The FANT Fantasy Film Festival, organised by Bilbao City Council, kicks off its 32nd edition on 8 May. Until 16 May, audiences will be able to enjoy a wide-ranging programme of Basque, Spanish and international films. The festival opens with a screening of the Spanish flick La casa en el árbol, directed by Luis Calderón and shot on location in Bizkaia: an arthouse slasher film starring Sandra Escacena, Claudio Portalo, Kandido Uranga and Mala Rodríguez, among others. Bringing the 2026 edition to a close will be Reflection in a Dead Diamond, a co-production between Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy and France, directed by Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani, and starring Fabio Testi and Maria de Medeiros, which competed at the most recent Berlinale.

The Official Competition section features a diverse programme spanning multiple fantasy subgenres. Among the feature films are the Spanish productions Buffet libre, directed by Zoe Berriatúa (read more); La ventana abierta by Ana Graciani; Rabios@ by Luis María Fernández; and Cuántica Rave by Paco L Campano, which screened at the Málaga Film Festival (Zonazine section); Buzzheart by Greek director Dennis Iliadis; Cielo by Alberto Sciamma (UK/Bolivia); Hokum by Damian Mc Carthy (Ireland/USA); The Ice Tower by French director Lucile Hadzihalilovic, which screened at the 2025 Berlinale and in San Sebastián; Meat Kills by Martijn Smits (Netherlands – read more); and Wasteman by British director Cal McMau.

Completing this competitive section are: All You Need Is Kill, directed by Kenichiro Akimoto; Camp by Avalon Fast (Canada); Juego maldito, by Mexican filmmaker Carlos Marín; Los bobos, an Argentine film by Basovih Marinaro and Sofía Jallinsky; Mārama by Taratoa Stappard (New Zealand); Suffocation by Louis Chan and Stone Chang (Taiwan); Duan Quiang by Chuanlin Sun (China); and two titles from the United States: Redux Redux by Kevin and Matthew McManus; and UAP by Mason Howard.

Meanwhile, the Panorama Fantástico competition section will feature the following movies: Adorable Humans, a Danish film directed by Anders Jon, Kasper Juhl, Michael Kunov and Michael Panduro; Coração das trevas by Brazilian director Rogério Nunes; SASYQ by Yerden Telemissov (Kazakhstan); Lonig & Havendel by German director Claudia Tuyết Scheffel; and the Spanish productions Ella sólo come carne by Norberto Ramos del Val; La cosa en la niebla by Chedey Reyes; Más caliente que el infierno by César del Álamo; and Santa Zeta by Antonio Muñoz de Mesa.

FANT continues to strengthen its European profile as a Competitive Member of the Méliès International Film Festivals Federation (MIFF), which promotes and elevates European fantasy cinema. For the second consecutive year, a jury will be select the Silver Méliès for Best European Fantasy Short Film. All entries that receive this recognition at the festivals forming part of this organisation will be eligible for the Meliés D’Argent Award, the federation’s top prize for a European fantasy short.

Finally, several honours will be presented during the festival: director, musician and writer Eugenio Mira (Grand Piano) will receive the Estrella del Fantástico award; Bilbao-born composer Aránzazu Calleja (The Platform) will be honoured with the FANT de Honor; whilst director, screenwriter and actor Bruno Martín (whose film Luger will be screened at the festival) will receive the FANTrobia Award.

The full programme for the 32nd FANT Bilbao can be viewed here.