Spanish cinema today means just one director, mas o menos, and that’s Pedro Almodovar. Others of course exist but non-Spanish audiences rarely get to see them and anyway, since the 1980s, Almodovar has managed to eclipse them all. There is none better to give a sense of the dynamism, frenzy and creative élan of contemporary Spain – even with a high dose of exaggeration. Certain actors on the other hand have a much higher profile – from Penelope Cruz to Javier Bardem, Antonio Banderas and their forerunner, the late great Fernando Rey.