Valladolid Fest Spotlights Rising Spanish Auteurs and Global Premieres

The 2025 Valladolid International Film Festival, which runs from October 24 to November 1, is set to deliver a powerful punch with its rich lineup of recent Spanish debuts and world premieres. The festival's Spanish program shines a spotlight on the depth and diversity of the country's cinematic talent, moving beyond the shadow of renowned director Pedro Almodóvar.

One of the most anticipated world premieres is "Golpes" from Rafael Cobos, the longtime co-screenwriter of acclaimed director Alberto Rodríguez. Cobos' feature film debut is described as a thriller about "blood ties and memory," depicting "a portrait of a contradictory, disorientated country unable to settle the score with its past." Another highly anticipated world premiere is "Jakarta" from Diego San José, known for co-writing the highest-grossing Spanish film in the country, "Spanish Affair." San José's latest work stars the inimitable Javier Cámara as a badminton player touring nondescript Spanish towns.

The festival also features the latest from acclaimed director David Trueba, whose "Always Winter" adapts his own 2015 novella, exploring the emotional aftermath of a romantic breakup. Trueba's film stars David Verdaguer, Amaia Salamanca, and Isabelle Renauld, and is described as a "mid-life coming of age apprenticeship" that casts a "big love rupture in large life cycles."

The Valladolid lineup showcases Spain's cinematic depth, with the country achieving a rare double at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where Oliver Laxe's "Sirât" and Carla Simon's "Romería" both played in competition. This year's Valladolid festival underscores Spain's step-by-step shift from straight-arrow art-house to upscale mainstream with an arthouse edge, reflecting the country's vibrant and diverse filmmaking landscape.