Key films from Spain's newly unrestricted era following 40 years of Franco's dictatorship.

The death of Spain's dictator in 1975 gave a green light to an alternative, adventurous and eclectic culture - or counter-culture - in the country. We present a selection of key films from the period of democracy's consolidation in Spain.

Good Morning Freedom! Spanish Cinema After Franco, 2 - 30 June is a season which celebrates key films from Spain's newly unrestricted era following 40 years of Franco's dictatorship. The lifting of censorship saw the birth of a filmmaking generation where once taboo subjects (sexuality, drugs, religion) were openly depicted and often challenged.

Titles range from Almodóvar's melodramatic comedy Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown to Going Down in Morrocco a hilarious Spanish comedy about the world of hash-smuggling. These films put Spanish cinema on the world map and are a constant source of inspiration for film and cultural movements around the world.

With the death of Franco, whose dictatorship lasted nearly 40 years, Spain entered a period with an unsteady socio-political atmosphere on one side and a burst of cultural liberation and experimentation on the other. An exploration of new forms of representation - without the restrictions of the old censors - found space in all fields of art, which mingled among each other with no inhibitions.  

Besides a plethora of films with explicit sexual content of very dubious quality that are not represented in this season, the lifting of censorship saw the birth of a filmmaking generation who wanted to look back at what had happened in the country or at its consequences, and even more young talents who wanted to turn the page and start what they saw in front of them as a bright new future. Breaking with the previous climate of repression, they approached subjects that couldn't even be mentioned before: sex, drugs, homosexuality, politics... All with an innovative, free spirit that brought together filmmakers, professional and amateur actors, designers, musicians...

The period in question runs from the death of Franco at the end of 1975 to the end of the 80s, when democracy had already consolidated in the country, and comprises what has come to be known as 'la Movida Madrileña', which saw such talents as Pedro Almodóvar and Iván Zulueta emerge in the field of cinema. The Movida was mainly a music movement to which many young bands from the capital contributed but, in its messiness – with mottos like 'Madrid nunca duerme' ('Madrid never sleeps') or '¡Esta noche todo el mundo a la calle!' ('Everybody in the street tonight!') - its spirit extended to such fields as film, television, photography, fashion, comics and fanzines. Comedia Madrileña took place in the same period and, though in some senses it wasn't as wild, it shared with the Movida its desire for freedom and no rules. Representatives of this movement are Fernando Trueba and Fernando Colomo. Their first films were often made among friends whose priority was to enjoy life, sex, grass and have fun, reflecting the mood of much of the youth of the time.

Though most of the film industry was still concentrated in Madrid, Spain's cinema also found a new pluralism, and some communities - particularly in Catalonia and the Basque Country - found a way to express their particular identity through cinema.

For Full Listing of all movies including screening times and place to book online please go to BFI website.