2023 has been another great year for Spanish cinema. Eoghan sits down with Anita Fuentes to discuss some of the best films coming out of Spain over the last 12 months, including: 20.000 especies de abejas, As bestas, Matria and Las chicas están bien. Anita also recommends Spanish series La Mesías.

Anita Fuentes is a La Caixa Doctoral Fellow and is researching TikTok misogyny at the Complutense university in Madrid.

After weeks of tension, uncertainty and violent protests, Spain has a new progressive coalition government as prime minister Pedro Sanchez won an investiture vote today in the Spanish parliament. Eoghan sat down with Sumar MP Txema Guijarro a few hours after the vote to discuss the events of recent weeks, the Catalan amnesty deal and where the country's left goes from here.

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Miguel Hurtado is a human rights activist and clergy sex abuse survivor. He sits down with Alan to discuss the recent report from the Spanish government that estimates 440,000 people in the country have been victims of sexual abuse by the Catholic church. They discuss the methodology and content of the report and later the reaction. They also discuss Spain's recent changes in child protection and its flaws along with the need to abolish the statute of limitations when it comes to child abuse.

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In today's episode Eoghan is joined by historian Andrew Dowling to discuss the ongoing efforts to form a government in Spain, with negotiations currently centred on the possibility of a sweeping amnesty law for the Catalan independence movement. Pro-independence Junts' pragmatic turn since September suggests a confidence and suppy deal can reached to give Pedro Sanchez 4 more years in Moncloa but internal rivalries within the independence movement could complicate issues.

Please donate here to make the podcast sustainable into 2024: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thesobremey

Freelance journalist James Badcock has reported on the numerous scandals of Juan Carlos closely over the years from dodgy dealings to his mistresses. He has even interviewed Juan Carlos's ex-lover Corinna. James joins Alan to discuss Leonor's recent elevation to heiress, Felipe's battles and, of course, the playboy king himself. This is the sordid story of the modern Spanish Royal family.

Carlos Delclós is a Professor of Sociology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. He joins Alan to clarify what gentrification is and is not, what different types of gentrification there are and how they have had an effect on Spain's biggest city and tourist destination Barcelona.

Joana Ramiro joins Alan to discuss the changing cityscape of Lisbon and Porto. As a Portuguese journalist living in the UK, Joana was shocked when she went back to her home city for 6 months during the first COVID-19 lockdown. Following several articles on the changes taking place, specifically regarding housing, Joana sits down with Alan to explore the causes and responses to this simmering crisis.

Related articles:

https://staging.tribunemag.co.uk/2021/03/a-letter-from-lisbon

https://jacobin.com/2023/03/portugal-lisbon-porto-rent-increases-housing-crisis

Alan is joined by David from Secret Kingdoms English book shop in barrio de las Letras, Madrid. They talk about some unusual books in English about Spain.

Books discussed:

Miguel de Cervantes - The Banks of Algeas/ The Great Sultana

María de Zayas y Sotomayor - Exemplary Tales of Love and Tales of Disillusion

Salvador Dali, Marx brothers - Giraffes on Horseback Salad

Gerald Brenan - South of Granada/ Spanish Labyrinth / The Literature of the Spanish People

Almudena Grande - Ages of Lulu/ The Frozen Heart

Ben Lerner - Leaving the Atocha Station

Brett Hetherington- Slow Travels in Unsung Spain (20th Sept)

https://thesecretkingdoms.net/

This week Eoghan is joined by independent journalist Leah Pattem to discuss the fallout from Spanish Football Federation chief Luis Rubiales' alleged sexual assault of Jenni Hermoso at the World Cup final and why most international coverage is ignoring a crucial player in this story: Spain's powerful feminist movement.

Mahmoud Roshdy joins Alan to discuss an alternative way of teaching and looking at the history of Arabic Spain. With 8oo years of history, this new approach makes for interesting listening when compared to the average history class.

Alan and Eoghan also discuss the Women's World Cup and what is happening politically after the elections.

Photo by Mahmoud Hosny Roshdy