The trouts, Franco, and 1978: the golden year for Spain at the Berlinale

FROM THE SERIES: THINGS YOU DIDN´T KNOW ABOUT SPANISH CINEMA

In an admitedly strange move, the jury of the 28th annual Berlin International Film Festival awarded the Golden Bear to Spain (?), ¨for its contribution to the festival¨, and the three Spanish films competing that year won de Golden Bear together: short comedic film Ascensor, directed by Tomás Muñoz and feature films ¨La palabras de Max¨ (aka What Max Said) by Emilio Martínez Lázaro and the wonderful ¨Las truchas¨ by José Luis García Sánchez.

All three movies have been somewhat forgotten since, but we would love to rescue the wonderful ¨La Trucha¨ (The Trout), a fantastic satire of Spanish middle class struggle under Franco through the recount of a fishing club annual dinner, whose members eat rotten trout while refusing to accept that there is a problem with it. Enjoy.