About The Festival
The heat will be turned up as the 2026 HSBC Spanish & Latin American Film Festival arrives back for its 29th year in Australia this winter with a carefully selected line up of over thirty films from Spain, Colombia, Argentina and more, showing at Palace Cinemas, Palace Nova and Luna Palace Cinemas around Australia this June - July.
This year’s diverse program takes audiences on a season of cinematic escapes - from culinary adventures in Peru and São Paulo to gripping thrillers, passionate Spanish romances, documentaries tracing salsa’s New York origins, and even an uplifting true story about the pioneering girls who changed the course of women’s football in Spain.
Opening the Festival is the Australian Premiere of delicious Peruvian drama MISTURA, starring the sensational Bárbara Mori. The award-winning feature, revered for its vivid portrayal of Peru’s gastronomy and people, centres on a woman (Mori) whose life unravels after her husband leaves her, inspiring her to embark on a transformative culinary journey.
The Centrepiece of the Festival is SUNDAYS (Los domingos) winner of the Golden Shell (Best Film) at the 2025 San Sebastián Film Festival. Writer/director Alauda Ruiz de Azúa's quietly spellbinding drama deftly captures the rupture within a family after a young woman defies expectations with her chosen vocation.
The 2026 Special Presentation is THE TIGERS (Los Tigres), a critically acclaimed maritime thriller from award-winning director Alberto Rodríguez, starring Antonio de la Torre and Bárbara Lennie as professional divers and siblings.
The second Festival Special Presentation is epic historical adventure THE CAPTIVE (El cautivo) from award-winning director Alejandro Amenábar, which follows a young Miguel de Cervantes as he finds an unexpected refuge in the art of storytelling while imprisoned in 1575 Algiers.
Featuring the much-loved Mexican star Gael García Bernal and Natalia Oreiro, NOTHING BETWEEN US (Nada entre los dos) is an intimate and charming love story set against the backdrop of a corporate crisis.
To close the Festival, and marking its 60th anniversary with a new restoration, is Carlos Saura’s award-winning classic THE HUNT (La Caza), a thrilling psychological drama set over the course of a single scorching summer day.
Festival Dates
Canberra 10 June - 5 July: Palace Electric Cinema
Adelaide 10 June - 5 July : Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas
Brisbane 11 June - 5 July : Palace James Street, Palace Barracks
Perth 11 June - 1 July: Palace Raine Square Cinemas, Luna Leederville, Luna on SX
Melbourne 12 June - 5 July: The Astor Theatre, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Penny Lane, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, Palace Balwyn, Pentridge Cinema
Ballarat 12 June - 5 July: Palace Regent Cinema
Sydney 18 June - 12 July: Palace Norton Street, Palace Moore Park, Palace Central
Byron Bay & Ballina 18 June - 12 July: Palace Byron Bay, Ballina Fair Cinemas