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la mirada film festival

Vampir Cuadecuc

La Mirada returns in 2009 with another showcase of Spanish-language cinema.

This year's program includes Almodóvar Presents, a collection of films selected by the Spanish auteur; La Mirada de Woody Allen y Penélope Cruz in which the director and actress share their favourite Spanish movies; and La Mirada Argentina featuring the best of Argentinean cinema. Join us at Beer DeLuxe, site of the Opening Night Gala and the La Mirada Lounge.

Thursday 2 April - Sunday 12 April 2009
Full $14 Concession $11
Opening night: Full $45 Concession $38 
Closing night: Full $24 Concession $19
Five Session Package: Full $60, Concession $48 (excludes opening and closing films)
NB: 5 session packages can only be purchased by phone (03 8663 2583) or in person at the ACMI Box Office. All sessions must be selected at time of booking

Visit http://www.lamirada.org.au/ for more information.

Announcing special encore screenings of A Boyfriend for my Wife and Camino, on Monday 13 April!

special event

spanish cuisine on film La Mirada has the perfect way for you to spend your Saturday afternoons during the Festival - paella and Spanish wine!

film program

a boyfriend for my wife (un novio para mi mujer) A delightful comedy from Argentina about the desparate attempts of a man to rid himself of his wife. Followed by the Opening Night party.

poachers (furtivos) Released two months before Franco's death, Furtivos was perceived as a metaphor for the Spanish society engendered by the dictatorship.

the naked years (los años desnudos) In post-Franco Spain, as the soft-porn industry takes off, three actresses with different motives are hired to make a soft-core film about nuns.

the chicken, the fish and the king crab The first ever gastronomic thriller, this documentary follows chef Jesús Almagro as he competes in the world championship of haute cuisine.

camino Triumphing at the Spanish Academy Awards in 2009, a moving and poetic film about a young girl facing simultaneously her first love, and her death.

vampir cuadecuc Premiere of the newly restored print of Pere Portabella's ravishing '70s masterpiece, a film which shook the foundations of the Spanish filmic canon.

javier fésser short films A selection of short films by the inimitable Javier Fésser, handpicked by Fésser himself, including the Oscar nominated Binta y la gran idea.

la mirada de penélope cruz Spanish cinema's most famous export and 2009 Oscar winner Penélope Cruz has chosen her favourite Spanish film to share with us.

lovely loneliness (amorosa soledad) A warm romantic comedy about a young women whose vow to stay single is tested by the simultaneous appearance of a new man, and an ex-flame.

la vida loca Australian premiere of this raw, compassionate documentary about the maras, a gang of youths spreading terror through El Salvador.

bilbao Provoking and bold, one of Spain's canonical cult films, Bilbao is a bizarre love triangle - solitary man, young prostitute, perverse mother figure.

la mirada de woody allen Experience Spanish Cinema through the eyes of one of cinema's greatest auteurs.

rivals (rivales) From Spain, an hilarious comedy centred on a national junior football final and the rivalry it sparks amongst the parents of the competing children.

the good life (la buena vida) Andrés Wood's emotional 2008 film paints a portrait of contemporary Chilean society through the fragmented lives of four people living in Santiago.

rain (lluvia) The rain has been coming down hard for three days in Buenos Aires, when Alma meets Roberto ... an intimate, subtle film from Paula Hernández.

one word from you (una palabra tuya) Milagros, an eccentric taxi driver, picks up her old school friend Rosario, reigniting a friendship which profoundly alters each of their lives.

rapture (arrebato) A masterpiece of underground cinema, Rapture depicts the vampiric relationship between a film director in crisis and a young man obsessed with film.

furrows (surcos) In the early years of Franco's dictatorship, a family of farmers moves to Madrid to escape the hardships of rural life.

mediterranean diet (dieta mediterránea) Fresh from its premiere at the Berlin Film Festival, a culinary comedy about about a love triangle that takes place between the bed and the stove.

blacklisted (la casa de mi padre) Gorka Merchán's feature debut, an intimate portrait of the troubled Basque region, stars charismatic young Spanish actress Verónica Echegui.

the headless woman (la mujer sin cabeza) One of Almodóvar's favorite directors Lucrecia Martel once again offers a stunning visual experience with her third feature, an enigmatic thriller.

my dearest senorita (mi querida señorita) This parody of the deformations brought about by Francoist education tells the story of a mature lady who suddenly realises she is, in fact, a man.

my prison yard (el patio de mi carcel) Belén Macías' first feature follows a group of marginalised, imprisoned women who form a theatre troupe with the help of a prison guard.

the paranoids (los paranoicos) A superb Daniel Hendler gives life to a truly unforgettable anti-hero, one of the most oddly sexy characters ever in Argentinean cinema.