- The Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, and the Minister of Equality, Ana Redondo, will attend the opening gala
- Spanish cinema will be well represented on the opening red carpet with the teams from the films “Subsuelo”, “Three Goodbyes”, “Frontera”, “Golpes” and “Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake’’, as well as international filmmakers Romane Bohringer and Farnoosh Samadi and members of the jury
The 70th edition of the Valladolid International Film Festival ( SEMINCI ) will kick off today, 24 October, with the festival’s opening gala at the Calderón Theatre. The ceremony, presented by journalist Pepa Blanes, will begin at 7 p.m., following the red carpet featuring some of the filmmakers and actors who will be presenting their films at this year’s edition.
The Mayor of Valladolid, Jesús Julio Carnero; the Councillor for Tourism, Events and Branding, Blanca Jiménez Cuadrillero; and the Director of SEMINCI, José Luis Cienfuegos, will be in charge of officially welcoming all the guests. The event will be attended by prominent figures from the cultural and political spheres. Representing the Spanish Government will be the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun; the Minister of Equality, Ana Redondo; the Director General of the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA), Ignacio Camós; Nicanor Sen, Government Delegate in Castile and León; and Jacinto Canales, Deputy Government Delegate in Valladolid.
Isabel Blanco, Vice-President of the Regional Government of Castile and León; Mar Sancho, Deputy Minister for Cultural Affairs; Víctor David Alonso Monge, Vice-President of the Valladolid Provincial Council; and Raquel Alonso, Regional Delegate of the Regional Government of Castile and León in Valladolid, will also attend the opening event. Irene Carvajal, Councillor for Education and Culture; Yolanda Burgoa, Deputy Delegate for Education and Culture in Valladolid; and Rebeca San José, Vice-Rector for Communication, Culture and Sport at the University of Valladolid, will also be in attendance.
Presentation of the Honorary Spike Award and screening of “’Three Goodbyes”
The gala will include the presentation of the Honorary Spike Award to the ECAM and ESCAC film schools, to be collected by their directors, Gonzalo Salazar-Simpson and Sergi Casamitjana, from actress Blanca Portillo.
During the ceremony, Niño de Elche will explore the roots of Castilian folklore on stage in a unique performance that will bring together different musicians from the region, such as guitarist Sergio Portales from Zamora, percussionist Laura Silva from Palencia, rapper Erik Urano from Valladolid, and the choir of the Valladolid Municipal School of Music.
The team behind the opening film, ‘Three Goodbyes’, led by its director, Isabel Coixet, will present this work to viewers, which reached number one at the Italian box office after its premiere in that country. An adaptation of the novel Tres cuencos (Altamarea, 2025), the posthumous and partially autobiographical book by Michela Murgia, feminist activist and one of Italy’s most influential intellectuals, starring Alba Rohrwacher (La quimera), Elio Germano (Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival for Our Life), Francesco Carril (Los años nuevos), Silvia D’Amico, Galatea Bellugi and Sarita Choudhury.
Alba Rohrwacher and Elio Germano star in this film about Marta and Antonio, a couple who are trying to cope with life after their separation. He, a promising chef, takes refuge in his kitchen; she begins to feel more than just sadness: she has lost her appetite, and not just because of heartbreak. When she discovers that there is a health problem behind it, everything takes an unexpected turn: food tastes better, music touches her like never before, and desire awakens her will to live without fear.
Spanish cinema takes centre stage on the red carpet
Spanish cinema will be well represented on the opening night red carpet. Isabel Coixet will attend alongside actor Franceso Carril, and Fernando Franco will be joined by the large cast of Subsuelo, including Julia Martínez and Diego Garisa. Also in attendance will be Rafael Cobos, director of Golpes; the director and actor of Frontera, Judith Colell and Miki Esparbé, and director Irene Iborra, along with other professionals from the national industry such as Christian Dehugo, Elias León Simiani, Esther García, Fernando Méndez Leite, Ángeles González Sinde, Elena López Riera, Enrique López Lavigne, Marta Medina, Carlos Marques-Marcet, Ana Garcés, Ramón Lluís Bande, Ion de Sosa and Luis López Carrasco.
Internationally renowned filmmakers included in the programme for the 70th edition are also expected to attend the red carpet event: Brazilian director Gabriel Mascaro, Iranian filmmaker Farnoosh Samadi, French actress and director Romane Bohringer, and filmmakers Joao Rosas, Vladena Sandu and Damien Hauser.
