Bust out the popcorn and choc tops because the 2019 Moro Spanish Film Festival is hitting Brisbane this month. Presented by Palace Cinemas, this iconic film festival will be screening a collection of incredible new releases from Spain and Latin America, as well as award-winning classics that have heavily influenced the filmmakers of today.
Our guide will take you through the captivating thrillers, heart-warming comedies, and shocking biopics you need on you hit-list this year. These are the 7 best films to catch at this year’s Moro Spanish Film Festival.
Champions
Kicking off this year’s Spanish Film Festival is the opening night film, Champions. This feel-good comedy follows the story of a talented basketball coach who has been sentenced to community service after a drunken mishap with the Spanish police. Forced to coach an amateur basketball team made up of players with varying mental disabilities, he is faced with his biggest and most life-changing challenge yet in this heartwarming and hilarious story.
A March to Remember
Based on true events is the dramatic thriller A March to Remember. In 1976 Spain during the throes of revolution, the country is in turmoil due to a people’s uprising and a fading institution’s last grasps at power. This powerful film realistically conveys the cruel conspiracy that occurred on the third of March that changed the city of Begoña forever. Check it out to see some light shed on a major government level conspiracy that has gone unpunished to this day.
Yuli
Another true story is Yuli, the biopic based on the life of Carlos Acosta, a legendary Cuban ballet dancer who revolutionised the craft by being the first black dancer to perform some of the most famous roles in ballet. The film follows his journey from his turbulent childhood through to becoming an iconic and industry changing presence on stage. This is the perfect coming of age film with gorgeous scenery and dancing to match.
The Uncovering
If you’re looking for a film with conspiracies, corruption, and mysteries at every turn, The Uncovering is the award-winning thriller that has it all. It follows a troubled man who returns to his home town and begins to investigate his father’s mysterious disappearance 20 years prior. His search uncovers more than he was expecting, revealing a vast web of lies and deceit that the town has built the last 20 years on.
Good Girls
This comedic drama gives you a look into the life of Sofia, the rich housewife of a wealthy man in 1982 Mexico. Her life consists of gossip, shopping, and leisurely days spent at the racquet club, but with the country slipping into an economic crisis her perfect world slowly starts to crumble. Good Girls is the dramatic comedy that exposes the glamourous lives of Mexico’s elite wives, highlighting their lack of power despite being some of the richest women in the country.
Common Blood
Another thriller, this time from Argentina, Common Blood takes a look at what happens to the perfect family when one tragedy tears their close-knit bonds apart. After the supposedly accidental death of her mother, Carla follows a path paved with suspicion as she searches for the truth, with all clues leading to her father. This gripping thriller explores how loss and grief can lead to betrayal, breaking down the illusion of unconditional love as the result of an unforgivable act.
Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown
The closing night film of the Spanish Film Festival is the 1988 classic comedic drama, Women on the Verge of a Breakdown. Starring a very young Antonio Banderas alongside an exceptional cast, the film follows a weaving tale of a woman searching for her lover who has abandoned her, not knowing she is pregnant with his child. This intense and hilarious story is a brilliant celebration of female comedic talent in Spanish cinema and is the perfect way to wrap up the festival.
THE DETAILS
What: Spanish Film Festival
When: 16 April – 26 May
Where: Palace Cinemas
For the full festival schedule, movie times and tickets, click here.
Image credit: Yuli via Spanish Film Festival 2019