. She used her time to make a political statement, saying...

Pedro Almodóvar’s challenging films shouldn’t be only for his dedicated fans: nobody mixes genuine human compassion with world-class filmmaking as well as he … while maintaining a marvelous sense of humor, of human proportion. This 1999 effort is perhaps Pedro’s strongest drama, and yet another heartfelt endorsement of womankind. For the life-beleaguered Manuela, tragedy and melodramatic setbacks only bring out a primal determination to heal all wounds.

All About My Mother

Blu-ray

The Criterion Collection 1012

1999 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 101 min. / Todo sobre mi madre / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date January 28, 2020 / 39.95

Starring: Cecilia Roth, Marisa Paredes, Candela Peña, Antonia San Juan, Penélope Cruz, Rosa María Sardá, Toni Cantó, Eloy Azorín, Carlos Lozano.

Cinematography: Affonso Beato

Film Editor: José Salcedo

Original Music: Alberto Iglesias

Produced by Augustín Almodóvar

Written and Directed by Pedro Almodóvar

My descriptions of this movie can’t convey what a warm, moving, and even funny experience it is.

The Berlinale lineup already includes films from Jia Zhangke, Matías Piñeiro, and more, but now the competition slate has arrived and it’s an incredibly promising selection. Headed by Carlo Chatrian, it includes many of our most-anticipated films of the year with Christian Petzold’s Undine, Hong Sang-soo’s The Woman Who Ran, Tsai Ming-Liang’s Days, Philippe Garrel’s The Salt of Tears, Abel Ferrara’s Siberia, and Caetano Gotardo & Marco Dutra’s All the Dead Ones, plus recent festival favorites: Kelly Reichardt’s First Cow and Eliza Hittman’s Never Rarely Sometimes Always.

Check out the lineup below and return for our coverage.

Competition

Berlin Alexanderplatz

Germany / Netherlands

by Burhan Qurbani

with Welket Bungué, Jella Haase, Albrecht Schuch, Joachim Król, Annabelle Mandeng, Nils Verkooijen, Richard Fouofié Djimeli

World premiere

Dau. Natasha

Germany / Ukraine / United Kingdom / Russian Federation

by Ilya Khrzhanovskiy, Jekaterina Oertel

with Natalia Berezhnaya, Olga Shkabarnya, Vladimir Azhippo,...

The Berlin International Film Festival on Wednesday morning revealed the main competition lineup and gala selections for festival’s 70th edition.

The festival, which begins February 20, will screen 18 films in competition, including movies from Sally Potter, Kelly Reichardt, and Eliza Hittman. Six are from female directors.

Among the gala presentations is Pixar’s” Onward.” The Dan Scanlon-helmed urban fantasy includes the voices of Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia-Louis Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer, Mel Rodriguez, Kyle Bornheimer, Lena Waithe, and Ali Wong.

Here is the complete list:

Competition

“Berlin Alexanderplatz” (Germany/Netherlands)

Director: Burhan Qurbani

Cast: Welket Bungué, Jella Haase, Albrecht Schuch, Joachim Król, Annabelle Mandeng, Nils Verkooijen, and Richard Fouofié Djimeli

“Dau. Natasha” (Germany/Ukraine/United Kingdom/Russia)

Directors: Ilya Khrzhanovskiy and Jekaterina Oertel

Cast: Natalia Berezhnaya, Olga Shkabarnya, Vladimir Azhippo, Alexei Blinov, and Luc Bigé

“Domangchin yeoja” (“The Woman Who Ran”) (South Korea)

Director: Hong Sangsoo

Cast: Kim Minhee,...

Madrid — Just minutes after the Berlinale confirmed on Wednesday its selection in main competition, the pedigree producers of Argentine Natalia Meta’s “The Intruder” (“El Prófugo”) have dropped a first teaser-trailer for what has been described as a “pyscho-sexual fantastic thriller.”

They have also confirmed more details of one of the buzziest new titles from Latin America, announced with sales agent Film Factory Ent. in place at December’s Ventana Sur.

Film Factory has a strong record of crossover Argentine titles which roll off big fest berths to make a killing in Argentina and muscular theatrical takings abroad.

Can “The Intruder” go that way” Certainly, it has a potent South American cast: Erica Rivas as the neurotic protagonist, Nahuel Pérez Biscayart (“Bpm (Beats Per Minute), Berlin best actor winner Daniel Hendler (“The Lost Embrace”) and Almodovar regular Cecilia Roth (“Pain and Glory”).

Some key pointers to the title were made public by Variety in December.

The Berlin International Film Festival has unveiled its 2020 line-up, with 18 films playing in competition from directors such as Abel Ferrara, Sally Potter, Christian Petzold, Hong Sangsoo, Kelly Reichardt and Eliza Hittman.

Abel Ferrara’s Willem Dafoe starrer “Siberia” is a world premiere in competition, as is Sally Potter’s “The Roads Not Taken.”

Among the U.S. films at the Berlinale, Reichardt’s “First Cow” is an international premiere, and so too is Hittman’s “Never Rarely Sometimes Always.”

Pixar’s latest animation, “Onward”, also has its international premiere out of competition in the Special Galas section.

Previous Berlin Silver Bear winner Christian Petzold’s latest, “Undine”, world premieres, while Iranian director Mohammed Rasoulof, who is not allowed to travel outside his home country, world premieres his latest, “There is No Evil.”

Six out of the 18 films in competition are helmed by female directors.

The 70th edition of the festival...

The Berlin Film Festival revealed its main competition lineup and additional galas this morning at a press conference in the German capital.

The lineup includes new films by Sally Potter, Kelly Reichardt, Abel Ferrara, Christian Petzold, Hong Sangsoo and Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof (who is unable to leave Iran due to a travel ban). Scroll down for the lineup in full.

Artistic director Carlo Chatrian confirmed that all main cast and all directors – other than Rasoulof – are due to attend the festival. Guests are set to include Hillary Clinton, who is the subject of Nanette Burstein’s docu-series Hillary; Stateless star and producer Cate Blanchett; Willem Dafoe, star of Abel Ferrara’s Siberia; and Javier Bardem, Elle Fanning and Salma Hayek, the stars of Potter’s drama The Roads Not Taken.

The 18-strong competition lineup includes six films by women directors. Last year, 17 films were selected for the competition with seven helmed by women.

“Life Is Extremes”

By Raymond Benson

The Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film of 1999 was Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar’s All About My Mother (Todo sobre mi madre), easily one of the now 70-year-old auteur’s most beloved and accomplished works. As actress Penélope Cruz states in one of the supplemental documentaries accompanying the film in Criterion’s magnificent new Blu-ray edition, Almodóvar makes movies about extremes and he makes movies about life. “Life is extremes,” she says, and it’s an apt description of Mother.

Almodóvar is known for his highly eccentric, colorful, and socio-political dramas and comedies that often take place in the worlds of theatre, the Lbgtq milieu, and the walks on the wild side of modern urban Spain, especially Barcelona. He can be surreal, harkening back to the style of his great fellow countryman, Luis Buñuel, but one can see the more significant influence from...

Buenos Aires — The last few years have caught Ventana Sur – Cannes Festival and Market’s biggest initiative outside France – taking place as the industry debated radical change. This year saw the Latin American industries in a state of transformation themselves, wracked by headwinds – Jair Bolsonaro’s government in Brazil – or looking to take advantage of negative scenarios, such as the Argentine peso plunge against the dollar.

But Ventana Sur is weathering these storms. Expanding from its film base into growth areas for the film industry – genre, animation, and now drama series and social media via a bolstered conference focus under co-director Ralph Haiek – Ventana Sur has evolved into an invaluable fixture in a round-the-year sales and co-production movie business, accelerating trading and expanding companies’ contact bases. Here are 12 Takeaways from a robust 2019 edition:

1.The Double Model

The rise of global platforms played out throughout Ventana Sur, in sales and announced strategic moves,...

Buenos Aires — In one of the biggest deals clinched at this year’s Ventana Sur, Vicente Canales’ Film Factory Ent. has acquired international sales rights outside Latin America to “El Prófugo” (“The Intruder”).

Described by its makers as a“psycho-sexual fantastic thriller,” “The Intruder” stars two of Argentina’s most internationally-rated actors: Erica Rivas, extraordinary as the cheated-upon bride in “Wild Tales,” and Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, who earned international fame and a French Academy Cesar for Cannes critical and sales hit “Bpm (Beats Per Minute).”

The powerful cast also takes in Berlin best actor winner Daniel Hendler (“The Lost Embrace”) and Almodovar regular Cecilia Roth (“Pain and Glory”),

Being brought onto the market at this week’s Ventana Sur in Buenos Aires, “The Intruder” is produced by Benjamín Domenech, Santiago Gallelli and Matías Roveda at Argentina’s Rei Cine, which has built via international co-production into one of the most important producers in Latin America.

Pedro Almodóvar and Antonio Banderas have made eight movies together, and their latest, Pain & Glory, may represent the high point of their collaboration. In perhaps Almodóvar’s most directly autobiographical film to date, Banderas literally wears the auteur director’s clothes to play a Spanish filmmaker named Salvador Mallo. As the character reflects on his youth, and suffers through crippling back pain, he rekindles a friendship with a volatile actor from his past and reconnects with a lost love. Given the rocky road of their own relationship—Almodóvar criticized Banderas for his early-’90s move to Hollywood and it took them years to repair the rift—the parallels are striking. In conversation with Deadline, Almodóvar and Banderas trace their relationship from a whirlwind first encounter through to the effortless sense of catharsis and self-reflection within which Pain & Glory was made.

Deadline: Take me back to the beginning of your journey together.

by Murtada Elfadl

Salvador Mallo, the director and lead character in Pain and Glory, tells one of his actors that holding back tears in emotional scenes instead of crying makes actors better. Yet Pedro Almodóvar, who wrote and directed and based this film partially on his life, does not. He goes deep, he explores honestly and elicits a deeply emotional and cathartic reaction.

In this thesis on his life and his work, he finds the generous space to include many of his collaborators in front and behind the camera. On screen we have Antonio Banderas as Mallo, Cecilia Roth, from All About My Mother (1999), appears as an actress from Mallo’s past who’s eager to work with him again. And most poignantly Peneope Cruz, his muse of many years and movies, plays a version of his mother...

Throughout his career, filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar has explored a number of ideas over and over again. His cinematic obsession has defined him, arguably fueling what makes him one of the greats. This week, the legend not only reunites his his longtime male muse Antonio Banderas, but turns his lens on himself in a way with Pain and Glory, the closest thing to an autobiography you’re likely to see from the man. While not at the pinnacle of his filmic output, this is still very fine work, with a tremendous lead performance at its core. In some ways, it’s the film he’s been building up towards making for years. The movie is a drama, one that takes a number of cues from the filmmaker’s life. Here, we follow Salvador Mallo (Banderas), a film director in failing health, as he thinks back on a number of encounters/moments from his past.

Pain And Glory (Dolor y Gloria) Sony Pictures Classics Reviewed for Shockya.com & BigAppleReviews.net linked from Rotten Tomatoes by: Harvey Karten Director: Pedro Almodóvar Screenwriter: Pedro Almodóvar Cast: Antonio Banderas, Asier Etxeandia, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Nora Navas, Julieta Serrano, César Vicente, Asier Flores, Penélope Cruz, Cecilia Roth, Susi Sánchez, Raúl Arévalo, Pedro Casablanc, Julián López, Rosalía […]

The post Pain and Glory Review: We are treated to his basic themes of desire, passion, family and identity appeared first on Shockya.com.

Pedro Almodovar celebrates his 70th birthday on September 25, 2019. The Oscar-winning Spanish auteur has made a name for himself with a series of brightly colored, delightfully kinky and unabashedly melodramatic titles, mixing comedy, drama, sex and violence to great success. He shows no signs of slowing down, with his latest outing in 2019 being the critically acclaimed “Pain and Glory.” But where does it fall with the rest of his filmography? In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at all 21 of his films, ranked worst to best.

SEEPenelope Cruz movies: 15 greatest films ranked worst to best

Born in 1949 in Spain, Almodovar came to prominence during La Movida Madrilena, a cultural renaissance that blossomed at the end of Francoist Spain. Staring with his filmmaking debut “Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls Like Mom” (1980), the openly gay director showed an affinity for oddballs and outsiders, populating his films with transvestites,...

"Everything here is strange." Sony Classics has released one more official Us trailer for Pedro Almodóvar's latest film, titled Pain & Glory, or also Dolor y gloria originally in Spanish. This initially premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, where it won Best Actor. Antonio Banderas stars as Salvador Mallo, a Spanish filmmaker, in what is essentially an autobiographical film about Pedro Almodóvar and his experiences throughout life. This has multiple storylines at different times in his life, including his first love, and reconnecting with an old actor later in life. Almodóvar's "Pain & Glory talks about creation, about the difficulty of separating it from one's own life and about the passions that give it meaning and hope. In recovering his past, Salvador [Mallo] finds the urgent need to recount it, and in that need he also finds his salvation." Also starring Penélope Cruz, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Asier Etxeandia, Cecilia Roth,...

"Have we met?" "Yes." Pathe UK has debuted the full official UK trailer for Pedro Almodóvar's latest lovely feature film, titled Pain & Glory, or also Dolor y gloria originally in Spanish. This just premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this year, where it won the Best Actor award. Antonio Banderas stars as Salvador Mallo, a Spanish filmmaker, in what is essentially an autobiographical film about Pedro Almodóvar and his experiences throughout life. This has multiple storylines at different times in his life, including his first love, and reconnecting with an old actor later in life. Almodóvar's "Pain & Glory talks about creation, about the difficulty of separating it from one's own life and about the passions that give it meaning and hope. In recovering his past, Salvador [Mallo] finds the urgent need to recount it, and in that need he also finds his salvation." Also starring Penélope Cruz, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Asier Etxeandia,...

Pedro Almodóvar’s Pain and Glory becomes the auteur’s eighth trip to the Competition and already, comes positive buzz from way back in March having premiered locally before unpacking in front of international audiences. Flirting with the autobiographical, Pedro summoned players Antonio Banderas, Penelope Cruz, and Cecilia Roth to once again join in the festivities. Despite winning Best Director for All About My Mother and Best Screenplay for Volver, the filmmaker has not yet won one of the top three prizes. This is a tale with certain biographical elements shifting between the present and the past. Sony Pictures Classics just picked up the rights.…...