Posts Tagged ‘spanish cinema’

Learn Spanish with films from the Spanish cinema

Friday, March 16th, 2012

To watch films in Spanish can be very useful to learn Spanish and is one of the best resources any student can and should use to improve their knowledge of the language. It is often a very common activity in the Spanish schools in Spain and most organise cinema sessions for the students.

We recommend you to watch mainly films from the Spanish cinema, since this is good not only to improve your words and expressions vocabulary but also to exercise the hearing comprehension and to observe the gestures, way of saying things of the natives.

A group of girls in a Spanish class

A group of girls in a Spanish class

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Pedro Almodóvar, the director who brought Spanish cinema to the world

Wednesday, February 15th, 2012

The screenwrighter, producer and director Pedro Almodóvar is a cinema genius and one of the major exponents of the Spanish cinema on international level. His films made him win many prizes and gain recognition in many countries, it is therefore ideal for you to watch them and enjoy them if you are studying Spanish.

Almodóvar started his career in the 80s, becoming one of the icons of the movida madrileña, cultural movement which started during those years in the Spanish capital, with titles such as “Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón”(Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls Like Mom) and “¿Qué he hecho yo para merecer esto?” (What Have I Done to Deserve This?). He was first truly recognised with his film “Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios” (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown), in 1988, not only in Spain but within an international scope, he was awarded 16 nominations at the Goya and a nomination for best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars.

Learn Spanish with the films of Pedro Almodóvar

The film directors Pedro Almodovar and Tim Burton

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The Spanish cinema is getting prepared for the Goya Awards

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

All countries have their cinema awards: the Oscars in United States, the BAFTA in the UK and the César in France. In Spain we also have ours, the Goya, the annual awards from the Arts Academy and the Cinematographic Sciences for best directors, actors and films from Spanish cinema.

This year we celebrate the XXVIth edition of awards that will take place on the 19th of February in the Palacio Municipal de Congresos (a convention centre) in Madrid. So, if you are in the city to undertake a Spanish course, use the opportunity to see the best Spanish actors on the Spanish cinema’s red carpet.

Learn Spanish with the film Goya Awards

Pedro Almodóvar y Penélope Cruz

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Learn Spanish with the culture: Antonio Banderas, the Spaniard who opened the doors to Hollywood

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011

He probably is one of the best Spanish actors, Antonio Banderas became the best image of Spain in Hollywood. He started his career with a lot of work and humbleness thanks to Pedro Almodóvar, great director of Spanish cinema, who asked him to work for one of his films after seeing him in the theatre.

His first films with Pedro Almodóvar were very successful in Spain: “Laberinto de Pasiones” (Labyrinth of Passion), “Matador”, “¡Átame!” (Tie me up! Tie me down) or ”Mujeres” al borde de un ataque de nervios (Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown), which was nominated for an Oscar as best foreign film. We recommend students coming to learn Spanish in Spain see these films.

Learn Spanish with Antonio Banderas films

Spanish actor Antonio Banderas

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Spanish culture in Spanish schools: Javier Bardem conquers Hollywood

Monday, October 24th, 2011

He is part of one of the Spanish cinema’s most famous families, Javier Bardem is not only one of the most important actors in Spain, he also knew how to slowly conquer Hollywood, and his films are therefore a very good resource to use to learn Spanish for the Spanish schools in Spain’s students.

He had small roles on television as a child, and his first big appearance on the cinema screens came when the director Bigas Luna directed him in the film “Jamón, jamón” in 1992, inwhich he starred together with his actual wife Penélope Cruz and Jordi Mollà. From this moment on he started playing in many films for which he received numerous awards such as the Goya he received in 1994 for the film Días contados and one year later the Goya again for “Boca a Boca”.

El actor español Javier Bardem

El actor español Javier Bardem

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Learn Spanish at your leisure: The roar of the Lion King in Madrid

Friday, October 14th, 2011

Considered one of the most extraordinary Broadway shows, the Lion King musical arrived at the Teatro Lope de Vega in Madrid and will stay in the city for an indefinite length time. So, if you are undertaking a Spanish course in Spain you can not miss it. It is the biggest musical production ever made in our country and it will open on the 21st of October.

The musical is based on the famous Disney film, The Lion King, which started in 1997 on Broadway stages, more than 50 million people have seen it over the last 14 years (it’s the fourth most seen musical in history) and it has received many international awards. It did finally arrive to Spain for its first performance in Spanish, which is of course a great opportunity for students to learn Spanish in Spain while enjoying a great show.

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