PREVIEW OF THE 9TH EDITION OF THE BCN FILM FEST

The Barcelona-Sant Jordi International Film Festival (BCN FILM FEST) has presented this morning the official poster for its 9th edition and the first films confirmed for the program. The event will be held from April 24 to May 2, 2025 at the Cinemes Verdi in Barcelona as its main venue. The presentation was given by the director of the BCN FILM FEST, journalist and film critic Conxita Casanovas.

 

OFFICIAL POSTER

BCN FILM FEST 2025 pays tribute to Marcello Mastroianni on the centenary of his birth, dedicating the official poster to him. The central image of the poster, one of the most iconic of his career, corresponds to a frame from the film “Fellini 8 ½” and captures the essence of the actor, who became a symbol of Italian and world cinema. His career, which spanned more than five decades, left a legacy of unforgettable characters who explored human complexities in depth. This tribute celebrates not only the actor, but also the man who marked an era in the seventh art.

"Taking advantage of the iconic image of Mastroianni, Fellini's alter ego in "Fellini 8 ½", we will allow ourselves to reflect on cinema within cinema, with Ferzan Özpetek's "Diamanti", or on creation and interpretation with "The Divine Sarah Bernhardt". We will put on the table a broad argument with highly topical issues, such as facing a separation, economic precariousness or fatherhood. We will strengthen our bond with literature and, between the works of Jane Austen or Nabokov and the advice of the Dalai Lama, we will remember the importance of education and culture to improve our lives", says Conxita Casanovas.

"After the great level of the previous edition, with the success of "Casa en flames", we embark on the ninth edition, with the incorporation of new partners with whom we hope to expand our horizons", adds Casanovas.

 

ADVANCE OF THE FIRST TITLES OF THE BCN FILM FEST 2025
 
The 9th edition of the festival will feature around 75 films in its different sections. A festival that maintains and strengthens the link with Literature and History, as demonstrated once again by the films in the Official Section, based on literary adaptations or real events and characters.
Below, a first advance of the programming: 

 

OFFICIAL SECTION

ADORABLE
By Lilja Ingolfsdottir / With Helga Furen, Oddgeir Thune
Norway / Spanish premiere

CUATRO PAREDES
by Ibon Comenzana / With Manuela Vellés, Sofía Otero
Spain / World Premiere

THE DIVINE SARAH BERNHARDT
By Guillaume Nicloux / With Sandrine Kiberlain, Laurent Lafitte
France / Spanish Premiere

LA FURGO
By Eloy Calvo / With Pol López, Aimar Vega, Carmela Poch
Spain / World premiere

MISS VIOLET
by Éric Besnard / With Alexandra Lamy, Grégory Gadebois
France / Spanish premiere

READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN
by Eran Riklis / With Golshifteh Farahani, Zar Amir-Ebrahimi
Italy, Israel / Spanish Premiere

SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE
By Tim Mielants / With Cillian Murphy, Emily Watson
Ireland / Spanish Premiere

THE QUIET SON
By Delphine Coulin, Muriel Coulin / With Vincent Lindon, Benjamin Voisin
France / Spanish premiere

 

OFFICIAL SECTION (OUT OF COMPETITION)

DIAMANTI
By Ferzan Özpetek / With Jasmine Trinca, Luisa Ranieri, Stefano Accorsi
Italy / Spanish Premiere

THE MOST PRECIOUS MERCHANDISE
By Michel Hazanavicius
France / Catalan premiere

WISDOM OF HAPPINESS
By Barbara Miller, Philip Delaquis / With
Swiss Dalai Lama / Spanish Premiere

 

CINEMA WITH GRACE

BOB TREVINO LIKES IT
By Tracie Laymon / With Barbie Ferreira, John Leguizamo
United States / Catalan premiere

JANE AUSTEN RUINED MY LIFE
By Laura Piani / With Camille Rutherford, Pablo Pauly
France / Spanish Premiere

 

ASIAN MUSIC BY CINEASIA

BELLE (2022)  by Mamoru Hosoda
Japan

BLUE GIANT (2023)  by Shinichiro Watanabe
Japan

CHUNGKING EXPRESS (1994)  by Wong Kar-Wai
Hong Kong

OFFICE (2015)  by Johnnie To
China, Hong Kong / Spanish premiere

PERFECT DAYS (2023)  by Wim Wenders
Japan

SYMPATHY FOR LADY VENGEANCE (2005)  by Park Chan-wook
South Korea

 

ESSENTIAL
MARCELLO MASTROIANNI CENTENARY 

As part of the centenary of Marcello Mastroianni's birth, the BCN FILM FEST 2025 dedicates a retrospective to him with a selection of his most representative titles, which include:

THE PATH OF HOPE (1953)

RUFUFÚ (1958)

THE SWEET LIFE (1960)

THE NIGHT (1961)

FELLINI 8 ½ (1963)

THE STRANGER (1967)

THE SUNFLOWERS (1970)

AN ITALIAN IN CHICAGO (1971)

THE BIG TROUT (1973)

A PARTICULAR DAY (1977)

HENRY IV (1984)

BLACK EYES (1987)

MARCELLO, A SWEET LIFE (2006)

 

 

JURY OF THE NINTH EDITION

The jury for this upcoming edition will be made up of: actress and director Silvia Munt (who will serve as president of the jury), playwright Sergi Belbel and actor and director José Corbacho.

 

AWARDS

This 9th edition of the BCN FILM FEST incorporates a new award: the Best Editing Award. With this recognition, the festival wants to highlight the importance of this discipline in the filmmaking process, underlining how editing can transform a film, bringing rhythm, emotion and cohesion to the narrative. This award will be awarded by the official jury and is born from the festival's collaboration with AMMAC ( Association of Editors and Editors of Catalonia).

This edition will continue to feature the " Screen International Award for Catalan Producer of the Year ", an award given by the prestigious international film magazine Screen International, which recognizes the most outstanding Catalan film producer of the year.

 

 NEW SPONSORS AND NEW COLLABORATIONS

The festival thanks all the companies and institutions that, for another year, continue to support the BCN FILM FEST and welcomes MOVISTAR PLUS+, which joins as a Media Partner, and the BARCELONA JAZZ FESTIVAL , which will be a new Special Partner.

In addition, in 2025, the collaboration with ESCAC will be closer thanks to the CINEMA TALKS by ESCAC, talks by film industry professionals designed and focused on film students.

 

NEW TALENTS: IMPULSE FOR EMERGING TALENT AT BCN FILM FEST 2025

The New Talents section of BCN FILM FEST 2025 will present a selection of 21 short films chosen by seven universities in Catalonia with film studies and equivalent training centers: ESCAC (Escola Superior de Cinema i Audiovisuals de Catalunya), Blanquerna Universitat Ramon Llull, FX Barcelona Film School, Universitat de Vic-Universitat Central de Catalunya, La Casa del Cine, Bande à Part Escola de cinema Barcelona and Barcelona Cinema School & Actors Studio.

Each center will select three short films that will compete for the Best Short Film Award - Nous Talens, awarded by a jury made up of journalists from the Catalan Association of Film Critics and Writers (ACCEC). The award includes a cash prize of 3,000 euros for the winning director, in addition to an official trophy. As a novelty for this edition, a second prize of 2,000 euros is added for the school of the winning short film, thus reinforcing support for educational institutions.

The BCN FILM FEST New Talent section reflects the festival's dual purpose: to be an essential platform for the discovery of new talents in the film industry, and to reaffirm its commitment to education and audiovisual training. These pedagogical aspects, which have been a hallmark of the event since its inception, consolidate the festival as a key space to promote future generations of creators while fostering learning and artistic development.

 
THE BCN FILM FEST SCHOOL FORTUNE

The School Fortnight will be held at Cinemas Verdi from March 31 to April 11.

This program will include a varied program with some of the most outstanding national films of 2024, such as  “El 47”,  “Marco”  or  “Guardiana de Dragones (Dragonkeeper) ”. Two historical dramas about the dangers of extremism will also be offered,  “El Ministro de Propaganda”  and  “Los Niños de Winton”.

Attendees will be able to enjoy sequels to great titles such as  “Mufasa: The Lion King”  and  “ Bitelchús, Bitelchús ”, in addition to the period drama  “The Fencing Professor ”, which deals with how a young woman breaks with the stereotypes of her time.

Likewise, there will be free sessions in Spanish sign language for schools with hearing-impaired students of the films  “Guardiana de Dragones (Dragonkeeper) ”,  “ El Ministro de Propaganda ”  and  “ El Profesor de esgrima ”.

 

SEATS AND TICKETS FROM €4.90

The screenings will take place in various spaces in the city of Barcelona, ​​such as CINEMES VERDI, CAIXAFORUM, CASA SEAT, INSTITUT FRANÇAIS, ATENEU BARCELONÈS and, in this edition, the DISSENY HUB BARCELONA and BIBLIOTECA JAUME FUSTER are also joining.

The festival, as in previous editions, will also hold screenings in several civic centers in Barcelona (with free sessions) and in more than twenty film clubs in our country.

Tickets will be available from €4.90.

 

The ninth edition of the BCN FILM FEST will take place from April 24 to May 2, 2025.