#6. Once again the special sessions of Films by Women Madrid Festival 9th edition highlight female creators’ role in literature, arts and cinema
The female gaze upon other women.
We will also be presenting this year's opening and closing screenings.
DON'T MISS OUT ON TICKETS FOR THE GALAS AT THE PALACIO DE LA PRENSA, THE INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION, AND THE SPANISH COMPETITION.
We present the special sessions that are part of the 9th edition of Films by Women Madrid Festival. Four sessions highlighting the work of a visual artist, a writer, a pioneering filmmaker, and a debut author. We are not only aiming to showcase the work of these creators but also to emphasize their significance in other cultural spheres: literature, the visual arts, and cinema. We want to highlight how the work of some artists can inspire other women, as is the case with two filmmakers among our directors: one has focused on the life and work of Carmen Laforet, in the documentary Por qué no escribo nada, by Isabel Fernández, with a subsequent discussion between its director and Cristina Cerezales, the author's daughter, a program in collaboration with the National Library of Spain; the other, director Claudia Müller, in her documentary Rebecca Horn - The Secret Life of Things, which highlights the work of the influential German artist Rebecca Horn, in a program in collaboration with the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. In every edition, in collaboration with Filmoteca Española, we rescue the filmography of pioneering female directors; in 2026, we are bringing back—with live music—the films of Italian director Elvira Notari, considered a precursor to Italian neorealism, while simultaneously highlighting the work of an emerging Spanish female director in partnership with DAMA (Derechos de Autor de Medios Audiovisuales): past and future come together at our festival.
To wrap up this newsletter, we are excited to announce that, for the first time in the history of the Films by Women Madrid Festival, tickets for the opening and closing galas are now on sale. Don’t miss out! The festival's 9th edition kicks off on October 27th with an opening gala at Madrid's Palacio de la Prensa and concludes at the same venue on November 8th with a closing gala.
Special sessions at the 9th edition, and opening and closing galas
1. SPECIAL SESSIONS
I. Featured Author / Sala Secuencia DAMA. Thursday, Oct. 29th, 6:30 PM
Gran Vía de San Francisco, 8. Reserve a spot at www.damautor.es. Free admission until capacity is reached.
#1. La buena hija by Júlia de Paz Solvas (Spain)
Drama, 103 min. Spain, 2025
After her parents separate, Carmela and her mother move into her grandmother's house; however, the shadow of her father steers the family's three generations of women toward a different future.
Festivals: Audience Award, Best Film, and Best Actress at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Selected for Göteborg, Málaga, and D’A.
– Presentation and post-screening Q&A with the director.
II. Featured Writer / Biblioteca Nacional de España. Tuesday, Nov. 3rd, 6:30 PM
Auditorium. Paseo de Recoletos, 22. Free admission until capacity is reached. https://www.bne.es/es
#1. Por qué no escribo nada by Isabel Fernández (Spain)
Documentary, 103 min. Spain, 2025
At just 23 years old, Carmen Laforet revolutionized Spanish literature with her novel Nada. Her talent promised a long, successful career, yet she wrote little and gradually faded into silence... Or so the story goes. Her story is that of all women who choose to step off the beaten path.
Festivals: Best Foreign Direction at the Cinerama Canarias Awards (Festivalito La Palma). Selected for the BCN Film Fest.
– Madrid premiere.
– Presentation by a representative of the National Library of Spain and the festival directors. Q&A session with the director and Cristina Cerezales, Carmen Laforet’s daughter.
– For literature lovers.
III. Pioneers Series: Elvira Notari/ Filmoteca Española: November 4th–6th
Calle Santa Isabel, 3, 28012 Madrid. General admission: €3 (€2 for students). Online sales open 3 days prior to the screening at 5:00 PM (https://entradasfilmoteca.sacatuentrada.es) or at the box office on the day of the screening from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
A film series paying tribute to the Italian director Elvira Notari (1875–1946), born Maria Elvira Giuseppa Coda in Salerno, who was Italy's earliest and most prolific female filmmaker. She worked as a milliner and directed over sixty feature films and a hundred short films and documentaries, in addition to working as an actress, screenwriter, producer, and cinematographer. She is considered a precursor to Italian Neorealism.
The screenings on Wednesday the 4th and Thursday the 5th will feature live music by pianist Marcos Ortiz Casas.
Wednesday, Nov. 4th, 8:30 PM
With live music
#1. L'Italia s'è desta
Fiction, 9 min. Italy, 1927
A short film of which only a fragment survives. Gennariello, a young Neapolitan man, decides to enlist in the army, taking his guitar with him. After participating in World War I, he returns deeply changed by the experience of the conflict.
#2. 'A Santanotte
Fiction, 61 min. Italy, 1922
Nanninella is in love with Tore, but her brutal, alcoholic father disapproves of the relationship, favoring the suit of Carluccio, who provides him with free drinks.
Thursday, Nov. 5th, 8:30 PM
With live music
#3. Carmela, la sartina di Montesanto
Fiction, 12 min. Italy, 1916
Carmela is a young seamstress living in the Montesanto neighborhood of Naples. Her relationship with a local young man is disrupted by jealousy, family conflict, and social differences, factors that ultimately put their love to the test.
#4. La Festa della S.S. Assunta in Avellino + La Festa della Madonna della Libera a Trevico
Documentary, 14 min. Italy, 1923
Footage of two popular religious celebrations in southern Italy, focusing on processions and rituals dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
#5. Fantasia 'e surdate
Fiction, 41 min. Italy, 1927
A story following the lives of several Neapolitan soldiers, focusing on their romantic relationships and emotional struggles against the backdrop of war.
Friday, Nov. 6th, 8:30 PM
#6. E' piccerella
Fiction, 63 min. Italy, 1922
Tore falls in love with Margaretella, a young woman who leaves a trail of spurned lovers in her wake due to her capricious and fickle nature. Despite warnings from family and friends, Tore becomes enslaved by his passion for Margaretella, taking his obsession to pathological extremes.
IV. Featured Creator/ Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza. Friday, Nov. 6th, 6:00 PM
Paseo del Prado, 8, 28014 Madrid. Free admission with prior online reservation: https://www.museothyssen.org/actividades
Spanish premiere of Claudia Müller's documentary about Rebecca Horn (1944-2024), one of the most fascinating female artists of the 20th century, with the opportunity to discuss the film with the director and Diego Mas Trelles, co-director of the festival, after the screening.
#1. Rebecca Horn - The Secret Life of Things de Claudia Müller (Germany)
Documentary, 90 min. Germany, 2026
Rebecca Horn is one of the most fascinating artists of the 20th century. The film explores her poetic, multifaceted, and enigmatic body of work, which spans performance art, films, installations, sculpture, poetry, drawings, video, and cinema (she also directed three feature-length fiction films). Much of her internationally acclaimed work focuses on the relationship between the human body, machines, and space.
Festivals: Selected for Filmfest München and the Vancouver International Film Festival.
– Spanish premiere.
– Presentation and post-screening discussion with the director and Diego Mas Trelles, festival co-director.
– For art lovers.
2. OPENING GALA: Tuesday, Oct. 27th, 6:30 PM – Spanish Premiere
PALACIO DE LA PRENSA
Plaza del Callao, 4
Tickets available here.
The festival will launch this edition with the Spanish premiere of the feature film Madame (Le Triangle d’or) by Hélène Rosselet-Ruiz.
During this opening gala of the festival, the 2026 Career Achievement Award, granted by the Programming Committee of the IX edition, will be presented to the producer Esther García.
Madame (Le Triangle d’or) by Hélène Rosselet-Ruiz (France)
Drama, 87 min
Production: France, 2026
Laura accepts a job at a grand mansion in Paris’s "Golden Triangle." Settled there by her lover, a wealthy Saudi prince, Souria lives waiting for his visits. In this world of excessive luxury and constant surveillance, this "golden cage" may be closing in on both of them.
Festivals: Selected for Cannes (Special Screenings).
3. CLOSING GALA: Sunday, Nov. 8th, 6:30 PM – Madrid Premiere.
PALACIO DE LA PRENSA
Plaza del Callao, 4
Ticket sales here.
The festival will close this edition with the Madrid premiere of the feature film Josephine, by Beth de Araújo.
During the closing gala, the following awards will be presented: Best Spanish Film (2026); Best First or Second Feature Film by an Emerging Female Director (2026), awarded by members of the Blogos de Oro Awards Association; and Best International Film (2026), awarded by the International Jury.
Josephine by Beth de Araújo (Brasil, United States)
Drama, 119 min.
Production: United States, 2026
After witnessing a rape in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, 8-year-old Josephine exhibits violent behavior and paranoia, while her parents seek justice and a way to regain their lost sense of security. Starring Channing Tatum.
Based on true events.
Festivals: Winner of the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at Sundance. Official selection at Berlin, Rio de Janeiro, and San Sebastián.
