One of the highlights of the opening ceremony was the presentation of the Panorama Awards for Spanish Cinema to ‘Caminando con el diablo’, which received four honors. Zaragoza-born Rubén Pérez Barrena won the Best Director award, while Jorge Asín was recognized for his Performance, Jesús Quintana for Screenplay and Juanjo Javierre for Best Music. The director thanked the festival emotionally for the awards and highlighted the importance of receiving them on the 30th anniversary of a festival that has always given a voice to cinema from Aragon. The day concluded with a screening of the film, starring Tamar Novas, Marina Salas and Jorge Asín.
THREE DECADES OF SUPPORT FOR CINEMA FROM ARAGON
Festival director José Antonio Aguilar highlighted the event’s evolution over the past 30 years and its consolidation as a meeting point for audiovisual professionals and audiences. “Everything is much easier now than when we started; everything flows differently,” Aguilar said. He also stressed the festival’s close relationship with the residents of Fuentes de Ebro and the excitement of continuing to add more editions.
The program began on Friday, October 30, with the Official Documentary Section and a screening of ‘Memoria de Los Olvidados’, by Javier Espada. That same evening, ‘La bola negra’, by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, completely filled the Fuentes cinema, with tickets selling out. The film, starring Guitarricadelafuente, Miguel Bernardeau, Carlos González, Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close, was one of the major attractions at the start of the festival. Meanwhile, this Saturday also featured a screening of the documentary ‘Forqué. El oficio de hacer cine’, directed by Aragonese filmmaker Gaizka Urresti.
A SPECIAL CONCERT TO CELEBRATE THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY
The celebrations will continue this Sunday, November 1, with a special candlelit concert of film music, taking place at 6:00 p.m. in the church of Fuentes de Ebro. During the event, the 2026 Identity Awards will be presented to the Zaragoza Provincial Council and the Government of Aragon for their support of the festival over the past three decades. The director general of Culture of the Government of Aragon, Pedro Olloqui; the Zaragoza Provincial Council’s culture delegate, Charo Lázaro; and the town’s mayor, María Pilar Palacín, are expected to attend. The performance will bring together, among other artists, Luisa Gavasa, Nacho del Río, Sara Comín and the Dorondón Vocal Group from Pina de Ebro.
Other performances have also taken place. Photo: Alberto Casas
Sunday’s program will conclude at 10:00 p.m. with a screening of ‘Un hombre de verdad’, directed by Liteo Pedregal, who will attend the festival accompanied by actor Carlos Olaya and producer Elsa Núñez. With these activities, the festival continues an especially significant edition for Aragonese culture. “This is only the beginning; we hope people enjoy it as much as we have enjoyed organizing it,” Aguilar concluded.
