Embrace winter with the best the Spanish Film Festival has to offer.
In its 26th year, the Spanish Film Festival isn’t showing any signs of running out of steam. In fact, 2024 marks its largest lineup to date. Foreign film fans who live in Australia will be spoiled for cinematic stories from Spain and Latin America.
Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Luna Palace Cinemas, and Palace Cinemas, which hosts a range of international film festivals throughout the year, will screen 39 films (dramas, comedies, thrillers, documentaries, and more) in most capital cities between June and July.
Here are some of the best experiences to keep an eye out for throughout the festival.
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Opening Night Film
- When: Various
- Where: Various
- Tickets: Here
This year’s festival kicks off with the Australian premiere of The Movie Teller, a coming-of-age film (adapted from the namesake novel authored by Chilean National Literature Prize winner Hernan Rivera Letelier) about mining town kid Maria Margarita and her remarkable ability to act out the Hollywood movies her family sees together — to the enthral of the Atacama Desert town she grows up in.
The Movie Teller has been nominated for awards in a variety of categories at this year’s Goya Awards and Gaudi Awards. With its focus on the transcendent magic of film and storytelling, it hits a fitting tone for the rest of the festival.
What’s more, the opening night fiestas in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra will feature Spanish-inspired food, drinks and music before the film, as well as opening night reception events pre-film and bebidas (drinks!) on arrival in other cities.
Special Events
- When: Various
- Where: Various
- Tickets: Here.
A slew of special events are planned to take place throughout the Spanish Film Festival — offering a mix of Spanish and Latin American drinks, eats, music, and general festivity. Tequila cocktails will be on offer ahead of revenge flick Upon Open Sky, which screens as part of the festival’s Mexican night.
Guests viewing Rioja: The Land of a Thousand Wines will be able to sip on a zippy Spanish red ahead of the movie and festival visitors who get tickets to The Blue Star, which is inspired by musician Maurico Aznar’s journey through Argentina, will have Argentinian Zuccardi Wines and tapas to choose before the movie begins.
Special Presentations
- When: Various
- Where: Various
- Tickets: Here
The Spanish Film Festival’s Special Presentation contextualises the 2024 festival by introducing the theme of “liberation, sexuality, and empowerment”, as explored by a number of modern films led by women.
Mamacruz, Memories of a Burning Body, Something Is About to Happen, and The Girls at the Station, all make their Australian premiere during the festival, introducing audiences to characters including a religiously devout woman who suddenly rediscovers the transformative power of her own sensuality during the late stages of middle age, three girls who grow up in a juvenile detention centre, and an IT specialist looking for freedom.
Female Filmmaker Focus
- When: Various
- Where: Various
- Tickets: Here.
Women doing wonderful things in film? Like men? Gender parity in the film industry is still problematic.
For this year’s festival, the event joins with the Spanish Embassy in Canberra to celebrate Spanish women in film by way of a spotlight on female filmmakers, including everyone from first-time directors to giants of the industry.
Chinas, the third film by writer-director Arantxa Echevarria (Carmen & Lola), tells the story of two sisters who navigate challenges of childhood, belonging, and identity sense
The Girls are Alright features an emerging cast of actors who drive this upbeat drama about a group of actors and a writer who gather at a country house for a week to discover a lot about their fears, achievements, relationships, and loves.
All in all, there are nine films (all Australian premieres) to check out for the Focus on Female Filmmakers part of the festival.
Spotlights and Commemorations
Iconic Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dali was born 120 years ago. To celebrate his contributions to cinema, the Spanish Film Festival is showcasing his early avant garde film work, his Hollywood contributions, and a documentary that dives deep into his life and legacy.
Alongside the Dali commemoration, the festival is also spotlighting prolific Spanish filmmaker Isabel Coixet, who has directed a dozen films since 1988, best known for My Life Without Me, the Secret Life of Words, and The Bookshop.
At the film festival, you can immerse yourself in Coixet’s other films, Elegy, Those Who Love, and Yesterday Never Ends.
Closing Night
- When: July 10
- Where: The Astor
- Tickets: Here
The festival will close with a special screening of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s bizarre and cult-favourite offering The Holy Mountain. Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the avant-garde odyssey is widely renowned as a classic, filled with stunning visuals, spiritual metaphors and unexpected twists and turns
Truly an amazing way to finish off another exceptional year of the Spanish Film Festival, The Holy Mountain Restored in 4K will take viewers on a deeply symbolic journey, leaving them feeling illuminated and hungry for more. Showing for one night only in Melbourne at the Astor, it’s not to be missed.
The Spanish Film Festival is showcasing the best cinema from Spain and Latin America during June and July in 2024. Find tickets to the festival here and secure an e-ticket bundle (10 tickets for $159) before June 19 here.
