The San Ramon Arts Foundation is preparing to kick off its next Friday Foreign Film series on Jan. 13, with the screening of the first of the four movies in the series.

"Devil's Backbone", directed by Academy Award winner Guillermo del Toro, is set to offer viewers a glimpse into the Spanish Civil War from a "gothic horror" perspective that del Toro is known for.

The series continues on Feb. 24 with "Portrait of a Lady on Fire," a 2019 French historical drama written and directed by Céline Sciamma, which focuses on an artist's interactions with the subject of a portrait she's assigned to, a "reluctant bride" whose shyness and unwillingness to sit for a portrait lead the artist to observe her in everyday life and work on the project in secret.

The Danish film "A Hijacking", written and directed by Thomas Lindholm, is next in the series, scheduled for March 3. Its plot centers around a cargo ship that is captured by Somali pirates, and the ensuing negotiations from government officials and the crew on board.

The series closes out on March 24 with "Salaam Bombay", directed by Mira Nair, which centers on an 11-year-old boy sent to earn money in a traveling circus for a motorcycle of his older brother's that he destroyed before landing in the slums of Mumbai.

All four films in the series are scheduled for 7 p.m. on their show dates at the Dougherty Valley Performing Arts Center at 10550 Albion Road in San Ramon. More information and tickets are available at tickets.sanramon.ca.gov.