The town will hold the festival from 1 to 11 October, with screenings of short and feature films, tributes, wine tasting, exhibitions, cultural routes and educational workshops, reaffirming the town as the ‘kilometre zero’ of Pedro Almodóvar’s cinematic universe.
The town will host the festival from 1 to 11 October, with screenings of short and feature films, tributes, wine tasting, exhibitions, cultural routes and educational workshops, reaffirming the town as the ‘kilometre zero’ of Pedro Almodóvar’s cinematic universe.
Calzada de Calatrava, 25 September 2025. This morning, in the NH Hotel of Ciudad Real, has taken place the official presentation of the XII Calzada de Calatrava Film Festival, which will be held from 1st to 11th October in the town, consolidating itself as one of the most important cultural events in the province and with national projection. The mayoress of Calzada de Calatrava, Gema García; the director of the festival, Hernán Valdés; and the president of the Association for the Development (AD) of Campo de Calatrava, David Triguero, whose entity is sponsoring this edition, took part in the press conference.
The twelfth edition of the festival will feature a diverse programme that includes national and international short films, the ‘Made in Castilla-La Mancha’ section, a showcase of feature films awarded at prestigious festivals, parallel activities, cultural and gastronomic routes, training workshops and tributes. In addition, this Saturday, 27 September, there will be an opening ceremony with a tribute to the La Mancha filmmakers Carlos and Roberto Valle, accompanied by the screening of their works ‘Semillas de Kivu’ and ‘Kairós’. The event will take place from 8 p.m. onwards at the Rafael Serrano Cultural Centre in the town.
The mayoress, Gema García, thanked the audience for the presence of “another year of what is already a tradition in this presentation of our film festival, the Calzada de Calatrava festival, which we present with great enthusiasm, pride and hard work in its twelfth edition”. García stressed that the festival was born with the aim of placing Calzada de Calatrava on the cultural and cinematographic map, recalling its link with Pedro Almodóvar, a filmmaker born in the town. “Calzada is kilometre zero of Pedro Almodóvar’s film route”. In fact, “in his films there are always notes, colours and even smells that refer to our town and the region. That is why it is so important to keep this festival alive with the support of Campo de Calatrava”.
The mayoress has highlighted that “a small municipality manages, for 12 consecutive years, to organise a festival of this level is a proof of our capacity to create important cultural projects. Being small does not mean not having talent”. Furthermore, he praised the growth of the section ‘Made in Castilla-La Mancha’, which this year has received 74 registered short films, 12 of which will compete in the competition, as well as the integration of the Fugaz Awards of CortoEspaña in the national competition.
The councillor also recalled the neighbourhood involvement in the urban tribute to the Almodóvar family in the streets General Aguilera and Pilatos, and announced the importance of involving local schools. He revealed that “tomorrow we will present the festival at the IES Eduardo Valencia secondary school in the municipality so that our young people can get to know cinema up close, with specific screenings for them and for the schools”.
The support of Campo de Calatrava
The president of the AD Campo de Calatrava, David Triguero, has reaffirmed the commitment of his entity with the festival and with the culture in the region. “We would like to thank the effort of the Calzada Town Hall and the cultural entities so that this festival, which is already emerging on the national scene, continues to grow.
Triguero recalled that culture and festivals are also economic and tourist engines, and announced that “one of the novelties this year is that the Association for the Development of Campo de Calatrava will allocate 70,000 euros for the promotion of the main festivals of our territory, including, of course, that of Calzada”. He also highlighted the importance of Pedro Almodóvar as a cultural symbol and ambassador of the region. And the fact is that “to talk about Calatrava is to talk about culture, about the birthplace of Pedro Almodóvar, an international ambassador who provides us with identity and promotion”.
Triguero has also stressed the commitment to young people and the collaboration with other music and film festivals in the region, insisting that “rural festivals cannot be neglected”.
A festival that is reinventing itself
For his part, the director of the festival, Hernán Valdés, has explained the most outstanding novelties of this edition, underlining that this year the event changes its dates to be held in October. “After eleven editions in August, we have decided to schedule it in autumn to better integrate schools, local groups and the resident public, and to give life to the municipality after the summer,” he explained.
The festival will open with a tribute to Carlos and Roberto Valle, young filmmakers from La Mancha who have won a Goya award, which reflects Calzada’s commitment to the region’s emerging talent. Valdés has also highlighted the solidarity aspect of the festival, which on this occasion will focus on the film ‘Te protegerán mis alas’, by director Antonio Cuadri, based on a true story in Togo, whose presentation will feature representatives of the Salesian mission.
Training is another of the main focuses of the programme, with film workshops and a masterclass on acting and handling emotions in front of the camera for students. In addition, a didactic set will be installed at the institute to bring audiovisual production closer to young people.
Among the exhibitions, an exhibition has been announced at the Espacio Almodóvar with objects loaned by the production company El Deseo, including the legendary shirt from La ley del deseo and the bar from Kika. An urban exhibition will also be inaugurated in Calle General Aguilera, promoted by residents of the municipality. The festival will feature tourist routes (on 4 and 11 October) through places linked to Almodóvar and to the local cinematographic memory, as well as gastronomic activities such as the XII Ruta de la Tapa and the II Ruta de Desayunos de Cine.
“The whole town has to have a festival atmosphere, not only in the cinemas, but also in gastronomy, culture, solidarity and citizen participation”, Valdés stressed.
Programme of screenings
The section ‘Made in Castilla-La Mancha’ will celebrate a historic record of participation, with 12 finalist shorts, including El libro de Mario, by Daniel Chamorro, #Noconsiento, by Conrado Escudero; Amándala, by Ana Isabel Barberán; 3000 elefantes, by Miguel Piedrafita and Israel Carrillo; Sacramento, by Ismael Sepúlveda; Sostén G3,7, by Rut and David García; El amigo de los pobres, by Javier Fuentes; Egoísta, by Teresa Bellón and Úrsula Gutiérrez; Brava, by Aeterna Producciones; El perverso mundo de los cubitos de hielo, by Joaquín Górriz; Refugio, by Dorian Sanz and Rodri Muñoz; and El pretérito imperfecto, by Javier Muga.
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The national short films include893 kilometres, by Rubén Guindo; Carmela, by Vicente Mallols; Pipiolos, by Daniel Sánchez; Origami, by Álvaro León; Behind the wall, by Martín D. Guevara; La mort, by Jesús Martínez Nota; El otro, by Eduard Fernández; Una cabeza en la pared, by Manuel Manrique; Cólera, by José Luis Lázaro; Zona wao, by Nagore Eceiza; Sexo a los 70, by Vanesa Romero; Violetas, by Borja Escribano; Homework, by Nacho Arjona; Ángulo muerto, by Cristian Beteta; Líbranos del mal, by Andrea Casaseca; Lola, lolita, lolaza, by Mabel Lozano; Insalvable, by Javier Marco; 29 de febrero, by Diego Fandos; Pietra, by Cynthia Levitan; Pálpito, by Marisa Crespo and Moisés Romera; Donde se quejan los pinos, by ED Antoja; Disonancia, by Raquel Larrosa; El lado más bestia de la vida, by José Antonio Campos; and Emilia, by Rafa Arroyo.
As a novelty, the Spanish Cinema Showcase – Feature Films is presented, with three internationally acclaimed titles: Sorda, by Eva Libertad; Sirât, by Oliver Laxe; and Romería, by Carla Simón. The screenings will take place at the Rafael Serrano Cultural Centre, with four screenings of national short films and two screenings dedicated to Castilla-La Mancha.
A festival with a vocation for the future
The programme is completed with the involvement of local cultural groups such as the music band, the theatre group, the dance group and the Universidad Popular, who will take part in the closing gala.
A festival with a vocation for the future.
Director Hernán Valdés concluded by inviting everyone to enjoy the Calzadian festival. “We want neighbours from all over the region and nearby towns to visit us from 1 to 11 October. This year we will have more films, more activities and a unique atmosphere. We are waiting for you in Calzada de Calatrava”, he said.
The XII Calzada de Calatrava Film Festival thus reaffirms itself as a cultural reference in rural areas, capable of combining cinema, heritage, training, tourism and citizen participation under the inspiration of its most universal neighbour, Pedro Almodóvar.
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In this twelfth edition, the Calzada de Calatrava Film Festival is sponsored by the Association for the Development of Campo de Calatrava, within the framework of the LEADER programme, co-financed by the European Union, the Spanish Government and the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha.
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The festival is also subsidised by the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha and the Diputación Provincial. It also receives financial support from the Producer el Deseo, Finca La Rosala, Fundación Globalcaja and Carpintería Calatrava. It also counts with the collaboration of the Public Schools Ignacio de Loyola and Teresa de Jesús of Calzada de Calatrava, the IES Eduardo Valencia of Calzada de Calatrava, cultural collectives and associations of the town, JR Fotografía, Mi Escapada Favorita, CortoEspaña, Premios Fugaz as a friendly Festival, and the platforms Movibeta and Festhome.
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