The closing gala, held at the Rafael Serrano Cultural Center, brought ten days of film to a close with an awards list that also featured “Montecarlo 67,” which won awards for Rubén Guindo’s direction and Carlos Santos’s work, and “Una vocal,” whose lead actresses, Sonia Almarcha and Mirela Balić, shared the award for Best Actress
Calzada de Calatrava, October 11, 2026. The 13th Calzada de Calatrava Film Festival concluded with its closing gala and awards ceremony at the Rafael Serrano Cultural Center. The event marked the end of this year’s festival, held from October 1 to 10, which filled the town with screenings, side events, and audiences. The gala was hosted by Tomás Luis Camuñas and combined live music, dance, and theater with plenty of humor. Its staging was inspired by the poetry and legacy of Federico García Lorca, the very same figure who had opened the festival with the play *La negra*.
Among those in attendance were local, provincial, and regional officials; directors; actors and actresses; and film industry professionals, who closely followed the highlight of the evening: the announcement of the winners in the two official competition sections, National Short Films and Made in Castilla-La Mancha.
In the official National Short Films section, the award for best short film went to “El fantasma de la Quinta,” by James A. Castillo. This animated film, featuring the voice of Maribel Verdú, recreates the final years of Francisco de Goya at the Quinta del Sordo, where the painter—sick and isolated—is visited by the ghosts of his past. The award for second-best short film was awarded jointly to “Vencejos,” directed by Manu Arzá and Álvar Alonso, and to “Señuelo,” by Martha G. Ayerbe. ‘Señuelo’ is a production by J. A. Bayona that follows a boy as he accompanies his father and his father’s boss on a tense day of hunting. ‘Montecarlo 67’ was one of the night’s most acclaimed films, winning two awards. Rubén Guindo won Best Director for this short film, which imagines a meeting between Chicho Ibáñez Serrador, Pilar Miró, and a very young Steven Spielberg, and Carlos Santos, its lead actor, won Best Actor.
The award for Best Actress was shared by Sonia Almarcha and Mirela Balić, the leads in Polo Menárguez’s “Una vocal.” In the film, they play a mother and daughter who confront their family’s past in the waiting room of a medical examiner’s office. Finally, the Audience Award in this section went to “Faustino,” by Germán Mairen, the story of a retiree who visits his bank every day and turns a bank holiday into an unforgettable day.
The “Made in Castilla-La Mancha” section, dedicated to regional talent, featured ten short films in competition. In this section, “Pordentro,” by Álvaro G. Company and Mario Hernández, won two awards: Best Short Film and Best Director. The runner-up for best short film was “Amarraditos,” by Arturo Mombiedro Lozano, and the Audience Award went to “Conexiones inesperadas,” by Óscar Toribio.
The mayor of Calzada de Calatrava, Gema García, described this year’s festival as a “resounding success” in terms of attendance and participation, both in the screenings of short and feature-length films and in the accompanying activities. She noted that the festival began with a focus on Lorca and concluded with a closing ceremony inspired by his poetry and legacy. “The Calzada de Calatrava Film Festival is our town’s festival; it’s our people’s festival, and our neighbors throw themselves into it,” she said.
As an example, he cited the decorations on General Aguilera and Pilatos streets, which were put up by Pedro Almodóvar’s neighbors. García thanked the residents of Calzada, both those who live in the town and those who came from nearby towns or from farther away to take part in the festival. He also thanked the producers, directors, actors, screenwriters, and technical crews of the award-winning films for their presence. “We’re at a small festival, in a small town, talking about how important rural Spain is—the Spain of opportunities—where we also know how to create beautiful and profound works, even on an international level,” he emphasized.
The mayor also expressed her gratitude for the support of the Regional Government and the administration of Emiliano García-Page, which has directly supported the festival for years and, she noted, never fails to attend either the opening or closing ceremonies.
Agustín Espinosa, the provincial delegate for Sustainable Development of the Regional Government of Castile-La Mancha, presented one of the awards. He joked about the edition number and assured the audience that 13 is not unlucky at all. “The fact that this is the 13th edition and that we’re moving on to the 14th shows that we have a well-established festival in a rural setting, because culture is democratic and must reach every corner,” he noted.
Espinosa emphasized that Calzada de Calatrava is a town that “organizes its own festival” and described it as the premier movie theater in the province of Ciudad Real. He also praised the “Made in Castilla-La Mancha” section and its ten participants, noting that it allows creators from the region to gain recognition and showcase their work at an increasingly prominent film festival.
Finally, he assured that the regional government will continue to support the festival because of what it means for culture in rural areas, “because where there is culture, there is life and development.”
Festival director Hernán Valdés gave a very positive assessment of the past ten days. “We’ve wrapped up a memorable edition, with an Official Selection of the highest caliber. It was one of the most demanding lineups we’ve ever had, and that made the jury’s job very difficult,” he said. Valdés congratulated all the award winners and highlighted the diversity of perspectives, genres, and formats that were featured at the festival, ranging from animation to documentary and from comedy to the most intimate drama. He also had words of praise for the regional section. “Film made in Castilla-La Mancha proves, year after year, that it has talent, craftsmanship, and a voice of its own,” he said.
The director closed the gala by thanking the institutions, sponsors, partners, artists, filmmakers, and the media—and especially the audience: “Thank you for filling the theaters and for experiencing the magic of cinema with us once again this year. See you at the 14th edition.”
