The Disenchantment / El Desencanto

Directed by Jaime Chávarri (who was influenced by Grey Gardens), El Desencanto is the fragmented story of the Paneros, a brilliant and tormented literary family whose eccentricities and taboo-smashing exhibitionism turned them into a phenomenon in Spain the year after Francisco Franco died. The film is a national classic, valued and remembered both for the role it played in the country's transition to democracy and for the Paneros' singular strangeness.

For the Sunday, June 16th 6 pm screening Will Zavala, curator of Doc Salon will introduce the film and discuss the film (offsite) afterward.

For the Wednesday, June 19th 8 pm screening we are excited to present Candace Skibba, who will introduce the film and moderate a discussion afterward.

An Associate Teaching Professor of Hispanic Studies within the Department of Modern Languages of the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University. With a Ph.D. in Contemporary Spanish Literature, her principal area of expertise is in the field of twentieth-century Peninsular studies, particularly Post-Franco literature and culture.

We gratefully thank Aaron Shulman (author of The Age of Disenchantments: The Epic Story of Spain's Most Notorious Literary Family and the Long Shadow of the Spanish Civil War) for helping us to present this rare documentary.