Movida - 50th anniversary of the Spanish Transition Cinema

La Movida Madrileña reached its apotheosis in the Madrid underground movement’s productions by liberated filmmakers, artists, designers, club owners and playwrights with Pedro Almodóvar (1949) and his troop of actors as its most prominent exponents.

Eye presents Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón (1980), Matador (1986) Ocaña, an Intermittent Portrait (1978) and Arrebato (1979). These works reflect both the liberation and the uncertainties of a society in transition. Pedro Almodóvar's work became emblematic of a generation that broke with taboos and traditional norms, combining irreverence, humor, creative freedom, and cultural reinvention. The Movida Madrileña transformed Spanish culture and laid the foundations for contemporary cinema.

Guests

The round table will bring together critics, filmmakers, and scholars. They will address topics such as the influence of underground and experimental film, the visibility of sexual and gender diversity, and the ways in which previously marginal cultural forms became central to Spanish identity.

Guests include Jaime Chávarri, a key figure in Spanish cinema during the Transition period, both as a driving force behind its renewal and for capturing the social disillusionment of the time, particularly through films such as El desencanto (1976).

He will be joined by singer and actress Samantha Hudson. Hailing from the underground and queer scene, she conquered the mainstream with catchy melodies, provocative lyrics and a critical vision that challenges the established order.

The third guest is Alejandro Melero, author of novels and plays and associate professor in the Department of Communication at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. He is a specialist in the LGBT history of Spanish cinema.

Moderator is Carmen Dusmet Carrasco, filmmaker and teacher Moving Image at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. She is also the founder and co-curator of the artist moving image platform HOME CINEMA.

The round table is organised in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain in the Netherlands and the Amsterdam Spanish Film Festival in Amsterdam. Adrián Capelo Pascual is the guest curator for the round table and the selection of films.