The “Made in Castilla-La Mancha” screening features ten short films from the region for an enthusiastic audience
Many of the authors attended in person, and a delegation from the Luarca Festival—which is twinned with the Calzada event—was also present
Calzada de Calatrava, October 10, 2026. The Rafael Serrano Cultural Center hosted one of the most special days of the 13th Calzada de Calatrava Film Festival. The “Made in Castilla-La Mancha” session, dedicated to the region’s audiovisual productions as part of the Official Short Film Section, filled the theater for both screenings, at 8:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. The audience was able to watch ten very different films and, in many cases, talk with the filmmakers themselves.
The filmmakers’ presence was the highlight of the evening. During the first screening, Juls Gars, Javier Gutiérrez Blasco, and Laura Gómez Vélez, from the *Dar con la tecla* team, took the stage. They were joined by Gustavo García Sierra and Felipe Calle Fernández from *Cemento*; Óscar Toribio from *Conexiones inesperadas*; and Daniel Chamorro from *003*. At the second screening, it was the turn of Julio García, from *Cuando nadie llama*; Mar Navarro Herraiz and Josep Navarro Martínez, from *Los Mayos*; and Emilio I. Fuertes García and Amanda García Moya, from *Tempus Fugit*. They all presented their films to the audience, who responded with long rounds of applause.
The evening also had an Asturian flavor. A delegation from the Luarca Film Festival visited Calzada de Calatrava as part of the collaboration agreement signed between the two events as “sister festivals.” The delegation consisted of Clara García Pérez, Ignacio Martínez Pérez, Javier Fernández Moratalla, and Yenni Yañéz. As part of the “Guest Festival” section, the audience was able to watch a selection of short films from the Asturian festival: *Mar muerto*, *La vigilia*, *¿Mamá?*—directed by Yenni Yañéz herself—and *38*.
The short films *A las ocho en casa* by Miguel Ángel Olivares and *La garita* by Daniel Arias were also screened; both were from the Aranda de Duero Festival (León), with which the Calzada festival also has a partnership.
The mayor of Calzada de Calatrava, Gema García, highlighted the importance of this presence. “It’s a privilege for Calzada that so many filmmakers come here to present their own films. The fact that a director would travel kilometers to sit in our theater and hear how our audience reacts says a lot about the festival and what this town has built over the course of thirteen editions,” she said.
García added that the screening demonstrates that the region’s talent has a place of its own at the festival. “Castilla-La Mancha has stories to tell and people with great skill in telling them. Seeing the theater full of people applauding films made right here in our region is a source of pride for all of us in Calzada and yet another reason to continue supporting culture as the driving force behind our town,” he emphasized.
Festival director Hernán Valdés agreed with this assessment. “When filmmakers choose to come and present their work, the festival ceases to be just a screen and becomes a meeting place. That speaks volumes about the industry’s confidence in Calzada and the seriousness with which every film is treated here,” he noted.
Valdés also highlighted the diversity of the selection. “We’ve had fiction, documentaries, comedy, fantasy, and stories about old age, youth, identity, and migration. It’s a very honest showcase of what’s being created in the region, and the audience has received it with such attention and warmth that the filmmakers themselves thanked us at the end,” he explained.
Ten Perspectives from Castilla-La Mancha
The first screening kicked off with *Cemento*, by Gustavo García Sierra. This 15-minute drama follows a teenage couple who sneak into a half-built building to paint graffiti and end up imagining their future within its walls. It was followed by *003*, by Daniel Chamorro, a fantastical piece lasting just three minutes with macabre humor that begins with an unexpected visitor after the doorbell rings.
*Dar con la tecla*, by Albert Everest and Juls Gars, reunites three friends who once collaborated on an artistic project years later, in a comedy set to a musical backdrop. *Pordentro*, by Álvaro G. Company and Mario Hernández, starring Ramón Barea, tells the story of Elías, a man who, at the age of eighty, finally decides to be who he truly is. The first block closed with *Conexiones inesperadas*, by Óscar Toribio. In this comedy, featuring Miguel Rellán in the cast, Ramón learns to navigate social media and apps with the help of a store clerk in order to get closer to his grandson.
The second screening opened with *Ángeles*, by Enrique Muñoz. This documentary follows Mari Ángeles, a Red Cross worker, and Taoufik, a young man who arrived by boat at age 13 and faces an uncertain future as he approaches adulthood. It was followed by *Cuando nadie llama*, by Julio García. In it, an 83-year-old woman living alone receives a Mother’s Day gift that turns her life upside down and leads her to a long-forgotten memory.
*Amarraditos*, directed by Arturo Mombiedro Lozano and starring Rosario Pardo and Rafa Núñez, follows a couple searching for lost keys in the midst of the Tafalla festivities. What begins as a minor setback turns into a portrait of memory and the fear of growing old apart. *Los Mayos*, by Mar Navarro Herraiz, is an intimate documentary in which the director reconstructs her mother’s life through memories, photographs, and a farewell that is as original as it is moving. The session closed with *Tempus Fugit*, by Emilio I. Fuertes, the story of a chef overwhelmed by the demands of the kitchen who finds a clock capable of stopping time.
Luarca, a festival for friends
“This agreement with Luarca stems from something very simple: two festivals that are similar, that believe in short films, and that want their audiences to discover what’s being done elsewhere. Welcoming our friends from Luarca is the best way to show that this partnership is real,” said Hernán Valdés.
The mayor also expressed her gratitude for the visit by the Asturian delegation. “Calzada has always been a hospitable town, and it is a joy for us to open the doors of our festival to Luarca. These partnerships make both festivals even greater and carry the name of Calzada far beyond our region,” concluded Gema García.
The 13th Calzada de Calatrava Film Festival continues through today, October 10. Tonight, starting at 8:00 p.m., the closing ceremony and awards ceremony will be held, during which the winners of the Official Selection will be announced.
