''My Prison Yard'' ( es, El patio de mi cárcel, links=no) is a 2008 Spanish prison drama film directed by Belén Macías. The female-dominated cast stars

Candela Peña María del Pilar Peña Sánchez (born 14 July 1973), professionally known as Candela Peña, is a Spanish actress. Since her film debut in the 1994 thriller '' Running Out of Time'', she has had a lengthy career in cinema. She won the Goya Award ...

and

Verónica Echegui Verónica Fernández Echegaray (born 16 June 1983), known professionally as Verónica Echegui, is a Spanish actress. Since making her feature film debut as the title character of the 2006 drama ''My Name Is Juani'' she has featured in films su ...

alongside

Ana Wagener Ana Álvarez Wagener (born 1962) is a Spanish actress. She has appeared in such films as ''The Sleeping Voice'', ''My Prison Yard'', '' Biutiful'', and '' The Invisible Guest''. Her television credits include the role of Vicenta Ramírez in ''L ...

Blanca Portillo Blanca Portillo Martínez de Velasco (born 15 June 1963) is a Spanish actress. Career Portillo started as an actress in several small theater productions before graduating in drama from the Real Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático. One of he ...

Patricia Reyes Spíndola Patricia Verónica Núñez Reyes Spíndola (born 11 July 1953) is a Mexican actress, director, and producer. She has received four Ariel Awards, two for Best Actress (''Los Motivos de Luz'' in 1985 and '' The Queen of the Night'' in 1994), and ...

and Violeta Pérez.

Plot

A prison drama set in the 1980s, the plot tracks a group of female inmates who create a theatre group with help from a female prison officer, Mar.

Cast

Production

El Deseo El Deseo (also known as El Deseo S.A.) is a film production company owned by Spanish film producers the Almodóvar brothers (Pedro and Agustín). The company has financed all the films directed by Pedro starting from The Law of Desire in 198 ...

and Warner Bros. Entertainment España production, ''My Prison Yard'' began filming began on 8 October 2007. Shooting lasted for 8 weeks, taking place in between the

Madrid region The Community of Madrid (; es, Comunidad de Madrid ) is one of the seventeen autonomous communities of Spain. It is located in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, and of the Central Plateau (''Meseta Central''). Its capital and largest munici ...

and the

province of Guadalajara Guadalajara () is a province of Spain, belonging to the autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha. As of 2013 it had a population of 257,723 people. The population of the province has grown in the last 10 years. It is located in the centre of ...

Release

The film was presented on 22 September 2008 at the

Kursaal Kursaal may refer to: *Kursaal (amusement park), an amusement park in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England * Kursaal Ward, a council ward in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England * Dome Cinema, Worthing, previously named the Kursaal * Royal Hall, Harrogate, ...

as part of the main competition of the 56th

San Sebastián International Film Festival The San Sebastián International Film Festival ( SSIFF; es, Festival Internacional de San Sebastián, eu, Donostia Zinemaldia) is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spanish city of Donostia-San Sebastián in September, in th ...

(SSIFF).

Reception

Irene Crespo of ''

Cinemanía ''Cinemanía'' is a Spanish language monthly film magazine based in Madrid, Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)( ...

'' gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, considering that while not a promise of thematic renewal for Spanish cinema, the film seems to be a firm commitment to tell the social stories with renewed impetus. Jay Weissberg of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' considered the film an "ultra-straight" drama, taking "the prize for most earnest and least self-aware women-in-prison film of the decade, if not longer", assessing that while never rising above TV movie material the female cast pulled solid and genuinely sympathetic performances.

Accolades

, - , align = "center" rowspan = "8" , 2009 , , 64th CEC Medals , , Best Actress , , Verónica Echegui , , , , , - , rowspan = "4" ,

23rd Goya Awards The 23rd Goya Awards honouring the best in Spanish filmmaking of 2008 were presented on 1 February 2009 at the Madrid's Palacio Municipal de Congresos. The gala was hosted by Carmen Machi, also featuring Muchachada Nui. '' Camino'' was the big w ...

, ,

Best New Director ''Best New Director'' was an award given by the New York Film Critics Circle from its first inception in 1989 until discontinuing in 1996. There was no award in 1993. 1980s 1989 *Kenneth Branagh – ''Henry V (1989 film), Henry V'' **Runners-up: St ...

, , Belén Macías , , , , rowspan = "4" , , - ,

Goya Award for Best Actress The Goya Award for Best Actress (Spanish: ''Premio Goya a la mejor interpretación femenina protagonista'') is one of the Goya Awards, Spain's principal national film awards. Since its inception, the award has been given to 26 actresses. At the 1s ...

, , Verónica Echegui , , , - ,

Goya Award for Best New Actress The Goya Award for Best New Actress ( es, Premio Goya a la mejor actriz revelación, links=no) is one of the Goya Awards, Spain's principal national film awards. Since its inception, the award has been given to 27 actresses. At the 9th Goya Award ...

, , Ana Wagener , , , - ,

Goya Award for Best Original Song The Goya Award for Best Original Song (Spanish: ''Premio Goya a la mejor canción original'') is one of the Goya Awards, Spain's principal national film awards. The award was first presented at the fifteenth edition with the first winner being th ...

, , "Podemos volar juntos"by Raul Sánchez Zafra, Juan Pablo , , , - , rowspan = "3" , 18th Actors and Actresses Union Awards , , Best Film Actress in a Secondary Role , , Ana Wagener , , , , rowspan = "3" , , - , Best Film Actress in a Minor Role , , Natalia Mateo , , , - , Best New Actress , , Violeta Pérez , ,

References

{{authority control Films shot in the Community of Madrid Films shot in the province of Guadalajara 2000s Spanish-language films Spanish drama films 2000s prison drama films Films set in the 1980s 2008 drama films 2008 films El Deseo films 2000s Spanish films Spanish prison films Women in prison films