No single narrative has expressed añoranza, or irresolvable longing, with more fire and eloquence than the great Spanish poet and playwright Federico García Lorca’s timeless masterpiece Blood Wedding. Yet Spanish filmmakers rarely turn to their own country’s cultural legacy for material (until now, only Carlos Saura had dared to adapt Blood Wedding for his flamenco-driven film of the same name) — which makes director Paula Oritz’s sophomore outing that much more exciting.

Majestically reinterpreted—and renamed—for the big screen, The Bride’s cast includes the stunning Inma Cuesta (star of our 2015 Festival’s Closing Night film Sidetracked), heartthrob Alex García (star of our 2015 Festival’s Lexus Audience Award winner Kamikaze), and the alluringly inscrutable Asier Etxeandia (also seen at this year’s Festival in Ma Ma). Ortiz renders this passionate love story, about a bride so incapable of controlling her desire for her lover that she abandons her groom, with sumptuous cinematic style and a sense of audacity that Lorca himself would most certainly have applauded. It’s no wonder that The Bride has dominated this year’s race to the Goya Awards—Spain’s equivalent to Oscars—with a total of twelve nominations, including Best Picture. – Orlando Rojas