The Sea Inside
2004 | 125 min | Biography
A paralyzed man's 30-year fight for the right to die with dignity transforms everyone he loves.
Lola Dueñas
ActorLola Dueñas is one of the most distinctive actresses in Spanish and European cinema. Born in Barcelona in 1971, she trained at the renowned Escuela de Arte Dramático de Madrid and began her career in theater before establishing herself in film. Her extraordinary expressiveness and ability to convey emotions with subtle intensity quickly made her a sought-after performer.
In SOMETHING IS HAPPENING (2018, directed by Anne Alix), Dueñas plays a woman who has an unexpected encounter during a trip through the south of France that changes her life. The film was shown at several festivals and praised for its gentle, poetic narrative style. In LES OGRES (2015, directed by Léa Fehner), she plays part of a traveling theater troupe whose passionate lives oscillate between stage and reality. Both roles showcase Dueñas' ability to credibly portray complex characters between intimacy and vulnerability.
She gained international recognition through her collaboration with Pedro Almodóvar, particularly in Volver (2006) and Broken Embraces (2009). For her performance in Mar adentro (2004, directed by Alejandro Amenábar), she received her first Goya, Spain's most prestigious film award, for Best Supporting Actress. Another Goya followed in 2009 for her leading role in Yo, también (directed by Álvaro Pastor and Antonio Naharro), in which she plays a woman who experiences an unconventional love story.
With a remarkable blend of sensitivity, depth, and courage to embrace artistic diversity, Lola Dueñas has established herself as a fixture in European auteur cinema and is one of the defining faces of modern Spanish film.
Films
Ogres
By Léa Fehner
2015 | 138 min | Comedy
They are ogres and giants. They bring fantasy and disorder into our lives. "Les Ogres" are a circus troupe and for each other more than a family.
Something Is Happening
By Anne Alix
2018 | 97 min | Drama
In the glistening light of southern France, the paths of the two women cross at seemingly opposite points in their lives.
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2015 | 53 min | Documentary
Berlin based film maker Henrike Meyer visits the house of her family after her grandmother past away. A survey of the proximity and distance between the author and her family. The old farmhouse lies in North Germany. Surrounded by fields and sheep. A place, that appears intimate and mysterious at the same time. Children are running through the house. A dinner service on the table. Grandmother Lulu has died. Her belongings are given out, the bed room is being painted. A barking dog. The nightingale ...
Gisela
2005 | 90 min | Drama
A dreary highrise apartment block, inhabited by the less fortunate members of society. In the middle of it all lives Gisela, married, one child, a cashier, unsatisfied and discontent. Georg and Paul, two no longer young petty thieves from the anonymous housing estate, indulge in drinking bouts and sexual boasts and fall under the spell of the married supermarket cashier Gisela. Gisela doesn't say no when the easygoing Georg invites her to his party. There she meets Paul. He's also just hanging out, ...
TerraForma
2024 | 62 min | Documentary
TERRAFORMA explores the remarkable history of Ascension Island, a remote volcanic island in the South Atlantic that remained largely barren for millions of years before becoming the site of one of history's most ambitious ecological experiments. In the nineteenth century, British scientists introduced plants and trees from around the world, transforming the island into a lush, artificial landscape. From this extraordinary story, the film opens up broader questions about humanity's relationship with ...
Will My Parents Come to See Me
2022 | 28 min | Drama
In a somber exploration of the Somali justice system, a seasoned policewoman leads a young inmate named Farah through his final procedures before facing execution. This narrative, crafted by Mo Harawe, a filmmaker born in Mogadishu, is both a poignant and critical reflection on the processes leading up to state-sanctioned death. As Farah prepares for his inevitable end, he is asked by everyone how he is doing, to which he repeatedly responds, "good," a stark contrast to his internal turmoil. This ...
In Your Arms
2015 | 88 min | Drama
After a failed suicide attempt the terminally ill Niels, accompanied by nurse Maria, embarks on a poignant journey to seek assisted suicide in Switzerland. Because Maria prevented the suicide attempt of Niels, who suffers from a degenerative disease and is unbearably difficult to live with, she feels responsible for him. Director Samanou A. Sahlstrøm began working for Lars von Trier in 2001 and was involved in the production of Antichrist. His "directorial debut is a compelling drama with excellent ...
Eleven Uncles
2010 | 101 min | Independent
It was shot without a budget in just seven days at a Brandenburg country estate using props and costumes provided by various theaters. Among the outstanding ensemble actors participating are Alexander Khuon, Alexander Scheer, Jule Böwe and Adolfo Assor. "A "Hamlet" adaptation that looks as if Herbert Achternbusch and Luis Buñuel had shot it together on LSD and then transformed it with all the finesses of digital image editing into a psychedelic trip that alternately causes giddiness, laughter, ...
Life on the Horn
2020 | 25 min | Drama
In a narrative that explores the dire consequences of environmental neglect and exploitation at Somalia's coastline, a touching story unfolds about survival amidst adversity. Directed by Mo Harawe, this film delves into the life of a young man and his dying father, set against a backdrop of a community ravaged by the aftereffects of illegal toxic waste dumping by European intermediaries. With its stark black and white visuals, the film offers a powerful, minimalist portrayal of their daily struggles, ...
Quitt
2023 | Animation
A poacher in the snowy Alps, a murderer in the dusty expanse of the Wild West – Leo and Denny couldn't be more different, but their paths reflect universal conflicts. Against the backdrop of breathtaking landscapes and a world of plastic mannequins with ghostly lifelike features, a drama unfolds that is as surreal as it is captivating. The characters move between dance, prayer and violence, while song interludes lift the action into fantastic spheres and at the same time explore the abysses of human ...
Faust 1 Superstar
2015 | 51 min | Drama
Silent movie meets musical in this intense and colourful version of the classic piece by Goethe, FAUST. The devil wagers with God that he can lead Berlin-Kreuzberg musician Faust astray. Faust composes a sure-fire hit and falls for the virtuous Gretchen. Fate is set to take its course. Director Mingus Ballhaus is a graduate of the DFFB - German Film and Television Academy Berlin, who lives and works in Berlin as a filmmaker and drummer. Here Ballhaus is supported by cinematographer Jide Tom Akinleminu ...
The Amber Amulet
2013 | 23 min | Kids & Family
Liam knows everything about the positive energy of gemstones and minerals. At night, dressed as a masked avenger, he wanders the streets seeking to do good deeds in secret. He makes anonymous contact with an unhappy lonely woman and gifts her an amber gem which will lift the curse of her misfortune. Unfortunately, the gem has come from his mother’s jewellery box. She soon discovers it is missing and now she's the one who could do with a knight in shining armour. The short film THE AMBER AMULET ...