by FilmInk Staff
INSPIRATION, DELIGHT AND ESCAPISM AWAIT AT THE 2025 HSBC SPANISH FILM FESTIVAL
FULL PROGRAMME OF THIRTY MUST-SEE FILMS FROM SPAIN AND LATIN AMERICA INCLUDING MULTIPLE AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED
The 2025 HSBC Spanish Film Festival will be bringing the fiesta to cities around Australia this June with a curated selection of thirty films from Spain and Latin America, showing at Palace Cinemas, Palace Nova and Luna Palace Cinemas.
The party will start with Opening Night comedy SAMANA SUNRISE (Amanece en Samaná), featuring an all-star cast including Luis Zahera, María Luisa Mayol, Luis Tosar and Bárbara Santa-Cruz. The story follows two Spanish couples celebrating their 20-year friendship with a trip to a beachside resort in the Dominican Republic, where a confession about the past leads to a reality shifting ‘Sliding Doors’ moment.
The Centrepiece of the Festival is the highly acclaimed EL 47, which recently won five Goya Awards including the coveted Best Film. Inspired by a true story, from writer/director Marcel Barrena (Mediterraneo: The Law of the Sea), this biographical drama starring Eduard Fernández follows a bus driver in an act of peaceful dissidence that transformed modern Barcelona during the city’s boom in the 1970s.
A 2025 Special Presentation is UNDERCOVER (La infiltrada), co-winner of Best Film at the 2025 Goya Awards (sharing it with EL 47). This gripping crime thriller set in the Basque Country is based on the real-life story of Aranzazu Berradre Marín, the pseudonym for the only police officer in Spanish history to infiltrate the terrorist organisation ETA.
From celebrated auteur Julio Medem comes OCHO (8), a romantic drama that spans almost a century of Spanish history. Over 90 years, eight encounters mark Octavio and Adela’s tumultuous and passionate relationship, mirroring pivotal moments in the country’s history.
In this year’s New Spanish Cinema selection is THE GOLDSMITH’S SECRET (El secreto del orfebre), an epic romance adapted from Elia Barceló’s critically acclaimed novel. It stars Mario Casas as a goldsmith who revisits his Spanish hometown, reconnecting with a great love affair from 25 years prior.
Executive produced by Steven Soderbergh and fully funded by NFTs is Goya Best New Director nominee THE QUIET MAID (Calladita). This compelling class conflict drama with a satirical edge follows a Colombian maid working tirelessly in a luxurious mansion on the Costa Brava, until she realises how to find her own ways of enjoying the summer.
Gripping moral thriller MARCO, THE INVENTED TRUTH (Marco) stars Eduard Fernández in a standout performance as a charismatic man who spent years harbouring an unimaginable lie. The film is based on the unbelievable true story of Enric Marco who served as the speaker of the Spanish association of Holocaust victims for years, while maintaining a complex web of lies.
Icíar Bollaín’s taut, gripping drama I AM NEVENKA (Soy Nevenka) explores consent and structures of power and is inspired by the true case of Nevenka Fernández, a young woman in 1990s Spain who courageously reported harassment by her employer; powerful drama THE STEPMOTHER’S BOND (Tras el verano), about the fragility of relationships in blended families, is inspired by debut director Yolanda Centeno’s own experiences and LITTLE LOVES (Los pequeños amores) is an intense and emotional duel from up-and-coming director Celia Rico Clavellino that delves into the complexities of mother-daughter relationships.
The ever-popular Spanish comedy selection includes the No. 1 box office hit WOLFGANG (Wolfgang Extraordinario) direct from its release in Spain. This heartwarming comedy and emotional tribute to fatherhood follows the journey of a nine-year-old boy forced to live with his newfound father in Barcelona.
Audience favourite Paco León stars as a carefree man living a hedonistic lifestyle in the Canary Islands who is suddenly thrust into fatherhood, in Spanish box office hit BABIES DON’T COME WITH INSTRUCTIONS (Sin instrucciones).
Dani Rovira leads a stellar ensemble in THE BUS OF LIFE (El bus de la vida), a music-centred, life-affirming journey and feel-good tale about a music teacher facing his fears; based on incredible true events, MAY I SPEAK WITH THE ENEMY (Es el enemigo? La película de Gila) is a witty yet sensitive tribute to comedian Miguel Gila, who pioneered stand-up comedy in Spain, exploring his experience of the Spanish Civil War; in bittersweet dramatic comedy SUMMER IN DECEMBER (Verano en diciembre) four generations of women gather in Madrid for a family reunion, featuring an all-star cast including Carmen Machi; and NO GUILT (Culpa Cero) a highly resonant tragicomedy about a successful self-help writer whose life is shaken up when she is accused of plagiarism in the media.
This year’s Cine Latino selection features a strong representation of Argentinian cinema including crime thriller A SILENT DEATH (Una muerte silenciosa) in which Joaquín Furriel leads a stellar ensemble in a gripping tale of guilt, suspicion and truth set in the depths of Patagonia in the 1980s.
WHAT WE WANTED TO BE (Lo que quisimos ser), heralds the long-awaited return to directing of one of the great names of contemporary Latin American cinema Alejandro Agresti, along with veteran actors Luis Rubio and Eleonora Wexler who star in a stunning and intimate story of the illusion of love and a tribute to cinema.
Drawing comparisons to the work of Wes Anderson, quirky thriller EL JOCKEY tells the story of a legendary jockey’s self-destructive behaviour which begins to outshine his talent and threaten his relationship with his girlfriend. Set in vibrant Buenos Aires, it stars Nahuel Pérez Biscayart and Úrsula Corberó (Money Heist, The Day of the Jackal).
Directed by and starring Adrián Suar, Argentinian box office hit MAZEL TOV is a bittersweet and heartfelt family drama about forgiveness, sibling rivalry, letting go, and coming home. Also family-themed is Mexican/US co-production LAS TRES SISTERS, an adventure comedy about three Mexican-American sisters who embark on an adventure to follow in the footsteps of their grandmother while working to repair their relationships.
Paulina García stars as a woman who has a chance to free herself from her past in Uruguayan drama MILONGA, when she meets a man with whom she re-discovers her passion for tango. From Peru is the poignant tale of resilience and community THROUGH ROCKS AND CLOUDS (Raíz). An eight-year-old alpaca herder excitedly follows Peru’s World Cup chances, whilst the actions of a mining company threaten his village and their way of life in a remote village in the Andes.
Two standout documentaries in this year’s line-up feature a focus on distinctive aspects of Spanish culture – food and music. Winner of the Culinary Zinema Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival, MUGARITZ. NO BREAD, NO DESSERT (Mugaritz. Sin pan ni postre) invites the viewer behind the scenes of the avant-garde kitchen of fine-dining, Michelin starred restaurant Mugaritz. The film charts the off-season innovation of the famed Basque restaurant as chefs craft experimental dishes.
Winner of the Best Documentary and Best Original Song at the 2025 Goya Awards is THE FLAMENCO GUITAR OF YERAI CORTÉS (La guitarra flamenca de Yerai Cortés). A unique musical experience featuring some spectacular set pieces of flamenco, this superb documentary about love, passion, forgiveness and family explores the artistic process of the rising flamenco star.
Themes of seduction, pleasure and romance feature in ASK ME WHAT YOU WANT (Pídeme lo que quieras),adapted from the best-selling novel by Spanish romance writer Megan Maxwell. It stars Gabriela Andrada and Mario Ermito in a story of passion, pleasure and secrets; tensions simmer in compelling drama LINDA, when a captivating housemaid with unique charm unveils a family’s secrets; dramatic thriller ELECTROPHILIA (Los Impactados), stars Mariana Di Girolamo as a woman forever changed after being struck by lightning and waking up from a coma; and queer drama BABY, writer/director Marcelo Caetano’s vibrant and empathetic ode to found family, survival and the city of São Paulo.
In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the brilliant and highly lauded crime thriller NINE QUEENS (Nueve reinas), the Festival will close with the 4K remastered classic starring festival favourite Ricardo Darín and Gaston Pauls.
The 2025 HSBC Spanish Film Festival will take place nationally from 11 June to 9 July (dates vary by city) in Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Melbourne, Ballarat, Sydney, Ballina and Byron Bay. Tickets are now on sale.
LISTING DETAILS:
Canberra 11 June – 2 July: Palace Electric Cinema
Adelaide 11 June – 2 July: Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Palace Prospect Cinemas
Brisbane 11 June – 2 July: Palace James Street and Palace Barracks
Perth 12 June – 2 July: Palace Raine Square Cinemas, Luna Leederville and Luna on SX
Melbourne 13 June – 2 July: The Astor Theatre, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Penny Lane, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, Palace Balwyn and Pentridge Cinema
Ballarat: 13 June – 2 July Palace Regent Theatre
Sydney 19 June – 9 July: Palace Norton Street, Palace Moore Park, Palace Central and Chauvel Cinema
Byron Bay 19 June – 9 July: Palace Byron Bay
Ballina 19 June – 9 July: Ballina Fair Cinemas
For updates and more information, visit www.spanishfilmfestival.com
