DARK HABITS (ENTRE TINIEBRAS)
dir. Pedro Almodovar, 1983, Spain, 100 min., 35mm

For years, the Humbled Redeemers have offered young girls a haven from their wild lives, albeit one characterized by drug-dazed devotions, endless spiritual haze and a pet tiger to boot. After her boyfriend ODs, beautiful singer Yolanda enters the convent to flee her own sordid past, only to find the Mother Superior, a fervid fan, only more than willing to offer her own special brand of solace...

The third feature film by Spanish great Pedro Almodovar, DARK HABITS was refused a screening at Cannes for its mix of sex, drugs and Catholicism, and showed only to great controversy in Venice. Later shown in Japan in 1989 as a companion to 1987's WOMEN ON THE EDGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN, DARK HABITS offers a rare insight into the evolution of later Almodovar hits like LAW OF DESIRE (1987), TIE ME UP! TIME ME DOWN! (1989) and this year's Cannes hit ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER (1999), and proves once again that early works are often the wildest.

THE DEPUTY (EL DIPUTADO)
dir. Eloy de la Iglesia, 1978, Spain, 110 min., 35mm, Japanese premiere

At the end of the Franco regime in the 1970s, a high-profile politician fighting for the installation of democracy in Spain finds himself nominated as the head of the Spanish Communist Party. At the same time, however, he is unable to ignore his desire for a man young enough to be his son, and must negotiate between love, sex, desire and marriage.
The legendary first gay Spanish film by an openly gay director, THE DEPUTY made waves when first released in 1980, and proves that some themes are indeed without time and place, and that the link between sex and politics Is anything but accidental. (Japanese premiere)

SEX CHANGE (CAMBIO DE SEXO)
dir. Vicente Aranda, 1976, Spain, 106 min., 35mm, Japanese premiere

Teased at school for his feminine looks, Jose Maria comes to terms with his identity, begins to crossdress as a woman, becomes a cabaret singer and eventually decides to have a sex change... SEX CHANGE tells a well-known story,but the story is rarely told with such a dead-on combination of glamour, realness and emotion. With the teenaged, dewy-eyed Victoria Abril (known for her star turns in Almodovar hits like KIKA and HIGH HEELS) in her first starring role, a forte performance by Almodovar diva Bibi Anderssen (pre-op!) and a veritable splash of drag cabaret scenes, SEX CHANGE is an overlooked gem of 1970s Spanish film.

THINGS CALLED LOVE (LAS COSAS DEL QUERER)
dir. Jaime Chavarri, 1989, Spain, 103 min., 35mm, Japanese premiere

It's the late 1930s, the height of the Spanish Civil War, and Pepe, Juan and Mario, performers in a showy, unmistakeably Spanish revue juggle love, friendship and their very lives both on- and offstage. Gay singer-dancer Mario be witches a local authority with his charm and good looks, but is afraid to threaten friendship and convey his unrequited love to pianist Juan. Pepe loves Juan, but offers herself to another in her pursuit of fame. With Mario's homosexuality running afoul of the shadow of fascism, tragedy waits in the wings...

At once comedy and tragedy, drama and musical, the three members of this complicatedlove triangle sing and dance their way through an unbearably difficult and sweet net of human relations against the very real backdrop of the Spanish Civil War. With Manuel Banderas and Angela Molina (LIVE FLESH).