Gracia Querejeta´s latest film, 15 años y un día, is Spain´s official entry for the 2014 Academy Awards. It is only the second Spanish film directed by a woman to be selected as the country´s official entry. (Icíar Bollían´s También la lluvia was the official entry in 2010 and made the "short list" by the Academy, although it did not make the list of 5 official nominees.)
I saw this film when I was in Madrid in June and loved it! As I left the theater, I wondered if the film would make it to the U.S. market, and with its recent selection to represent Spain at the Oscars, I am now hopeful that it will be available to educations here in the U.S.
It is a great film for both the high school and college classrooms, with a 15 year old protagonist, Jon, who struggles with family issues, school issues, friendship issues, bullying....much the same issues that a U.S. teenager faces.
The field for this Oscar category is large (the five official nominees won´t be announced until January) and 15 años y un día seems, unfortunately, to be a long-shot, at best, to win. It is still a great movie that I hope educators here in the U.S. get a chance to see.
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