Cineteca Madrid, a space under the Department of Culture, Tourism, and Sports of the City Council, dedicates the month of April to exploring the multiple dialogues between cinema and literature. Through a diverse selection of films, thematic cycles, and special events, the programming will delve into various ways in which literature intersects with the cinematic image, from canonical adaptations to formal experiments that challenge the boundaries of written language.
Fassbinder and Company (Episode 1): Adaptation as Confrontation
The cinema of Rainer Werner Fassbinder was characterized by a fiercely critical view of society and a constant dialogue with literature. In his adaptations, he did not simply transfer texts to the screen but deconstructed and reconstructed them from his own perspective. This cycle, organized in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut, revisits some of his most emblematic adaptations, where the German filmmaker transforms texts into intense dramas about exclusion, desire, and power.
Throughout the program, titles such as Querelle (Germany, 1982), based on the novel by Jean Genet, where extreme stylization and theatricality highlight the tension between the forbidden and the repressed, or We All Call Him Ali (Germany, 1974), one of the director’s emotionally powerful films, which contains a ruthless critique of German society and its prejudices, will be analyzed.
Displaced Adaptations: Literature as a Starting Point
Curated by filmmaker and video artist Guillermo G. Peydró, this cycle explores adaptations that, unlike conventional versions, use literature as a starting point to explore alternative narrative paths.
The selection includes titles such as The Day of the Beast (Álex de la Iglesia, Spain, 1995), a clever reinterpretation of the story of the Antichrist and the Apocalypse, with influences from satanic literature and Christian tradition; Metamorphoses (Christophe Honoré, France, 2014); Faust (Jan Švankmajer, Czech Republic-France-United Kingdom, 1994); Onirica: Field of Dogs (Lech Majewski, Poland, 2014); and The Wonders Altarpiece: Notes for a Movie about Don Quixote, directed by Guillermo G. Peydró in 2021.
Historical Adaptations: 50 Years of Barry Lyndon and Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom
In 1975, Stanley Kubrick and Pier Paolo Pasolini released two literary adaptations that redefined the concept of cinema based on classic texts. In Barry Lyndon (United Kingdom, 1975), Kubrick transformed William Makepeace Thackeray’s novel into a visually stunning work, where natural light and pictorial composition turned the story into a unique experience. On the other hand, Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (Pier Paolo Pasolini, Italy-France, 1976) brought the Marquis de Sade’s work to a brutal vision of power and human degradation. Half a century later, these two films continue to generate impact and debate, reaffirming cinema’s ability to expand and reinterpret literature.
Cinema and Circus: The Spectacle of Risk and Magic
Cinema and circus have shared, since their origins, an admiration for the exceptional. From silent film to contemporary blockbusters, this cycle explores the various ways in which the seventh art has portrayed the circus world. Featuring titles ranging from The Clowns (Federico Fellini, Italy-France-Germany, 1970) to Shadows and Fog (Woody Allen, USA, 1991), and including The Circus (Charlie Chaplin, USA, 1928), the showcase celebrates this art as a space of illusion and emotion, but also of struggle and survival.
Completing the cycle is The Sun of the Future (Italy, 2023), where Nanni Moretti intertwines Italy’s political history with artistic creation.
Romanies Behind the Camera: 21st-century Romani Cinema
Curated by Rafael Buhigas Jiménez and Lidia Merás, this cycle aims to showcase contemporary Romani filmmakers who have challenged traditional stereotypes and created new forms of representation. From artist biopics to stories of discrimination and resilience, the selected films celebrate the diversity and richness of this emerging cinematography. Standouts include Chaplin: Romani Spirit (Carmen Chaplin, Spain-United Kingdom-Netherlands, 2024) and Carmen, Fearless of Freedom (Irene Baqué, Spain, 2023), a documentary and feminist reinterpretation of the literary myth of Carmen, the iconic protagonist of Prosper Mérimée’s novel.
Book Day: Cinema and Literature in Dialogue
Cineteca Madrid joins in the celebration of Book Day with screenings and discussions that explore the relationship between literature and cinema. Featured films include the premieres of Hundred Books Together (Marga Melià, Spain, 2024), a documentary about book clubs as spaces of cultural resistance, and A Free Man (Laura Hojman, Spain, 2024), a portrait of the exiled novelist Agustín Gómez Arcos. Also scheduled is Myocardium (José Manuel Carrasco, Spain, 2024), an exploration of autofiction and identity, starring Marina Salas and Vito Sanz. After each screening, discussions with filmmakers and writers will expand on the mutual influence between the two languages.
Meeting with Eugenio Mira: In the Name of Lol
April also sees the premiere of the restored and expanded version of The Birthday (Spain, 2004), Eugenio Mira’s debut film. This cult film, difficult to classify, combines horror, comedy, and artifice to create a unique cinematic experience. Eugenio Mira will engage with the audience on Thursday, April 10, sharing his influences, references, and creative processes through unseen material and short pieces.
Cineteca for Families: The Universe of Tim Burton
Taking advantage of the convergence of the Displaced Adaptations and Cinema and Circus cycles, Cineteca Madrid offers a journey through the imagination of Tim Burton with four of his most representative adaptations. Frankenweenie (USA-United Kingdom, 2012) reinterprets Mary Shelley’s universe as a homage to classic horror cinema, while Sleepy Hollow (USA-United Kingdom-Germany, 1999) stylizes Washington Irving’s tale with a baroque and expressionist staging, starring Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci.
In Dumbo (USA-United Kingdom-Canada-Australia, 2019) and Big Fish (USA, 2003), the circus world becomes a stage of wonder and strangeness, where the fantastic and the melancholic intertwine to shape fables about difference and imagination. A program designed for families to enjoy the work of a filmmaker who has made fantasy and artifice his unmistakable hallmark.
CineZeta: Identity in the Digital Age
In April, the young team of programmers at CineZeta proposes a new exploration of identity in the digital age for Saturday afternoons. Through a selection of eight works, this cycle invites reflection on the impact of the Internet on shaping our perception of the world and ourselves.
Premieres and Regular Sections
Up to 13 premieres hit the screens of Cineteca in April, including titles such as Mercy (Alain Guiraudie, France, 2024), winner of the previous Seminci for Best Film and Best Screenplay, and Let the White Roses Fall (Albertina Carri, Argentina, 2025). In the Special Screenings section, the documentary Inés, My Sister joins the regular sections such as The Z Night, which will feature The Night of the Executioner (Paul Naschy, Spain, 1992); in the That’s How Things Are section, video artist Ana Esteve presents Artificial Blue Sky, while the Noise Tales section will showcase Twenty Years of IN-SONORA, about the International Exhibition of Sound and Interactive Art. The DOCMA Cycle completes the programming with Marcos Code, directed by Liena Cid Navia and Patricia Pérez Fernández. /
