Spanish cinema makes waves on American shores
By Kate Carolan | November 16, 2004With the ever-growing population of Spanish speakers in the United States, the last 10 years in particular have seen an increase in Hispanic, and predominantly Latin, culture, from the Macarena to Ricky Martin. During this time, Spanish-language film has also seemed to grow in popularity, and to many Americans, is mistakenly viewed as a new phenomenon. Much to the contrary, Spanish film has a long, rich tradition rooted in amazing cinematography, surrealist approaches and unparalleled character development that has propelled it to the forefront of the film industry for decades. Luis Bunuel, commonly regarded as the father of surrealist film, was a contemporary of Salvador Dali and Federico Garcia Lorca and truly revolutionized cinematography.