Directors like Paco Cabezas and Alex and David Pastor, and producers Francisco Ramos and Pedro Uriol are revitalizing the region.
MADRID -- They are Spain's version of the Coen Brothers. They've been living in the United States for years where they made Carriers and have come home to Barcelona to film an apocalyptic thriller. Alex and David Pastor aren't Spanish film industry veterans. They are part of a surge in creativity currently rippling through the Spanish film industry.
Talented directors, well-connected producers and a world-class film school have combined to generate a wave of innovation that has audiences' attention.
"This is a generation that is going to give us a lot to talk about," says Pedro Uriol, who is producing the Pastors' upcoming The Last Days. "These young directors have travelled, they've lived abroad and they are skilled in new technology. They aren't intimidated by genre film and they understand audiences."
The timing couldn't be better. Spain, notorious for an embarrassingly small sliver of the box office quota for homegrown films, has lately seen Spanish films gaining ground. In the first quarter of this year, Spanish films took in 35.49 million euros, compared to 15.16 million from the same period in 2010. And Spanish films — largely thanks to the blockbuster effect of Santiago Segura's Torrente 4 — cornered 20 percent of the market, 11 points over the previous year.
Gone are the days when Spanish filmmakers longed to break the threshold of 1 million ticket sales — a coveted holy grail of popular approval. The number was bandied about in conversation like the glass ceiling that only a few privileged films could penetrate.
But now, every few months, Spain sees a homegrown hit cross the magic line, including recent releases like Three Meters Above Heaven, Julia's Eyes, To Hell With the Ugly, Agora and Cell 211.
So what changed? Mostly a shift in thinking: The new generation wants to reach as large an audience as possible, and isn't ashamed to admit it.
"Younger generations thrive on connection with audiences as they realize that movies are meant to be seen and enjoyed," says Francisco Ramos, producer of last year's sleeper Three Meters Above Heaven, which grossed 8.5 million euros.
And they realize they can only make the next movie if the last one works," Ramos, a producer with his finger on the pulse of Spanish pop culture, has a knack for steamy, urban films featuring current heartthrobs. Next up is Federico Gonzalez Molina's Tengo Ganas de Ti (I Want You). The young cast of Meters remains intact, with sex symbol Mario Casas starring opposite Maria Valverde.
But there's more than just the formula of hiring a young director and adding a hunky cast.
Spain has chiseled out a niche as a pioneer in genre films as well, with Barcelona now a hub of horror titles.
"Our films are not black and white. There is motion, real actors, a mix of genres. Even in genre, you have to care about the characters and there's got to be conflict beyond just good guys and bad guys. It becomes more interesting," explains Paco Cabezas, director of genre titles 2007's The Appeared and last year's Neon Flesh. "Risk is the key word. The key is to find someone to take risks and try to tell a different story, not just a remake."
Complicated bank financing, plummeting home entertainment revenue thanks to rampant piracy and the decline in theatrical admissions make financing tricky. Enter Spain's new financing structure involving the TV broadcasting sector, which skews subsidies toward bigger productions or arthouse/festival fare.
"With TV channels involved actively in production, many films are clearly targeted towards the audience and they come with a lot of marketing support," explains Adrian Guerra, of Versus Entertainment, producer of last year's Ryan Reynolds-starrer Buried.
TV channels are backing much of the top-tier projects, but they go hand-in-hand with an up-to-the-minute crop of business-minded producers that leverage talent and access international contacts.
"We have a new generation of filmmakers and producers that are making international films and can tap into international and studio finance and play to a global audience," adds Guerra.
This new breed of producers embraces risk, often seeing it as essential for success. Barcelona's Rodar y Rodar, which made a splash with The Orphanage and followed up with Guillem Morales' Julia's Eyes, not only boasts handsome box office figures and enviable international sales, but has earned a reputation for spotting fresh talent and nurturing it.
For Rodar y Rodar chief Joaquin Padro, part of Spain's creative wave should be credited to Catalonia's Film and Audiovisual School ESCAC.
"There's a group of young kids from the ESCAC that feed off each other and there's an infectious atmosphere of creativity and working in a group that is phenomenal," he observes. "We have fed off of these people and they are primed for crossing barriers. That's what makes the difference."
The ESCAC's four-year film degree forces filmmakers to think about the big picture.
"It's part of our students' DNA that films must be made for a specific audience," explains ESCAC director Josep Maixenchs.
And while, it may be premature to talk about ESCAC transforming the Spanish film industry, it is true that the model — which requires fourth year students to direct features through in-house production company Escandalo Films with an emphasis on operating with a business mentality — is closely being followed. Both Paris and London's film schools have started co-production projects with the ESCAC.
"I'm convinced there are three or four directors that haven't had the exposure of Pedro Almodovar or Alejandro Amenabar, but work for the international market in a big way," says Juan Gordon of Madrid-based Morena Films. "They've done three or four films, but haven't had the proper exposure."
For Gordon and other young producers the key is vision.
"As producers, we go beyond just financing. We're seeing more collaboration with the director throughout the entire process. It's vital to have an idea of where the film is going and how it's going to get there."
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