Meadows Museum fills summer nights with Spanish cinema

Summertime sizzles at the Meadows Museum, SMU with Spanish Cinema Now+ 2025 in Dallas. The series of contemporary Spanish films begins May 15 with Mamifera in the museum’s Bob and Jean Smith Auditorium on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

The series will be offered monthly on Thursday evenings through August 14. Each screening is free. Because space is limited, advance registration is required at the museum’s . Free admission to the galleries on Thursday nights begins at 5 p.m.

The Meadows Museum presents this series in partnership with the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain in Washington, D.C., and Dallas Film.

“Spanish Cinema Now+ was launched in 2019 as a film series organized by the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain in Washington, D.C., as a complement to the Spanish Cinema Now film festival held by the American Film Institute (AFI) Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD. Since last year, and with the aim of increasing the presence of Spanish cinema throughout the United States, Spanish Cinema Now+ has evolved into a traveling program available to venues nationwide that are interested in hosting a showcase of contemporary Spanish film. The selection of films is curated by the Cultural Office with the goal of offering the broadest possible representation of today’s Spanish cinema. Each edition features a mix of emerging and established filmmakers, highlighting the diversity, creativity, and vitality of the current film landscape in Spain,” said Ana Fernández Quiñones, Communications Coordinator for the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain in Washington, D.C.

The films complement the museum’s exhibitions.

“Film screenings are one of many ways we can spark connections with the art on our walls, and we’ve found that they frequently bring a new audience into the museum. Hosting Spanish Cinema Now+ was a natural expansion of our Movies with the Meadows programming, which became a collaboration with Dallas Film in 2023. Screenings have ranged from the repertory art films of Luis Buñuel to the work of popular contemporary directors like Pedro Almodóvar, often following a theme related to the collection or a special exhibition on view. For example, this fall’s selection will present “Spain in the Sixties,” in celebration of the museum’s 60th anniversary. Thanks to the support of the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain, Spanish Cinema Now+ provides us with access to additional screenings which might otherwise be cost-prohibitive to present and which, rather than fitting a specific theme, reflect the art and culture of Spanish cinema today,” said Anne Kindseth, Director of Education for the Meadows Museum.

All of this year’s films are for mature audiences and are presented with English subtitles. The screenings begin at 7 p.m. The series includes:

Mamifera (2024)
Thursday, May 15,

Mamifera is a compelling comedy-drama written and directed by Liliana Torres. Maria Rodríguez Soto stars as Lola, whose unplanned pregnancy disrupts her life plans. She resists motherhood while Bruno (played by Enric Auquer) wants to be a father, forcing her to confront societal expectations and her own fears as she seeks clarity on her future. Mamifera was nominated in several categories at the 17th Gaudí Awards, including Best Film, Best Actress, and Best Actor, and it received a Special Jury Award for Performance at the 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival.

Tenéis que venir a verla (You Have to Come and See It, 2024)
Thursday, June 19,

Tenéis que venir a verla is a comedy-drama written and directed by Jonás Trueba. Having lost touch over the course of the pandemic, two thirtysomething couples catch up in Madrid for dinner and a concert. They make plans to hang out again—this time in the countryside where one couple has moved. The afternoon transforms from a friendly get-together into a referendum on opposing approaches to life and the city. Captivating performances translate a smart, incisive script into a rumination on modern living. This film won the Special Jury Prize at the 56th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Por donde pasa el silencio (Where the Silence Passes, 2024)
Thursday, July 17,

Por donde pasa el silencio is a drama written and directed by Sandra Romero Acevedo. It’s Holy Week, and Antonio (Antonio Araque) has to return to Écija, a city in the heart of Andalusia, after a long time away. Once there, he reunites with his family and his twin brother, Javier (Javier Araque), who has a physical disability and needs his help. Antonio has to navigate this tricky situation and make a tough decision: stay and help his loved ones or return to the life he has built elsewhere. It’s an intimate and realistic portrait of family tensions in a rural Andalusian setting. Sandra Romero captures raw love, guilt, caregiving and emotional disconnection within a working-class family trapped between old traditions and new forms of resistance. Romero was nominated for Best New Director at the 39th Goya Awards for this film.

Un amor (One Love, 2023)
Thursday, Aug. 14,

Un amor is a drama directed by Isabel Coixet from a screenplay by Coixet and Laura Ferrero based on the novel of the same name. Having escaped from her stressful life in the city, 30-year-old Nat holes up in the small town of La Escapa in deepest rural Spain. In a run-down country house with a crotchety stray dog, she tries to put her life back on track. Having dealt with her landlord’s hostility and the mistrust of the village locals, Nat finds herself accepting a disturbing proposal made by her neighbor, Andreas. This strange and confusing encounter will give rise to an all-consuming and obsessive passion that will completely engulf Nat and make her question the kind of woman she thinks she is. This film was nominated in multiple categories for the 38th Goya Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Actress, and Best Actor.

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