Free admission. Please collect your ticket from the Teatro Salón Cervantes box office on the afternoon of the event. The box office opens at 5.00 pm.
ALCINE 55 honours Enrique Gato, born in Valladolid and an adopted son of Alcalá, a leading figure in contemporary Spanish animation. Twenty-five years ago, he created Tadeo Jones, a character who began life in short films before becoming one of Spanish cinema’s most popular and successful box-office stars.
Following the award presentation, Gato will discuss his career and projects with ALCINE’s artistic director, Pedro Toro, and take part in an audience Q&A.
ALCINE presents the Piedra Angular Award to filmmakers who have inspired new generations of creators and took their first steps at the festival.
The tribute to Enrique Gato runs throughout this edition: the award presentation and audience Q&A at the opening ceremony, a family-friendly Tadeo Jones film season at ALCINE Club Kids this autumn (Friday afternoons at Gilitos LabCrea), and a musical celebration of the franchise’s soundtracks featuring the Orquesta Ciudad de Alcalá and composer Zacarías M. de la Riva.
The quintet, whose work includes numerous soundtracks and concerts inspired by classic cartoons, will provide the musical accompaniment to the opening gala.
Following the presentation of the Piedra Angular Award, the Opening Screening will showcase three gems that premiered at Cannes and have rarely been screened in Spain. Together, they make up Audiovisual from Spain’s Spain, Where Talent Ignites campaign, conceived to showcase the strength and diversity of Spanish creative talent on the international stage:
Flamenco, the latest work by Carla Simón;
La Tarara, by Nicolás Méndez, produced by CANADA, with a cast featuring Ingrid García-Jonsson, Bárbara Lennie, Rossy de Palma, Miguel Bernardeau, Arón Piper and Malena Smit, among others;
and La llama, directed by the creative duo Turbo, produced by White Horse and Apartamento, with animation by The Post Office studio.
Next, Pantalla Abierta will open out of competition with an expanded screening of Anoche conquisté Tebas, the distinctive, Venice-award-winning debut feature by Gabriel Azorín, who previously took part in ALCINE 42 with his short film Los galgos.
The film follows two young Portuguese men who visit the ancient Roman thermal baths in Bande, Ourense, with their friends. Amid bathing, conversations and confidences, their experiences intertwine with those of the Roman soldiers who frequented the same place centuries earlier. A journey between past and present exploring male friendship, intimacy and the fear of separation.
Director: Gabriel Azorín · Country: Spain · Year: 2025 · Running time: 107 min · Screenplay: Gabriel Azorín, Celso Giménez · Music: Gary Moonboots · Cast: Santiago Mateus, Antonio Gouveia, Oussama Asfaraah, Pavle Cemerikic, Lorena Iglesias · Age rating: Not recommended for children under 7 · Language: Spanish.
Free admission. Please collect your ticket from the Teatro Salón Cervantes box office on the day.
After the screening, Gabriel Azorín, the film’s director and co-writer, Celso Giménez, screenwriter and playwright, and Martin Pawley, film critic and astronomer, will invite the audience on a walk lasting around 45 minutes through different parts of the city, reflecting along the way on the heritage of the night and its mysteries. An opportunity to talk about things that can only be seen in the dark, and a chance to spend a little longer together beneath the Alcalá sky.
