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Contact: Diana Vargas
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New York, NY– NYU’s King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center and PRAGDA bring to New Yorkers Spanish Cinema Days, a three-day film festival showcasing some of the most outstanding stories from contemporary Spanish cinema, December 7-9. Films that reflect the range of styles, aesthetics and talents in Spain’s film industry today. Five award-winning films, including the ten Goya ®award-winner Handia, and the esteemed thriller The Fury of a Patient Man, have been curated to strike a balance between emerging talent and established filmmakers, commercial and independent productions, and different genres.  Admission is free and open to the public. All foreign language films are English subtitled.

“The film production by Latinos in and outside U.S.A is stronger than ever. In that sense, Spain has produced an exciting and eclectic mix of new stories and emerging talent that we are excited to celebrate with this vital and vibrant 3-day festival,” said Laura Turégano, Associate Director of NYU’s King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center.

Spanish Cinema days opens on Friday, December 7, at 7:00pm with The Fury of a Patient Man (Tarde para la Ira), winner of Best Picture, Best New Director and Best Original Screenplay at the Goya® Awards. This is actor Raúl Arévalo’s breathtaking directorial debut, a thriller about a man who has waited years to avenge a crime everyone else has forgotten. Reception to follow



On Saturday December 8, the festival starts at 5:00pm with The Motive (El Autor), directed by Manuel Martín Cuenta (Cannibal, 2013) and performed by a superb Javier Gutiérrez, it is one of the most awarded films of the year, including Fipresci Critic’s Award at the Toronto Film Festival. At 8:00pm, the hilarious and yet deep documentary Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle (Muchos hijos, un mono y un castillo). Directed by Gustavo Salmerón and with more than 20 awards around the world, the film reveals a portrait of the filmmaker’s extraordinary mother, Julita, and the family’s search of the great-grandmother’s murder. The film just won  the 2018 Fénix Award for Best Documentary Film.



The festival closes on Sunday December 9 with two amazing films: at 4:00pm, Birdboy: The Forgotten Children (Psiconautas: los niños olvidados). Directed by Alberto Vázquez y Pedro Rivero, this darkly comic, beautiful, and haunting animated tale is based on a legendary graphic novel by co-director Alberto Vázquez. Then at 7:00pm, Giant (Handia) by Jon Garaño (Flowers, 2014) and Aitor Arregi. Based on true events, Giant tells the story of one of the greatest myths in Basque history: Miguel Joaquin, the Giant of Altzo. Convinced that everyone will want to pay to see the tallest man on Earth, the siblings Miguel and his brother set out on a long trip all over Europe, during which ambition, money and fame will forever change the family’s fate.  At the 2017 Goya ®Awards, the film won ten awards, including Best Original Screenplay, Best New Actor, and Best Original Score.
 
Spanish Cinema Days will be held December 7-9 at NYU’s King Juan Carlos Center, 53 Washington Square, New York, NY 10012. For more information and updates about Spanish Cinema Days, please visit https://pragda.com/events/spanish-cinema-days-recent-films-from-spain-2016-2018/.

Schedule:
Friday, December 7 / Opening Night
7:00 p.m.: The Fury of a Patient Man (Tarde para la ira). Winning Best Picture, Best New Director and Best Original Screenplay at the 2017 Goya ®Awards, this film is Raúl Arévalo’s breathtaking directorial debut, a thriller about a man who has waited years to avenge a crime everyone else has forgotten.

Saturday, December 8 
5:00 p.m.: The Motive (El autor) by Manuel Martín Cuenta takes us to the odd world of art creation and twisted manipulation. Performed by a superb Javier Gutiérrez, it is one of the most awarded films of the year and received the Fipresci Critic’s Award at the Toronto Film Festival.

8:00 p.m.: Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle (Muchos hijos, un mono y un castillo), an award-winning comedy by Gustavo Salmerón, reveals a portrait of the filmmaker’s extraordinary mother, Julita, and the family search for the vertebra of his murdered great-grandmother.

Sunday, December 9, 2018
4:00 p.m.: Birdboy: The Forgotten Children (Psiconautas: los niños olvidados) by Alberto Vázquez y Pedro Rivero is based on Vázquez’s legendary graphic novel. This haunting and darkly comic animated tale tells a coming-of-age story in a world gone to ruin.

6:00 p.m.: Giant (Handia) by Jon Garaño and Aitor Arregi—the winner of ten Goya ®Awards—is based on true events and tells the story of one of the greatest myths in Basque history: Miguel Joaquin, the Giant of Altzo. Convinced that everyone will pay to see the tallest man on Earth, Miguel and his brother travel all over Europe—a trip in which ambition, money and fame forever changes the family’s fate.

Spanish Cinema Days is curated by Marta Sánchez, Director, PRAGDA, and Laura Turégano, Associate Director, NYU KJCC and is produced by NYU KJCC and PRAGDA. Co-sponsored by NYU King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center and NYU Department of Spanish and Portuguese. Photo ID is required for entrance to NYU buildings.

About NYU’s King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center
Since 1997, King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center of New York University has centered on increasing awareness of Spain and the Spanish-speaking world at NYU and fostering cultural and intellectual exchange. Having established itself with numerous well-received programs, it offers a wide array of lectures, conferences, readings, screenings, exhibitions, among different special events, with the aim of reaching a growing audience while deepening its commitment to its current constituency. For more, please visit www.kjcc.org.

About PRAGDA 
PRAGDA is a film distribution company specialized in the educational market, selling and renting Ibero American films to universities as well as organizing public exhibitions in cinematheques, museums, and local theaters. PRAGDA was created to promote, disseminate, and maintain the legacy of Spanish and Latin American cinema. www.pragda.com