When asked to elucidate the nature of Ana 's suffering , the director replied : " '' Cría Cuervos '' is a sad film , yes . But that 's part of my belief that childhood is one of the most terrible parts in the life of a human being . What I 'm trying to say is that at that age you 've no idea where it is you are going , only that people are taking you somewhere , leading you , pulling you and you are frightened . You do n't know where you 're going or who you are or what you are going to do . It 's a time of terrible indecision . " '' Cría Cuervos '' was shot in the summer of 1975 , as Spanish leader Francisco Franco lay dying , and premiered in Madrid 's Conde Duque Theatre , on January 26 , 1976 . Highly acclaimed , it received the Cannes film festival Special Jury Prize Award . The film became director Carlos Saura and producer Elías Querejeta 's most commercially successful film up to that point , going on to become the sixth largest grossing Spanish film of 1976 . The picture made a similar strong showing in foreign markets , including the United States where it solidified Saura 's reputation as Spain 's best international known director of the 1970s . Today the film is considered a political and psychological masterpiece and a classic of Spanish Cinema . The film was selected as the Spanish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 49th Academy Awards , but was not accepted as a nominee
49th Academy Awards
49th Academy Awards
Cría Cuervos