Pedro Almodóvar Season, BFI Southbank

Inimitable is a word too often prefixed to a director’s name. But in the case of Pedro Almodóvar, it’s a perfect match. It all started with the youthful kitsch of Pepi, Luci, Bom but since then the Spanish cineaste has taken on madcap comedy (Women on The Verge of a Nervous Breakdown), family drama (All About My Mother), and even sci-fi (The Skin I Live In).

He can be light, he can be serious, he can be both at the same time, yet for all this variety, an Almodóvar film is instantly recognisable. How can you mistake that radiant palette? Which other directors can claim to have mastered such a distinctive visual language?

The BFI’s Almodóvar Season kicks off on August 1 and runs until 5 October, and whether you’re looking for a place to start (we suggest Volver) or searching out a hidden gem (how about What Have I Done to Deserve This?), you’re sure to find something of interest. There’s also a chance to catch a preview of Julieta, Almodóvar’s most recent, Cannes-premièring film.

Plus, running alongside the main event, there’s ‘In Almodóvar’s Words…’, a series of the directors’ favourite Spanish films, among them mid-century melodrama, Penelope Cruz’s debut and a dash of 60s surrealism.

And if that’s not enough, there’s talks from the man himself, fellow director Pablo Berger, actor Rossy de Palma and previous costume design collaborator Jean Paul Gaultier.

Dates and times for some events are still TBC