Enjoy the latest international cinema with the 10 stunning films in our International Competition, many of them presented by their directors, the Spanish premiere of the Golden Lion winner for Best Film at the 2026 Venice Film Festival, and the feature films programmed in the International Panorama section: Canada, Singapore, and Ukraine.
DON'T MISS OUT ON TICKETS! THEY WILL BE ON SALE SOON HERE AND AT THE CINETECA MADRID BOX OFFICE
We are very proud of the outstanding international films we have programmed for the 9th edition of the Films by Women Madrid Festival; don’t miss the chance to see the best cinema by international female directors and to meet the creators in person and engage with them live when they present their films.
We maintain our commitment to being a showcase for a quality, pluralistic, diverse cinematography with its own identity. We will be screening recent feature films from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Denmark, France, Mexico, Norway, the Netherlands, Singapore, Sweden, Ukraine... You are sure to find a film that leaves a lasting impression!
- Cineteca Madrid:
- Official Section International Competition: 10 feature films
- Out-of-competition special screening: Madrid premiere of Woman Unknown by May el-Toukhy (2026), winner of the Golden Lion for Best Film and the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at Venice.
- International Panorama: 4 feature films from Canada, Singapore, and Ukraine.
- FILMIN. In the Festival Library on FILMIN, within the section dedicated to our festival, 60 films by international female directors will be available: 7 from the current edition and 53 from the previous eight.
1. OFFICIAL SECTION. INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
Cineteca Madrid
Plaza de Legazpi, 8, 28045 Madrid (Matadero Madrid), Tickets: €5 (Box Office / Online: https://tienda.madrid-destino.com/es/) (Box office hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 4:30 PM – 8:00 PM)
Once again, Cineteca Madrid will program a diverse selection of 10 feature films, not yet released in Spain or Madrid, made between 2025 and 2026, selected by the Festival's Programming Committee, which will compete for the 2026 Best International Film Award. The section will be presented by the festival directors, Carlota Álvarez Basso and Diego Mas Trelles and/or by the directors of the films.
The jury will be composed of: Pablo Berger, one of our most internationally acclaimed filmmakers; Samantha Hudson, one of the most iconic figures of contemporary counterculture; and Vanessa-Tatjana Beerli, a Swiss-Canadian filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer specializing in genre cinema.
The 2026 Best International Film Award at the Cine por Mujeres Madrid Festival consists of two parts:
- Free Your Mind Prize: 4K color correction for 3 weeks in the Free Your Mind Místika digital cinema room, valued at €30,000, for the next feature film by the winning director.
- Subtitula’m Award: Creation of a DCP (original version with Spanish subtitles) by the company Subtitula’m, valued at €1,000.
l. International Competition Schedule
Wednesday, Nov. 4th, 6:30 PM. Opening Session.
Sala Plató
#1. El deshielo
Manuela Martelli (Chile)
Historical drama, 108 min. Chile, USA, Spain, 2026
Chile, 1992. While staying at her grandparents' remote hotel near an Andean ski resort, Inés (9) befriends Hanna (15), a German skier. When Hanna vanishes without a trace, the search for her uncovers hidden truths.
Festivals: Selected for Cannes, Hamptons, Zurich, and San Sebastián.
– Madrid premiere.
Wednesday, Nov. 4th, 8:00 PM
Sala Azcona
#2. Mecenaten (The Patron)
Julia Thelin (Sweden)
Comedy-drama, 100 min. Sweden, 2026
A cleaner poses as an art patron and seduces two students with a fabricated life of luxury. This game of identity, sex, and power spirals into a dangerous web of deception.
Festivals: Selected for the Gothenburg Film Festival.
– Madrid premiere.
– Presentation and post-screening Q&A with the director (consecutive translation provided).
– In collaboration with the Embassy of Sweden. Subtitles courtesy of the Cinema Jove Festival.
– For art lovers.
Thursday, Nov. 5th, 8:00 PM
Sala Azcona
#3. The Pupil
Karin Junger (Belgium)
Drama, 103 min. Netherlands, Belgium, 2025
As the line between mentorship and manipulation begins to blur, 12-year-old Daan faces a terrifying challenge: distinguishing his soccer coach's affection from abuse.
Festivals: Jury Prize at the European Film Festival; Official Selection at Tallinn.
– Spanish premiere.
– Presentation and post-screening discussion with the director (with consecutive translation).
– In collaboration with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Thursday, Nov. 5th, 8:30 PM
Sala Plató
#4. The Last Resort
Maria Sødahl (Norway)
Drama, 98 min. Denmark, 2025
A Danish family sets off on vacation to the Canary Islands. But an accident changes everything. What does it really mean to be a good person, and how far should one go to help someone in need?
Festivals: Best Nordic Film Award at the Göteborg Film Festival. Selected for the Atlántida Film Fest.
– Madrid premiere.
– Presentation and post-screening Q&A with the director (with consecutive translation).
– In collaboration with TrustNordisk.
Friday, Nov. 6th, 6:30 PM
Sala Plató
#5. Les filles du ciel (The Girls From Above)
Bérangère McNeese (Belgium)
Drama, 96 min. Belgium, France, 2026
Héloïse meets Mallorie, who offers her a place to stay in the apartment she shares with two other young women. However, wounds from the past threaten to shatter the fragile balance among these women, who appear so strong on the surface.
Festivals: Grand Prize and Youth Prize at the Saint-Jean-de-Luz Festival. Selected for Oostende and Namur.
– Spanish premiere.
Friday, Nov. 6th, 8:00 PM
Sala Azcona
#6. La Gradiva
Marine Atlan (France)
Drama, 145 min. France/Italy, 2026
A small group of French high school students embarks on a trip to Pompeii to explore its ruins and the bodies petrified by Vesuvius in 79 AD. In this ghost city, they are overcome by a life-changing sense of vertigo.
Festivals: Award-winner at Deauville and Melbourne; Grand Prize at the Cannes Critics' Week (Semaine de la Critique).
Selected for Toronto, Chicago, BFI London, and Reykjavik.
– Madrid premiere.
Friday, Nov. 6th, 8:30 PM
Sala Plató
#7. Jimpa
Sophie Hyde (Australia)
Drama, 113 min. Australia, Netherlands, Finland, 2025. LGBTQ+
Hannah takes her non-binary teenage child to Amsterdam to visit their gay grandfather. Can desire and freedom coexist with family life? Starring Olivia Colman and John Lithgow.
Festivals: Selected for Sundance, Adelaide, Rotterdam, San Francisco, New Zealand, and Atlántida.
– Madrid premiere.
Saturday, Nov. 7th, 6:00 PM
Sala Azcona
#8. Se meg (Don't Call Me Mama)
Nina Knag (Norway)
Drama, 106 min. Norway, 2025
A woman from a small Norwegian town faces the most difficult dilemma of her life when she falls in love with a young asylum seeker and begins a clandestine affair with devastating consequences.
Festivals: Selected for the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
– Spanish premiere.
– Presentation and post-screening Q&A with the director (with consecutive translation).
– In collaboration with the Embassy of Norway and the Norwegian Film Institute.
Saturday, Nov. 7th, 7:00 PM
Sala Plató
#9. Tangles
Leah Nelson (Canada)
Animation, 101 min. Canada, 2026. LGBTQ+
Sarah leaves behind her exciting life as an activist and artist in 1990s San Francisco when she is forced to return to her small, conservative hometown upon learning that Alzheimer’s is beginning to erode her mother’s vibrant personality.
Festivals: Jury and Critics' Prize at Deauville; Sebastiane Award at San Sebastián.
Selected for Cannes, the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, and the Chicago Film Festival.
– Madrid premiere.
– Screening in collaboration with the QueerCineMad festival.
Sunday, Nov. 8th, 6:00 PM
Sala Plató
#10. Gentle Monster
Marie Kreutzer (Austria)
Drama, 115 min. Austria, France, 2026
Lucy, a singer and pianist, has just moved her family from a city apartment to a country house, hoping to recover from severe burnout and professional exhaustion—until the police knock on her door. Starring Léa Seydoux and Catherine Deneuve.
Festivals: Selected for Cannes, Munich, Sydney, and San Sebastián.
– Madrid premiere.
– In collaboration with the Austrian Cultural Forum.
ll. Special out-of-competition screening
Premiere of the highly anticipated film that won this year's Venice Film Festival. The screening will be presented by the festival directors, Carlota Álvarez Basso and Diego Mas Trelles.
Saturday, Nov. 7th, 8:30 PM
Sala Azcona
#1. Woman Unknown
May el-Toukhy (Denmark)
Historical drama, 126 min. Denmark, 2026
Marie, a young nanny and maid, is about to marry the wealthy, older widower for whom she works. But Marie harbors a shameful secret: during World War II, she had an intimate relationship with a German soldier.
Festivals: Golden Lion for Best Film and Volpi Cup for Best Actress at Venice.
Selected for Toronto and BFI London.
– Madrid premiere.
lll. International Panorama: 4 feature films
Two Canadian films, one from Singapore, and a Ukrainian-Dutch co-production.
Cineteca Madrid
Plaza de Legazpi, 8
Admission: €5. Online / Box office: Tuesday to Sunday, 4:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
1. CANADA: 2 feature films
Wednesday, Nov. 4th, 7:00 PM
Sala Borau
#1. Deux femmes en or (Two Women)
Chloé Robichaud (Canada)
Comedy, 100 min. Canada, 2025. LGBTQ+
Violette and Florence do not understand what is happening to them; both neighbors are tormented. What if happiness meant rebelling against society—sometimes choosing immediate gratification over success, and freedom over always doing the right thing?
Festivals: Best Screenplay Award at Sundance and Audience Award at Las Palmas.
– Madrid premiere.
– In collaboration with the Bureau of Québec in Barcelona and Ciné Tapis Rouge. Subtitles provided by the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival.
Thursday, Nov. 5th, 7:00 PM
Sala Borau
#2. Kaïros
Jennifer Alleyn (Canada)
Drama, 91 min. Canada, 2026
An actor who once enjoyed great acclaim returns to his hometown to rebuild his career in the industry. Against all odds, he lands a job hosting a late-night radio show featuring live call-ins.
Festivals: Best Screenplay Award and Audience Award at the Val-Morin Auteur Film Festival. Selected for Rendez-Vous Québec Cinéma.
– Madrid premiere.
– Presentation and post-screening Q&A with the director (with consecutive interpretation).
– In collaboration with the Embassy of Canada, Ciné Tapis Rouge, and the Bureau of Québec in Barcelona.
2. SINGAPORE
Thursday, Nov. 5th, 6:30 PM
Sala Plató
#3. Ah Girl
Ang Geck Geck Priscilla (Singapore)
Drama, 99 min. Singapore, 2026
A seven-year-old girl lives with her younger sister, father, and grandmother following her parents' separation. Her mother visits on weekends, but her father wants to put the little girl up for adoption. Caught between China and Japan, the film serves as a metaphor for Singapore's history.
Festivals: Youth Jury Award at Rotterdam.
– Spanish premiere.
– In collaboration with the Baturu Festival, Bangkok.
3. UKRAINE/THE NETHERLANDS
Sunday, Nov. 8th, 5:30 PM
Sala Borau
#4. Timestamp
Kateryna Gornostai (Ukraine)
Documentary, 125 min. Ukraine, Netherlands, 2025
Keeping schools open in Ukraine is an attempt to reclaim the normalcy that existed before the war. Employing a mosaic structure, and devoid of interviews, narration, or reenactments, the documentary reveals how the war impacts the daily lives of students and teachers.
Festivals: Award-winner at DocsBarcelona. Selected for Berlinale, Ghent Film Festival, and Docudays.
– Madrid premiere.
– In collaboration with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
2. THE FESTIVAL AT HOME: 60 feature films
FILMIN: 60 international feature films on our festival's channel
In the Festival Library on FILMIN, within the section dedicated to our festival, 60 films by international female directors will be available: 7 from the current edition and 53 from the previous eight editions.
