From Magical Girls to Beatlemania: 4 Must-See Spanish Films in Chicago This Month

If the only Spanish filmmaker you’re familiar with right now is the fantastic Pedro Almodóvar, get ready to expand your horizons. Celebrating its eighth year as a sidebar section of the European Union Film Festival, the Festival of New Spanish Cinema offers audiences a glimpse at some of the riskiest and innovative films that have come out of Spain over the last year.

The EU Film Festival takes place from March 6 through April 2, 2015 at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago. The four films that make up the Festival of New Spanish Cinema this year will each screen twice during that time: The Kid (Sunday, March 8, 4:30 pm and Wednesday, March 11, 7:30 pm); Living is Easy with Eyes Closed (Friday, March 13, 6:00 pm and Sunday, March 15, 3:00 pm); In a Foreign Land (Saturday, March 21, 7:00 pm and Tuesday, March 24, 6:00 pm); and Magical Girl (Saturday, March 28, 3:00 pm and Wednesday, April 1, 7:30 pm).

From a fast-paced action movie and a road-trip comedy to a historical documentary and violent thriller, Spanish film is jumping the pond and landing in Chicago, so don’t miss your chance to check out some of the amazing films. Start circling your calendars.

Here’s a closer look at all four.