19/08/2026 - The institution's first round of 2026 has backed new works by Mia Hansen-Løve, Avelina Prat, Benito Zambrano, Daniel Calparsoro and Armando Bo, among others

Director Mia Hansen-Løve, whose project If Love Should Die has received support (© Pedro J Pacheco)

Spain's Film and Audiovisual Arts Institute (ICAA), a body under the auspices of the Spanish Ministry of Culture, recently announced the proposed provisional award decision for the first round of general aid for the production of feature-film projects in 2026. The total allocation amounts to €30,735,600, which falls within the purview of the Film Protection Fund and is to be distributed among 31 feature-length projects.

In this first round, 29.28% of the projects are being directed by women, which amounts to a total of €9 million distributed across nine films: If Love Should Die (La Residencia Films, AIE) by French filmmaker Mia Hansen-Løve (whose most recent work to date is One Fine Morning), a historical European co-production starring Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve; La poligrafista (Diferente Films, AIE) by Avelina Prat, following the excellent reception of The Portuguese House; La reina (produced by Jano Pictures, AIE) by Laura Mañá (Les irresponsables); No soy universal (Folie Capital, AIE) by actress and screenwriter Celia de Molina (Cómo sobrevivir a una despedida); Toda la suerte del mundo (Toda la suerte del mundo, AIE), the feature debut by Esther Ortega, starring Carolina Yuste and Jaime Lorente; Canción animal (Canción Animal AIE) by Nerea Castro (creator of the series Fleeting Lies); Harakune (Ari Película, AIE) by Maider Oleaga (Stepping into the Boundary); Rafaela (Eikon Audiovisual); and Historia d’una bruixa (Malleus Films, AIE).

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Other films that will also be receiving €1 million are: El amigo equivocado (Gatosur Producciones, AIE) by Benito Zambrano (following Jumping the Fence); The Confidant (El Confidente Films, AIE), helmed by Daniel Calparsoro, and starring Javier Gutiérrez and his regular Miguel Herrán (see the news); The King's Tailor (El Sastre del Rey, AIE), the feature-length directorial debut by actor Pedro Casablanc (see the news); Watch Your Dreams (Lucidez, AIE) by Gonzalo Bendala, with Óscar Casas, Fiona Palomo and José Coronado among the cast (see the news); Casa en cendres (Playtime, Sábado, AIE), the follow-up to the hit A House on Fire, also penned by Dani de la Orden; Canijo (Canijo Película) by Santi Amodeo (after The Heaven of Animals); the rural thriller La noche de piedra (Baldosas Amarillas, AIE), based on the novel by Alexis Ravelo; Wasp 2026 (Película Wasp, AIE), for which Woody Allen will be shooting in Madrid; and Néstor (El Maestro de la Luz), about the great cinematographer Néstor Almendros.

Also receiving €1 million are Fenomenal (MOD Producciones), directed by Manuel Gómez Pereira after the success of The Dinner; Campeones 3 (Rey de Babia, AIE), a new instalment in the Champions saga, this time helmed by Víctor García León (after Better Class); Libre (Bravo Films, AIE), a romantic comedy by David Serrano built around the songs of the late Nino Bravo, written by Joaquín Oristrell, and starring Alberto San Juan and Secun de la Rosa, among others; ¡Vaya tropa! (Teniente Martínez, AIE) by Curro Velázquez (Cuerpo escombro); Vuelve la mili (Mili la Película, AIE) by Joaquín Mazón (El casoplón); Pide un deseo (Mythos Audiovisual 2025, AIE); Mi amigo Mario (Mi Amigo Mario, AIE); Edición especial (Edición Especial La Película, AIE); Vandellòs (La Nit Sense Dema, AIE); El mayo del 68 de la familia Mendieta (FTPC Navarra, AIE); and 250 metros (Ikiru Films).

Finally, Dos amigas (Elisa y Valeria, AIE), with a proposed grant of €920,000, and Las malas (Suma Content), a co-production with Argentina directed by Armando Bo, which will get €815,600, round off the list of beneficiaries.

(Translated from Spanish)