Three siblings on the run from themselves: Martín wants to leave his parents’ house and become a writer in Paris. His sister, Gracia, is tormented by the fictitious narrative her life has turned into. As for Coral, the third sibling, she just yearns to be loved. The sudden death of their father forces them to leave the inner island which isolates them from their loved ones, from their dreams, and from being themselves. A clever script and exceptional performances by a remarkable cast—featuring the wonderful Geraldine Chaplin and Candela Peña—provide a light, at times comic, take on their dramatic circumstances. “If you were able to imagine ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ told through a series of paintings by Edward Hopper, the result might resemble THE ISLAND INSIDE.”—El Pais, Madrid.

Join us for a post-film reception hosted by Freixenet.

WATCH THE TRAILER

VISITING ARTIST—One of the most impressive Spanish debut features of the last few years, THREE DAYS WITH THE FAMILY tells the story of Léa (Nausicaa Bonnín), a melancholic and confused 21-year-old who returns home from France to Catalonia to attend her grandfather’s funeral. In this semi-autobiographical film, 28-year-old Catalan director Coll fashions an evocative, observant study of rituals of grief in a large, emotionally detached bourgeois family where deep-seated feelings struggle for expression. The three-day homecoming is trying for Léa but turns out to be exactly what she needs for catharsis and self-realization.

Winner of the Goya Award for Best New Director.

Saturday screening introduced by Dr. Eva Nuñez, Spanish Department, Portland State University.

WATCH THE TRAILER

“At first glance, ME TOO is a typical romantic comedy. Daniel meets Laura. She’s attractive, rebellious, and a little trampy. They hang out, have fun together, and he falls hard for her. The unexpected part is that 34-year-old Daniel has Down Syndrome. While Daniel is definitely extraordinary—a college graduate who holds sophisticated conversations—he still has to deal with others’ perceptions of him. As Daniel and Laura grow closer, their emotions take them into unfamiliar territory. Part of the pleasure is watching two complex, playful characters on screen—both Pablo Pineda and Lola Dueñas inhabit their roles completely and are dynamic together. But what this film beautifully realizes is the unconventional relationship between these two unlikely characters. It’s a bond that doesn’t compute from the outside, but for those lucky enough to see the details, it’s evident what makes these two shine when they’re together.”—Sundance Film Festival.

With support from Tierra Educational Center.

WATCH THE TRAILER

Manuel (Tristán Ulloa), Ana (Blanca Romero), and Julio (Guillermo Toledo), friends since childhood and now in their mid-thirties, reunite for a boozy dinner that turns into a night of sex, drugs, alcohol, and excess. As their free-for-all escape into the heart of the night unfolds, old attractions and resentments rise to the surface. After the last stop, the last open bar, the end of the journey. With AFTER, Rodríguez (7 VIRGINS) achieves a realistic, contemporary, and compelling portrait of three lonely people trying desperately to find meaning and connection.

WATCH THE TRAILER

How do you make a documentary about a ghost? Director Roch weaves a compelling mixture of fictional reconstruction, interviews, archive footage, and spy-film clips to tell the largely unknown and incredible story of Juan Pujol, a Catalan businessman who was one of the most important double agents during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, while pretending to be spying for Nazis, Pujol (called Alaric by the Germans and Garbo by the British) passed them a mix of false and real information—carefully fabricated by the Allies—which played a fascinating and critical role in changing the course of the War. His most famous exploit came in 1944 when he succeeded in diverting German defense forces to Calais while the D-Day landings were taking place in Normandy—averting considerable bloodshed. Honored as a hero on both sides at the end of the war, Pujol subsequently disappeared. Rumor had it he died in 1949 after contracting malaria in Angola—until he was discovered more than 30 years later living a new life, yet again, in Venezuela.

Winner of the Goya Award for Best Documentary.

Elizabeth Drumm, Professor of Spanish, Reed College, will introduce the film.

With support from Miracle Theatre Group.

WATCH THE TRAILER

Jose Maria (Gustavo Sánchez-Parra), a short-tempered construction worker, kills his foreman and is forced to hide in the attic of the mansion where his girlfriend Rosa (Martina García) is a maid. Unbeknownst to her, he becomes a menacing ghost-like dweller in the house. Ecuadorian director Cordero turns a social commentary about immigration into a terrifying and claustrophobic thriller. “Charged with alternating currents of clammy suspense and implacable tragedy, RABIA sustains interest as an understated chamber drama that always seems just one violent outburst away from something truly terrifying.”—Variety.

Winner of the Special Jury Prize, Toronto International Film Festival.

Gina Herrmann, Associate Professor of Spanish, University of Oregon, will introduce the film.

NOTE: The October 14 screening of this film has been canceled.

Martin, a former Argentinean activist exiled in Spain for more than thirty years, gets a call from an old comrade, Raúl, who asks him to return to Argentina. Raúl wants help with the excavation work he’s started in the Tucuman Forest to find the remains of their companion, Ezequiel, who disappeared following a skirmish with the army. The old friends soon realize that their ways of understanding the world have changed, and as tensions rise, it becomes apparent that Raúl and Martín may each have a better idea of where to find Ezequiel than they are letting on. Highly regarded for his documentaries and experimental work, director Lacuesta offers a provocative meditation on the price of failing to live up to your ideals.

Winner of the FIPRESCI International Critics’ Prize, San Sebastian Film Festival.

With an introduction by Dr. Eva NuÑez, Spanish Department, Portland State University.

WATCH THE TRAILER

VISITING ARTIST—A hauntingly beautiful and lyrical tale, Aliaga’s debut feature is a thoughtful journey into the intertwining realms of mystical faith and character. Adapted from Lorenzo Mattotti and Claudio Piersanti’s Italian cult graphic novel, the story follows the downward spiral of gentle giant Bruno (Manuel Martinez). Bruno wakes up one morning bleeding from mysterious wounds on his hands, which he questions from a purely physical viewpoint, but which others see as a divine signature. Hounded, Bruno flees the city and wanders through the countryside until he finds a traveling fair and falls in love. The stigmata disappear as his life regains some semblance of balance, but a sad turn of events replaces the wounds. Ultimately, Bruno’s journey is a universal one—the search for love and redemption.

Director Adán Aliaga will introduce the film.

WATCH THE TRAILER

Medem (SEX AND LUCIA) returns with another steamy, incisive contemplation of life, sex, and romance. One early summer’s evening, Alba meets Natasha on the streets of Rome, each on their last day in the city. Alba invites Natasha to her hotel room where they embark on a 12-hour intimate, passionate, and physical journey that will mark their bodies and souls forever. Come morning, the sunrise illuminates more than just their hotel window as the lovers have revealed deep secrets they’ve never shared before, emboldened by the belief that they will never meet again.

Mature audiences.

WATCH THE TRAILER

Spain’s Academy Award submission for Best Foreign Film and the winner of eight Goya Awards, including Best Film, Director, and Screenplay, this taut, entertaining thriller is a riveting and unpredictable take on the prison film and delivers a sharp critique to the Spanish penal system. Juan Oliver is a new prison guard on his first tour of the facility. Hit on the head and knocked unconscious by a freak accident, he is taken to an unoccupied cell (211) to be revived, only to come to in the middle of a massive prison riot that has caused all the guards to flee. It quickly becomes apparent that if he is to survive the wrath of the angry inmates, he best pretend to actually be one of them. Tensions mount when Basque separatists are taken hostage, forcing Juan to negotiate a tense political situation with the violent leader of the riots.

With media support from El Hispanic News.

WATCH THE TRAILER