New Spanish Cinema returns to the VIFF Centre from Jan. 9 to 14, showcasing fourteen Spanish films. Now in its sixth edition, the festival brings a taste of Spain—both literally and cinematically—to Vancouver audiences.

“What do Canadians want to watch on the big screen?” shares organizer Cristina Serrano. “It’s not only about what is [happening] in Spain, but what Canadians want to watch.”

The festival’s opening night gala includes a tapas buffet and wine tasting. The film line-up features multiple winners of the Goya Awards, such as Isaki Lacuesta and Pol Rodríguez’s Saturn Return (2024). The Goya Awards, also known as the Spanish Oscar, is presented by the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain.

Growing the festival

“Last year, it was amazing,” Serrano says. “Everybody was like, ‘Why don’t you bring more films?’”

Serrano, along with Javier Muñoz Venegas and Víctor Martínez, are the festival’s organizers. The trio met through their work in the film industry. They work in collaboration with Tom Charity of VIFF Centre.

The festival’s first edition took place in 2013. They then continued the festival for three years before the Covid-19 pandemic affected operations. Following the city’s reopening, a fourth edition took place.

“After the fourth edition, we tried to contact the government of Spain and find sponsors in Canada to support us,” Serrano shares.

New Spanish Cinema is now supported by the Embassy of Spain in Canada and various local businesses and organizations, including the Vancouver Latin American Cultural Centre and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Canada.

Serrano and her team have sourced the “most popular tapas for tasting.” She recalls how last year’s tapas—which included Spanish omelets, olives, ham and cheese—were a hit.

The festival will also include a live flamenco show on Jan. 11. The hour-long performance from Por Derecho (On Their Own Right) will be followed with the screening of Antón Álvarez’s The Flamenco Guitar of Yerai Cortés (2024).

The Goya winning documentary showcases the artistry and family of flamenco guitarist Yerai Cortés. It is one of Serrano’s favourite films from this year’s selection.

“When we say, ‘New Spanish Cinema,’ everybody is thinking about tapas, the food, [and] music, the flamenco,” Serrano adds. “But sometimes they don’t relate films with Spain, but when they see the first movie from Spain, they think, ‘It’s very different from America.’”

Vancouver, but Spanish

To decide on film selections, Serrano and her team watched around 40-50 Spanish films with the goal of selecting the “best” ones. They chose movies that were different from each other. Some highlight Spain’s history; others showcase the country’s music, for example.

“We were watching old movies, not only new ones,” she adds. “We also like to bring old films to remember what we were doing in the past.”

Luis García Berlanga’s classic The Executioner (1963) will be screened on Jan. 11 and 14. Serrano moved to Canada from Spain around eight years ago. In Spain, she worked as a journalist, gaining familiarity with the country’s film scene.

A difference she noticed between Spanish and American films is their speed: the former is “slow,” while the latter is quick and action driven.

“In Spain, it is soft,” she explains. “When you watch Spanish cinema, you feel like you are in the movie—you are a part of it.”

The organizer shares that sound is often what makes the difference. She has a fondness for the festival’s opening film—Alejandro Amenábar’s The Captive (2025). A Spanish Italian co-production, the film depicts Miguel de Cervantes’ captivity in Algiers while fighting in the 1571 Battle of Lepanto.

“This year is going to be the best one,” Serrano says. “The feedback [from previous years] was very positive—more than positive.”

The festival will also showcase Albert Serra’s Afternoons of Solitude (2025), a documentary on bullfighting on Jan. 10 and 14. David Baute’s Goya-winning animation Black Butterflies (2025), which depicts three women’s migration due to climate change, will be screened on Jan. 13. Serrano’s team plans to continue expanding the festival.

“Our goal is to be a ‘showcase’ festival,” she shares, drawing comparisons to the Vancouver International Film Festival. “Vancouver, but Spanish.”

For more information, see https://viff.org/series/new-spanish-cinema/.