Meadows Museum To Spotlight Spanish Films With Free Summer Screening Series

As the threat of another hellish Dallas summer starts to make it too harrowing to be outside for more than an hour, few things are more relaxing than the cool comfort of a well-ventilated movie theater.

Trying to get into local multiplexes' screenings of summer blockbusters such as Superman, Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning, and How to Train Your Dragon might prove to be an event in and of itself, but the Meadows Museum is set to spotlight niche titles with a screening series called Spanish Cinema Now+.

Nicknamed the "Prado on the Prairie," the Meadows Museum is one of Dallas’ most beloved art institutions and currently functions as part of the SMU campus. The art center has received international recognition for having one of the largest collections of Spanish artwork outside of Spain itself, and has made efforts to hold events, festivals, and celebrations that honor the cultural heritage.

The Spanish Cinema Now+ series is a collaborative endeavor with the Embassy of Spain and the Dallas International Film Festival and consists of monthly screenings held during the summer months. Although Spanish cinema is filled with legendary films from all-time great artists like Luis Buñuel and Víctor Erice, the Spanish Cinema Now+ program aims to spotlight emerging artists who speak to the modern state of Spain’s filmmaking industry.

The series begins May 15 with an unmissable screening of Mamifera, a romantic dramedy from up-and-coming writer/director Liliana Torres. The film showed at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin last year as part of an exclusive programming block for International Women’s Day. Eventually, it earned the prestigious Special Jury Prize for Performance for its star, Maria Rodríguez Soto. But despite rave reviews from festival attendees and critics, Mamifera hasn’t screened at many festivals domestically, giving cinephiles in the Dallas area a rare opportunity.

The focus on modern relationships and intersectionality is also deeply present in the June 19 showing of Tenéis que venir a verla (You Have To Come and See It), another ensemble comedy that has been a hit on the festival circuit. The film examines the intersection between two couples that lost touch over the course of the COVID-19 lockdown, and shows how each faces existential questions about purpose and meaning as they look towards their futures.

In You Have To Come and See it, fans of writer/director Jonás Trueba will recognize the snappy humor and authentic characterizations that have made him one of Spain’s most exciting young filmmakers. Although Trueba’s work has been met with serious critical acclaim in Spain, this film has been impressing Americans as well – it debuted at the New York Film Festival in 2022, and is one of the rare films to have a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The festival will take a slightly more serious but no less entertaining detour on July 17 for the showing of Por donde pasa el silencio (As The Silence Passes), a powerful drama about the relationship between two twin brothers during Holy Week.

With its powerful examination of class differences, generational trauma and identity, As The Silence Passes is assured to captivate Dallas audiences. Most remarkable is that this insightful, thought-provoking film is the directorial debut of writer/director Sandra Romero, who seems destined for an exciting career in the next few years. Romero was recently nominated for Best New Director at this year’s Goya Awards, a prestigious ceremony often called Spain’s equivalent of The Oscars.

Spanish Cinema Now+ comes to a close on August 14 with the screening of Un Amor (One Love), but the two-hour film from Isabel Coixet isn’t to be passed over. Set in a remote village, the erotic drama examines a complex relationship that emerges between a native and a traveling freelance translator, leading to a series of sexual favors that unlock deep passion.

Coxiet is among the most prolific filmmakers in Spain, but has also helmed many star-studded international features, including Elegy (with Penelope Cruz and Peter Sarsgaard), Another Me (starring Sophie Turner and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers), and Learning to Drive (with Patricia Clarkson and Ben Kingsley). But One Love is not only Coxiet’s most personal film to date, it’s also her most acclaimed, as it earned seven nominations at the 2024 Goya Award and a standing ovation at the San Sebastian Film Festival.

With a growing Hispanic population in Texas, the Spanish Cinema Now+ endeavour could theoretically draw attention to the discrepancy between the number of avid Spanish cinephiles in the North Texas area and the limited opportunities for the nation’s films to reach audiences.

Regardless, Dallas will have the rare chance to see some excellent Spanish cinema in a theater this summer.