A nation is nothing without the stories it tells about itself. In Spanish National Cinema , N.ria Triana-Toribio studies some of the stories told through film, as well as the demands made on Spanish cinema to provide new stories to contribute to the formation of the nation. She also examines the changing national qualities of Spanish cinema, such as the 'Spanishness' of its filmmakers, while taking issue with studies of national cinemas that focus on 'important moments'. N.ria Triana-Toribio's insightful study traces how film functioned as a national cultural industry under the Franco regime and since the coming of democracy in the 1970s. She also examines the increasing influence of Hollywood in the financing and character of contemporary Spanish films. While the book addresses the work of such 'high art' filmmakers as Almodovar and Medem, whose work has achieved international recognition, N.ria Triana-Toribio's main focus is on popular cinema which has been successful or significant in a national context. Using accounts of films, popular film magazines and documents not readily available to an English-speaking audience, as well as case studies focusing on the key issues of each epoch, this volume illuminates the complex and changing relationship between cinema and Spanish national identity.