The long read · Spanish cinema
The Resilience of Spanish Cinema and Its Global Stars
Spain gave the cinema Luis Buñuel’s surrealism, Pedro Almodóvar’s colour and passion, and Oscar-winning stars in Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem, and its deserts and cities have played half the world for Hollywood. Here is the story, with the places in Madrid to watch it.
Updated October 2026
Buñuel, Berlanga and the classic years (to 1975)
Spanish cinema’s first great genius, Luis Buñuel, made the surrealist Un Chien Andalou with Salvador Dalí in 1929 and, decades later, Viridiana, which won the Palme d’Or in 1961. At home, Luis García Berlanga’s comedy Welcome Mr Marshall! (1953) and Juan Antonio Bardem’s dramas brought wit and humanity to the screen under the dictatorship.
In the 1970s Carlos Saura’s Cría cuervos won the Grand Prix at Cannes, and Víctor Erice’s The Spirit of the Beehive (1973), the story of a little girl haunted by Frankenstein, became one of the most admired European films of its time.
Almodóvar and the modern era (1975–present)
After 1975 Spanish film exploded with freedom and colour, above all in the work of Pedro Almodóvar, the great chronicler of Madrid. José Luis Garci’s Begin the Beguine won Spain’s first Oscar in 1983, and Belle Époque, Almodóvar’s All About My Mother and Alejandro Amenábar’s The Sea Inside followed; Almodóvar also won an Oscar for the screenplay of Talk to Her.
Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem became the first Spanish actress and actor to win Oscars, and Antonio Banderas won best actor at Cannes in 2019 for Almodóvar’s Pain and Glory.
Madrid on film: from Hollywood epics to Almodóvar
Must-watch films: the classics
To understand Spanish cinema, start with the classics, then the modern masters.
- Welcome Mr Marshall! (¡Bienvenido, Mister Marshall!, 1953): Berlanga’s comedy of a village preparing for American visitors.
- Viridiana (1961): Buñuel’s provocative masterpiece, winner of the Palme d’Or.
- The Spirit of the Beehive (El espíritu de la colmena, 1973): Víctor Erice’s haunting tale of childhood.
- Cría cuervos (1976): Carlos Saura’s portrait of a girl and her family, winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes.
Must-watch films: the modern masters
- Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988): the comedy that made Almodóvar famous around the world.
- All About My Mother (Todo sobre mi madre, 1999): Almodóvar’s tribute to actresses and mothers, winner of the Oscar.
- The Sea Inside (Mar adentro, 2004): Alejandro Amenábar’s drama with Javier Bardem, winner of the Oscar.
- Pain and Glory (Dolor y gloria, 2019): Almodóvar’s most personal film, with Antonio Banderas.
The stars
Spain has given the screen stars of great passion and range.
- Penélope Cruz: Almodóvar’s muse and Oscar winner for Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
- Javier Bardem: Oscar winner for No Country for Old Men.
- Antonio Banderas: from Almodóvar to Hollywood, and best actor at Cannes for Pain and Glory.
- Carmen Maura: the star of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.
- Fernando Rey (1917–1994): Buñuel’s favourite actor and the villain of The French Connection.
Hidden on the silver screen: international productions filmed in Spain
Spain’s deserts, palaces and cities have played Arabia, the Wild West and Russia. David Lean filmed much of Lawrence of Arabia (1962) in Almería and Seville and Doctor Zhivago (1965) in Madrid and Soria, and Sergio Leone shot his westerns in the Tabernas desert of Almería, where the old sets still stand. Our film pages on Madrid and Spain’s other guides tell the stories of their locations.
Madrid on film Barcelona on film Andalusia on film Valencia on film Mallorca on film Canary Islands on film
Where to watch in Madrid
In Madrid the Cine Doré, the beautiful Art Nouveau home of the Filmoteca Española, shows classics in their original versions at small prices, and the Cines Embajadores and Cines Callao on the Gran Vía show new films. Every September the San Sebastián International Film Festival, held since 1953, awards its Golden Shell, and every winter the Goya Awards, held since 1987, crown the year’s Spanish films.
Our advice: look for “VOSE” in Madrid listings to find films in the original language with Spanish subtitles, and see a classic at the Cine Doré.
Cine Doré (Filmoteca Española) Cines Embajadores Cines Callao
Questions and answers
Which Spanish films have won the Oscar?
Begin the Beguine (1983), Belle Époque (1994), All About My Mother (2000) and The Sea Inside (2005), all for best foreign language film.
What are the Goyas?
Spain’s national film awards, presented every year since 1987.
Join the conversation
Which Spanish film or star do you love most? Share your favourite scenes and the films we should add.
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Sources: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Festival de Cannes, the San Sebastián International Film Festival, the Spanish Film Academy and the Filmoteca Española, checked on 5 November 2026. Trailers are embedded from the official YouTube channels of each film’s distributor; where none exists online, we leave it out.