San Sebastián adds Bayona, Peña and Trueba to 2026 slate
San Sebastián has unveiled san sebastin new titles for its 2026 edition, with Mikel Gurrea's "Sants," Berto Romero's "Five Minutes More" and Roberto Bueso's "El mal padre" competing for the Golden Shell while J.A. Bayona, Isabel Peña and Fernando Trueba premiere out of competition. The Madrid lineup reveal marks José Luis Rebordinos's final September as festival director and sets the stage for Spain's highest-profile film event.
Key Takeaways
- Three Spanish films — "Sants," "Five Minutes More" and "El mal padre" — will vie for the Golden Shell in main competition.
- Isabel Peña's "El Castillo," J.A. Bayona's "Beyond Society" and Fernando Trueba's "Bajañí" screen out of competition.
- Romero and Bueso compete for the top prize for the first time; Vicky Luengo stars in Gurrea's competition entry.
- The slate also includes David Pérez Sañudo, Daniel Monzón and Isaki de la Cuesta titles alongside Movistar+-backed series.
- With major Spanish films already bound for Cannes, San Sebastián offers room for discoveries and overlooked auteurs.
Which San Sebastián new titles are in main competition?
Mikel Gurrea's "Sants" leads the competition trio, reuniting "The Beloved" star Vicky Luengo with the director of prior San Sebastián player "Suro." Luengo plays a young woman caring for her dying mother who falls in with a gang stealing statues from churches and cemeteries. Lastor Media and Italy's Kino Produzione produce after teaming on Clara Simón's Berlin Golden Bear winner "Alcarràs."
Berto Romero's "Five Minutes More" is a time-loop relationship comedy directed by Javier Ruiz Caldera and headlined by "Talk to Her" star Javier Cámara and Goya winner Belén Cuesta. Romero blends genre and humor in a dark fantasy comedy-thriller about an on-the-rocks couple trapped in a loop at a country getaway. Movistar+, Ikiru Films and The Mediapro Studio's El Terrat produce; Filmax handles world sales.
Roberto Bueso's family dramedy "El mal padre" completes the competition lineup — and marks the first time both Romero and Bueso have contended for the Golden Shell. Four-time Goya winner Eduard Fernández stars as a celebrated writer who asks his estranged children to spend one last Christmas together at their childhood summer home. Mod Producciones, Atresmedia and Misent Producciones back the follow-up to Bueso's 2022 hit "Full of Grace."
What is J.A. Bayona bringing to the festival?
Bayona will unveil "Beyond Society" ("Más Allá de la Sociedad"), a three-part non-fiction series created with Carles Torrens that picks up where "Society of the Snow" left off. The project follows survivors of the 1972 air crash as they return home to face the families of those who died. Belén Atienza, Sandra Hermida and Bayona produce — the same producing team behind his earlier survival drama.
Isabel Peña, co-writer of Rodrigo Sorogoyen's "Riot Police," presents "El Castillo" out of competition alongside Eduardo Villanueva. The series fictionalizes the transformation of Spain's roadside brothel business into organized crime from the perspectives of its creators, a police unit and a victim. Movistar+ and Caballo Films produce; Elena Martín and Sandra Romero direct.
Oscar-winning filmmaker Fernando Trueba also screens out of competition with "Bajañí." For more festival and streaming announcements, see our Streaming & TV Alerts coverage.
Why does this year's Spanish slate matter?
September's San Sebastián is the biggest film event in the Spanish-speaking world, and Rebordinos received a standing ovation from industry guests as he presented 23 homegrown titles in Madrid. With "The Beloved," Pedro Almodóvar's "Bitter Christmas" and Los Javis' "The Black Ball" already headed to Cannes competition — and "The Black Ball" also screening in San Sebastián's Perlak section — this year's domestic lineup is less star-heavy but rich in discovery.
Debut features include Javier Giner's "Esa soledad" and Jaime Lorente's "El mal hijo," while established directors get bigger canvases. David Pérez Sañudo brings historical serial-killer thriller "The Harvester," and Daniel Monzón returns with Franco-era drama "Pray For Us." Variety also notes showcase slots for David Pérez Sañudo, Daniel Monzón and Isaki de la Cuesta among the broader program.
Movistar+ maintains a strong footprint, producing or co-producing "Five Minutes More" and "El Castillo" after backing buzzy series including "The New Years" and "La Mesías." Full lineup details are available via Variety's report.