Renowned for his sexually transgressive themes, postmodern allusions to earlier cinema, and bold visual style, Pedro Almodóvar’s auteurial signature has become so distinctive that it is now widely recognized with its own adjective: “Almodóvarian.” Through a discussion of scenes from his most important films, this seminar will investigate how the “Almodóvarian” aesthetic developed in the context of “La Movida Madrileña,” a countercultural movement in post-fascist Spain, as well as through global film culture and systems of distribution. By exploring the director’s prolific output in the context of queer culture and cinema, we will also trace the broader political stakes of how his films blur boundaries between the camp and the solemn, high art and kitsch, as well as comedy and melodrama. Presented in advance of Almodóvar’s latest film, PAIN AND GLORY, this seminar explores the director’s long-standing concern with issues of personal and cultural memory, nostalgia, and his enduring collaborations with actors.
This seminar is presented in conjunction with Weekends with Pedro and PAIN & GLORY (all tickets sold separately).
About the speaker: Iggy Cortez is the Mellon Assistant Professor of Cinema and Media Arts at Vanderbilt University. His research and teaching interests include world cinema, queer aesthetics, the history of the senses, and questions of screen performance and embodiment. He is currently working on a book on nighttime across recent world cinema, and his work has appeared or is forthcoming in the Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, ASAP/J, and Art Asia Pacific.