Belle Epoque

As part of the new initiative AND THE GOYA GOES TO – New Spanish Films, and in conjunction with the Rafael Azcona Year and the 40th anniversary of the Spanish Film Academy, we present a special screening of Belle Époque, a landmark film in the history of Spanish cinema.

Distinguished with the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, this title also serves as a tribute to the incomparable Rafael Azcona, one of the great masters of screenwriting. His style—irreverent, sharp, and profoundly humane—infuses every scene, transforming the film into a celebration of freedom, desire, and the joy of living.

Set in the months leading up to the Spanish Civil War, Belle Époque follows Fernando, a young deserter who finds refuge in the home of Manolo, an eccentric painter with progressive ideas. There, he becomes entangled in an emotional journey with his host’s four daughters—Rocío, Violeta, Clara, and Luz—each representing a distinct path toward maturity and self‑discovery.

The film blends humor, narrative elegance, and a luminously vital portrait of a Spain still dreaming of what might be—elements that unmistakably bear Azcona’s signature.

This screening inaugurates in a special way this new initiative, dedicated to bringing the best of recent Spanish cinema to New York while paying tribute to those who have shaped its history.