17/02/2026 - BERLINALE 2026: Ian de la Rosa’s feature debut revolves around a summer romance set against the economic and social tensions of Spain’s agricultural labour sector

Silver Chicón (left) and Herminia Loh Moreno in Iván & Hadoum

Spanish screenwriter and television director Ian de la Rosa has premiered his feature debut, Iván & Hadoum [+see also:
trailer
film profile], in the Panorama section of the Berlinale. The title of this working-class romantic drama refers to its two central characters, young workers employed in an agricultural warehouse integrated into Europe’s supply chain, who strike up a relationship one summer.

Iván (Silver Chicón) is a trans man who works as a picker in the warehouse. Owing to his family’s longstanding ties to the owners, he is offered a managerial post. The promotion represents both professional advancement and a practical necessity, enabling him to relocate with his mother, sister and nephew to better accommodation. Hadoum (Herminia Loh Moreno) joins the warehouse as a seasonal worker. She and Iván knew each other at school, prior to his transition. After Hadoum is injured at work and declines hospital treatment in order to avoid scrutiny that might expose the warehouse to inspection, the two reconnect. A subsequent encounter in a bar that turns into a one-night stand eventually marks the beginning of a closer and more intimate relationship.

Iván & Hadoum falls into the modern rendering of star-crossed lovers, albeit shaped by social status and identity dynamics. Both protagonists occupy marginal positions: Hadoum is of Moroccan heritage, and Iván is a trans man. Yet the principal obstacle to their relationship lies less in identity than in social hierarchy. Hadoum moves between temporary jobs, travelling from place to place and treating the warehouse as a seasonal stop while planning her next departure to North Africa. Iván, meanwhile, remains anchored by family obligation. As the primary earner, he is expected to secure improved living conditions for his relatives and to uphold loyalty to the warehouse owner, Manuel (Nico Montoya). Manuel was the business partner of Iván’s late father, whom he regarded as a brother, and he now considers himself partly responsible for the family’s welfare.

De la Rosa situates the romance within a broader working-class milieu. Hadoum initially resists the prospect of a relationship, whereas Iván develops feelings for her because she accepts him for what he is. However, his dilemma revolves around economic mobility. The warehouse faces a possible sale, accompanied by plans to reduce the workforce by half. This impending restructuring galvanises the workers, with Hadoum leading the collective action. Iván thus finds himself positioned between managerial loyalty, family obligation and personal attachment.

The story therefore crosses a romance with a labour conflict while Iván’s trans masculinity remains present but not thematically foregrounded. Although the movie engages with working-class concerns, labour rights and exploitation in a manner close to the tradition of Ken Loach, it departs formally from conventional social-realist aesthetics. De la Rosa and cinematographer Beatriz Sastre embrace the sunny landscape of Almeria as a backdrop for the budding romance while including the parallel storyline about a class struggle. Sastre frequently frames Iván in close shots, reinforcing the sense of growing pressure that increasingly defines his position while facing these dilemmas.

Ultimately, Iván & Hadoum brings together elements of the romance genre and social drama in a measured register that resists toppling into overt melodrama. While it adopts the trope of forbidden love, the film gradually shifts its emphasis towards questions of personal identity and (self-)acceptance, allowing the labour conflict to function as context, rather than as the primary vehicle for political critique.

Iván & Hadoum is a Spanish-German-Belgian co-production staged by Avalon, Pecado Films, Vayolet Films and Iván y Hadoum AIE, and co-produced by Port au Prince Films and Saga Film. Its international sales are handled by Indie Sales.