The Wishful Thinkers (2013)

Waiting for the green light on his next project, young filmmaker León (Francesco Carril) is in a state of limbo. So what’s he to do? Wander Madrid, get drunk, go on dates, meet up with friends, fall in love, and of course talk about movies. Shot on black-and-white 16mm film stock, writer/director Trueba’s film is a joyous love letter to cinema and the filmmaking process, in particular the French New Wave, whose vintage aesthetic the film consciously evokes. While a film about the craft of making work, it’s also a meditation on contemporary Spanish society, a boy-meets-girl tale, and a seductive homage to Madrid, with the city as much a protagonist of the movie as Carril’s León. Winner of the Best Actor Award at the Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival.