• La carn, by Joan Porcel; As liñas descontinuas, by Anxos Fazáns; Iván & Hadoum, by Ian de la Rosa; Aro berria, by Irati Gorostidi, and Sucia – Per què no vas fer res?, by Bárbara Mestanza, make up this year’s crop
• This 25th edition has brought two changes to the section: competing works don’t need to be Spanish premieres, just Canarian ones, and the jury will be composed by young people currently training to work in festival programming and curation
• Screenings will include introductions by the authors of the pieces as well as open discussions with experienced island filmmakers
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, April 7, 2026.- The Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival has decided to implement a couple of changes for its 25th edition regarding its Spanish cinema offer within the Panorama Spain section, which traditionally allows its audience to have a glance at the latest national film production. On one hand, it has broadened its selection requirements, so aspiring works no longer need to be Spanish or international premieres in order to participate.
Due to the annual tight schedule of festivals and showings, as well as the increasing practice of having limited releases in specific theaters of major cities, there were few options left for the Canarian audience with the previous selection criteria. That’s why the programming team has established new rules: the only pieces now excluded from the section are those that have already been released in the Archipelago.
On the other hand, Panorama Spain’s usual international jury will turn into a youth one made up of people in training, thus allowing them to learn first hand about festival programming and curation, in addition to judging a diverse selection of works in competition.
These ten students will experience the latest Spanish cinema through five feature films which have already been shown in other festivals. Some of them are a little bit more experimental in their forms, others are more classical in their narrative styles, but all of them have been made, according to the catalogue of the 25th FICLPGC, “from a modern point of view.”
Prior to their arrival in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, La carn, by Joan Porcel, As liñas descontinuas, by Anxos Fazáns, Iván & Hadoum, by Ian de la Rosa, Aro berria, by Irati Gorostidi, and Sucia – Per què no vas fer res?, by Bárbara Mestanza, have been shown at venues such as Berlin, New York, San Sebastián, Gijón, Málaga, Barcelona or Tallin.
It was precisely at the San Sebastián International Film Festival where Aro berria got a Special Mention. This radical piece visually depicts the social era experienced by the Basque Country during the Transition, thus turning what was once the short film Counters, selected as part of the 2023 Panorama Spain section, into a feature-length film. Its director, Irati Gorostidi, managed to get together a crew that included well-regarded cinematographer Ion de Sosa, who shot the whole project on film.
With two awards at Málaga up its sleeve has come La carn, by Joan Porcel. In it, dancer Lluis Garau lends his body to a filmic adaptation of his theatrical work that invites the audience to a digital world where emotional connection is not allowed.
The documentary Sucia – Per què no vas fer res? (Dirty), winner of the Audience Award at the Málaga Film Festival, shares this same origin. Filmmaker and actress Bárbara Mestanza adapted her own play portraying the gruelling legal processes endured by women who report their sexual abusers.
Two other awards in Malaga and the Teddy Award at the Berlinale accompany Iván & Hadoum, a forbidden love story by Goya winner Ian de la Rosa.
Love and friendship are also the cornerstones around which Anxos Fazáns has woven As liñas descontinuas (The Dashed Lines), whose script she co-wrote alongside Ian de la Rosa.
All five of Panorama Spain’s screenings will be introduced by their authors and will be followed by extended discussions about each feature’s filming process and Q&As between the filmmakers, the audience and other experienced Canarian creators.
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