"Spanish Cinema Now" at Walter Reede Theater Dec 5-24th in NYC

Spanish Cinema Now" is one of Walter Reede Theater's longest running series beginning in 1992, with the French and Italian Film Festivals close behind. Spanish cinema is growing in popularity, especially among the younger generations.

Opening night began this evening, December 5, with Nacho G. Velilla's, "Chef's Special"/"Fuera de Carta", starring Javier Camara from the Spanish hit show, "7 Lives", Pedro Almodovar's, "Hable con ella", y "Mala Educacion", "Paris, je t'aime", and "Los Girasoles Ciegos". "Fuera de Carta/Chef's Special" also stars Lola Duenas, also known for her work in Almodovar's, "Hable con ella", and "Volver".

"Fuera de Carta"/"Chef's Special", is about Maxi, played by Javier Camara, a chef whose restaurant in Madrid is waiting for it's Michelin rating, when his ex-wife asks him to care for their two children, his life takes on new meaning.

Q & A

Javier Camara: "It is a very commercial movie, I am sorry."

Q- "Did you learn how to cook?'

A-"I do a lot of films about cooking. I don't know why. I am fat. At home, I am the worst cook in the world."

Q-"Does comedy come easy to you?"

A- "I learned comedy on sit com's on tv. Spain is a country for comedians and my grandfather was a comedian. You learn a lot from the director of the film, the rhythm of the film is like a sitcom. I love film."

Q-"DId you have a body double in the soccer scenes?

A-"They looked for one that looked a lot like me. I am fat, and most stuntmen are fit".

Q-"When did you become involved in the project?"

A-"I mixed natural "7-Lives", the famous sitcom in Spain, that was a normal development a big star Carmen M, doing a spin off of "7-Lives", called "Aida". I do the first film with him, but this film is a little bit exaggerated. The characters are made of gum. The movements are very exaggerated.

Best Paella in Barcelona: "Kaiku" on the Barcelonetta, in Barcelona.

Tapas Restaurants in NYC: "Bar Carrera", "Boqueria", "Las Ramblas", "N", "Mercat", and "Oliva".

"We are proud of the film. A lot of people go to the cinema in Spain and we are very proud. Today, I am very satisfied with all. I was working on the sit-com when Pedro Almodovar asked me to do "Talk to Her". I gained confidence, as I gained confidence, I knew I could do a good job, others become confident in me too." "I love one actor named Steve Carell. If anyone knows him personally, please tell him about me, not for sex.