During the Franco era, government sanctioned historical epics and folkloric extravaganzas reigned. Berlanga broke the mould with this ingenious satire of Francoist mythology that slipped by el Caudillo’s censorship machine and into the popular consciousness. The sleepy Castillian village of Villar del Río is stirred into action by the announcement that the Yanks will soon be coming with generous handouts courtesy of the Marshall Plan. The villagers must compete for the attention of the visitors so a plan is hatched: Create a picture postcard typical Spanish village, complete with customs, costumes, architecture, and flamenco imported from another region, miles south in Andalucia. But of course, the best laid plans… ¡BIENVENIDO MISTER MARSHALL! won the Jury Prize at the 1953 Cannes Film Festival and thus put Spanish cinema back on the international film map. + Shackled Saturday 18 March only Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, Sp, 20m Fresnadillo’s Oscar-nominated short is a monochrome, comic exploration of the effects of a major lottery win upon the relationship of one happy couple.