Among Spain's short directors, Chapero-Jackson is attracting the greatest international interest, with his "Alumbramiento" having won best short kudos at Venice and the European Film Academy awards. "Alumbramiento"involves a mother's death and, in the director's words, "how painfully torn a family can become from fear and emptiness before the impending death of a member." Chapero-Jackson is shooting the English-language pic, "The End," and is writing his first feature-length film.

GABE IBANEZ

After seeing Ibanez's first short, "Maquina," Guillermo del Toro called him from the Budapest set of "Hellboy II" to inquire about future projects. "It's an experiment," explains Ibanez of the film, "the story's not as important as audience reactions." Ibanez, who hails from commercials, has made one other short, the Chekhov-inspired "Nadia." In September, he'll commence production on his feature debut, "Hierro."

JOSE MANUEL CARRASCO

Carrasco's debut short, "Padam," was created as his Madrid ECAM Film School graduate project. He describes the work as "an optmistic dramedy about friendship and tolerance between two people with nothing in common." He just finished another short, the digitally-shot and slightly less rosy "Consulta 16." He's writing his feature debut.

PAU LOPEZ

Like Carrasco, Lopez' "Extraviados" was his graduation film, but from the ESCAC Catalan Film School, Spain's new talent hothouse. The story of a difficult father-son relationship, "Extraviados" is craftily constructed. He's writing a feature that he describes as "a drama with suspense overtones about identity theft."

VICENTE VILLANUEVA

His latest short, "Heterosexuales y casados," continues the acid-bitter vein of previous works "El futuro esta en el porno" and "Mariquita con perro." "Heterosexuales" is an ironic take on couples and urban schizophrenia, seen through a mosaic of vantage points. "Rafael Azcona's my model," he says. "He was fundamentally an observer. I pay particular attention to character." Villanueva is prepping his first feature, which he describes as "a drama so terrible it's laughable, about civil servants."

ANNA SOLANAS, MARC RIBA

After generating two elegantly stylish ani shorts ("La Lupe i en Bruno," "El negre es el color dels deus"), Solanas and Riba co-helmed the disturbing puppet toon "Violeta," which has become a fest favorite. "We set out to jolt the spectator with our not-so-innocent wooden dolls," says Solanas, co-founder with Riba of I+G Stop Motion. They're set to bow their new short "Cabaret Kadne" and are prepping a feature, "Erronia," a toon set in an apocalyptic society.

ALEJANDRO MARZOA

His ESCAC graduation project, "Temporada 92-93," was about two friends' common passion for soccer team Celta de Vigo. With writing partner Miguel Angel Blanca, Marzoa's prepping a new short as well as a feature on a father embroiled in the drug world. "Laughter can spring naturally from drama," he says. "I feel comfortable with comedy tinged with black humor."

ARTURO RUIZ

Ruiz' "Paseo" took the festival circuit by storm. Inspired by poet Federico Garcia Lorca's last night before his execution, it evokes the Spanish Civil War "from a very intimate standpoint," explains Ruiz. The filmmaker helped finish co-scribe Tony Bestard's first work, "El perfecto desconocido," which was honed at a Sundance lab in Mexico. He's developing his own feature.

JUAN PABLO ETXEVERRY

In his hand-drawn fifth short "The Biggest Flower in the World," based on a work by Portuguese novelist Jose Saramago, Etxeverry explores childhood innocence. "I'm now updating, experimenting technologically, incorporating 3D," he says, adding he has several projects in the works, from fiction to animation.

DANIEL CHAMORRO

His latest short, "Catharsis" -- a metaphor on the lack of communication -- made waves in the film world. The work was "born out of my falling in love with Berlin," the director says. "It's about two adults who had their childhood stolen by the Wall, and are trying to get it back." Chamorro's working on the short "El viaje a la luna," as well as writing a U.S. feature, which he calls "a comedy with metaphysical and horror overtones."