Published on March 7th, 2018 - Even though a lot of people associate the movies with America and the English language, Hollywood is actually the third most prolific movie industry in the world. The Indian movie industry, known around the world as Bollywood, produces almost 2000 movies every year, on average. It's followed by "Nollywood", the Nigerian movie industry, which churns out about a thousand films each year.
So, while most of the superhero movies or romantic comedies we see in theaters are made in America and their characters almost always speak English (sometimes with heavy accents), there are stories from around the globe, told in languages from Spanish to Arabic, that deserve to be seen (and heard!). These are some of them.
The following films competed for the "Foreign Language Film" Oscar at the 90th Academy Awards this past weekend, with ______ taking the coveted award.
"Una Mujer Fantástica" (A Fantastic Woman), from Chile, is this South-American country's second film to be nominated for an Oscar and the only film in Spanish vying for the award this year. If it wins, it will be only the seventh Spanish-language movie to win the award in a category dominated by French and Italian features. In this drama with touches of comedy, Marina, a transgender woman who works as a waitress and occasional nightclub singer, must deal with the sudden death of her boyfriend, an older man who left his family to be with her. Sebastián Lelio directs this harrowing film, which already picked up "Best International Film" at the Independent Spirit Awards, among many others.
Ruben Ã?Ã?stlund's "The Square" is Sweden's entry this year. Spoken in English, Swedish and Danish, it tells the story of a prestigious Stockholm museum's chief art curator who finds himself in times of both professional and personal crisis as he attempts to set up a controversial new exhibit. Danish actor Claes Bang leads the cast, which also includes Elisabeth Moss and Dominic West. It won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
"L'insulte" (The Insult) represents Lebanon. This movie, spoken in Arabic and made in collaboration with Belgium, Cyprus, France and the United States, is directed by Ziad Doueiri. In this award-winning film, an emotional exchange between a Lebanese Christian and a Palestinian refugee (Adel Karam and Kamel El Basha) culminates in a court case that gets national attention.
"Nelyubov" (Loveless) from Russia is also nominated. In this film directed and co-written by Andrey Zvyagintsev, a couple that's going through a divorce must team up to find their son, who disappeared during one of their arguments.
The last film in this list is Hungary's "TestrÃ?öl és lélekrÃ?öl" (On Body And Soul). Two slaughterhouse workers discover they share the same dreams, so they decide to embark on the difficult task of making them come true in this Ildikó Enyedi-directed film.
*Photos and synopses: IMDb.com
Want to talk about all the new movies that you've seen but can't find the right words?
This little guide will prove very handy in helping you learn all the different film genres in Spanish. Are you a fan of dibujos animados (animation) or ciencia ficción (science fiction)? Here's a freebie: drama is the same word in English and Spanish! Get to know all of them!
Apart from lessons and everyday conversations, watching movies can be a very effective tool if you're trying to learn a new language. Even if you're just starting to comprehend it, hearing the words in context can help you understand them and become accustomed to their sound and the way they're used. Check out this video to see what are some of the best films you can watch if you're trying to learn Spanish, including ones directed by Guillermo del Toro, Eugenio Derbez and Alejandro González Iñárritu.
