A specialized focus on diverse and multifaceted cinema
DON'T MISS OUT ON TICKETS FOR THE GALAS AT THE PALACIO DE LA PRENSA, THE INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION, AND THE SPANISH COMPETITION.
We continue to share a lineup that fills us with pride. We present the feature films from the Parallel Sections of the 9th edition of the Films By Women Madrid Festival, programmed thanks to the invaluable collaboration of six partner organizations, each bringing its own unique perspective on cinema made by women. Don’t miss the chance to see the best films by national and international female directors and to enjoy the diversity, quality, and distinctive voices of the creators featured in the festival.
We also present our showcase within FILMIN’s “Festival Library,” where you can enjoy our programming from the comfort of your own home.
Parallel sections in the 9th edition:
1- Cinemateca Pedro Zerolo: A selection of international cinema with an LGTBIQ+ focus.
2- Goethe-Institut + Cine Doré: A series dedicated to German female directors: Margarethe von Trotta. Gazes of Resistance.
3- Casa Árabe/ La Casa Encendida: Screening of Tres Mujeres by Leyla Bouzid.
4- Institut Français de Madrid: A series dedicated to French female directors.
5- Casa América: Screening of El Deshielo (The Meltdown) by Manuela Martelli.
6- Sala Equis: Best Off. A recap of the venue's top screenings.
FILMIN. Available in the "Festival Library" section, under the Festival Cine por Mujeres (Cinema by Women Festival) tab.
Parallel Sections and Filmin Program at the 9th Edition
I. PARALLEL SECTIONS
- Cinemateca Pedro Zerolo
Calle Tribulete, nº 20. (Entrance through the alley between 18th and 20th)
Admission: free until full capacity is reached. www.cinematecapedrozerolo.com
Friday, Oct. 30, 7:00 PM
#1. Iris y los hombres
Caroline Vignal (France)
Drama, 97’. France, 2024
Iris has a perfect life: a wonderful husband, two incredible daughters, and a successful business—but her sex life is completely non-existent. Perhaps the time has come to explore…
Festivals: Selected for the Angoulême and Málaga film festivals.
– Presentation by director Carlota Callén, followed by a roundtable discussion.
Saturday, Oct. 31, 7:00 PM
#2. Tres mujeres
Leyla Boucid (Tunisia)
Drama, 113'. Tunisia, France, 2026. LGTBIQ+
Returning to Tunisia for her uncle’s funeral, Lilia reconnects with a family that knows nothing about her life in Paris—especially her romantic life—within a household where three generations of women coexist amidst silences, secrets, and traditions.
Festivals: Selected for Berlin and Venice.
– Presentation by director Tamara Lucarini, followed by a roundtable discussion.
Friday, Nov. 6, 7:00 PM
#3. Silver Haze
Sacha Polak (The Netherlands)
Drama, 103'. The Netherlands, United Kingdom, 2023. LGTBIQ+
Franky, a young nurse from London, has been deeply affected by a childhood accident. Everything changes when she falls in love with Florence, a vibrant patient who welcomes her into her home, encouraging her to move past the scars of her past.
Festivals: Selected for Berlin, Sundance, and Rotterdam.
– Presentation by director Sonia Martí Gallego, followed by a roundtable discussion.
Saturday, Nov. 7, 7:00 PM
#4. La voz de Hind
Kaouther Ben Hania (Tunisia)
Drama, 89'. Tunisia, France, 2025
January 29, 2024. Red Crescent volunteers receive an emergency call. A 6-year-old girl is trapped in a car under fire in Gaza, pleading to be rescued. As they try to keep her on the line, they do everything in their power to send an ambulance to her. Her name is Hind Rajab.
Festivals: Grand Jury Prize in Venice, Jury Prize in Chicago, Best Film in Ghent and the Hamptons, San Sebastián City Award, Special Award from the Spanish Actors' Union.
– Presentation featuring director Cecilia Gessa, followed by a roundtable discussion.
2. German Directors: Margarethe von Trotta. Gazes of Resistance / Goethe-Institut + Cine Doré
Goethe-Institut Madrid. Calle de Zurbarán, nº 21
Admission: Free, subject to capacity. www.goethe.de/ins/es/es/index.html
Cine Doré de Filmoteca Española. Calle de Santa Isabel, nº 3
Admission: €3 (€2 for students) https://entradasfilmoteca.sacatuentrada.es/es Tickets available 3 days before the screening at 5:00 PM, or at the box office on the day of the screening from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
The festival has the great honor of welcoming the celebrated German filmmaker Margarethe von Trotta to Madrid to accompany a retrospective program dedicated to her work. A pivotal figure in the history of cinema, she is a recipient of some of the most prestigious international awards. Presented with the support of the Association of Friends of the Goethe-Institut Spain.
Wednesday, Oct. 28, 7:00 PM
#1. Las hermanas alemanas
Margarethe von Trotta (Germany)
Drama, 106’. Germany, 1981
Two sisters fight for women’s rights: Juliane is a journalist, while Marianne becomes a terrorist. When Marianne is imprisoned, Juliane feels compelled to help her.
Starring Barbara Sukowa and Rüdiger Vogler.
Festivals: Golden Lion at the 1981 Venice Film Festival, plus 12 other awards and 7 nominations.
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 7:00 PM
#2. Hannah Arendt
Margarethe von Trotta (Germany)
Period drama, 113’. Germany, Luxembourg, France, 2012
Hannah Arendt observes the trial of Adolf Eichmann. Expecting to confront a monster, she instead encounters a mediocre bureaucrat. A thoughtful portrait of a courageous and determined woman. Starring Barbara Sukowa.
Awards/Festivals: Best Film Award at SEMINCI; official selections at festivals in Toronto, Tokyo, São Paulo, and Tallinn.
– Includes an introduction and a post-screening discussion with the director and Ana Pérez, film programmer at the Goethe-Institut Madrid.
Thursday, Nov. 5, 7:00 PM
#3. Ingeborg Bachmann (Viaje hacia el desierto)
Margarethe von Trotta (Germany)
Drama, 110’. Germany, 2023
Explores the relationship between writers Ingeborg Bachmann and Max Frisch. Starring Vicky Krieps.
Festivals: Audience Award at the Berlin & Beyond Film Festival; official selection at the Seattle International Film Festival and the Berlinale.
– Includes an introduction and a post-screening discussion with the director and Ana Pérez, film programmer at the Goethe-Institut Madrid.
– For literature lovers.
Saturday, Nov. 7, 8:30 PM
#4. Heller Wahn (Locura de mujer)
Margarethe von Trotta (Germany)
Drama, 102’. Germany, 1983
Olga befriends Ruth, helping her emerge from her isolation and gain self-confidence; in each other’s company, they find a refuge from the lack of understanding they experience in their respective marriages. The discomfort felt by one of the husbands regarding his wife’s growing independence leads to dramatic conflict within the family. Starring Hanna Schygulla and Angela Winkler.
Festivals: Award-winner at the 1983 Berlinale; official selection at the Chicago International Film Festival.
– Includes an introduction and a post-screening discussion with the director and Ana Pérez, film programmer at the Goethe-Institut Madrid.
3. Arab Directors / Casa Árabe / La Casa Encendida
La Casa Encendida. Ronda de Valencia, nº 2
Admission: €5 (online/at the box office). www.lacasaencendida.es/
Thursday, Oct. 29, 6:00 PM
#1. Tres mujeres
Leyla Boucid (Tunisia)
Drama, 113'. Tunisia, France, 2026. LGTBIQ+
Returning to Tunisia for her uncle’s funeral, Lilia reconnects with a family that knows nothing about her life in Paris—especially her romantic life—within a household where three generations of women coexist amidst silences, secrets, and traditions.
Festivals: Selected for Berlin, Venice.
– Introduction by Karim Hauser, Culture Coordinator at Casa Árabe, followed by a discussion with actress Eya Bouteraa and Alejandra Val Cubero, professor of Journalism and Audiovisual Communication at UC3M.
4. French Directors / Institut Français de Madrid
Institut Français. Calle del Marqués de la Ensenada, nº 10
Admission: €6 / IFPASS: €4. Tickets available online at www.institutfrancais.es/madrid
Viernes 30 oct. 20.00 h
Friday, Oct. 30, 8:00 PM
#1. La maison des femmes (La casa de las mujeres)
Melissa Godet (France)
Drama, 110'. France, 2025
The “Maison des femmes” (Women’s House) opened in 2016 on the outskirts of Paris. Based on true events, the film portrays the daily lives of a team of women—doctors, psychologists, and volunteers—who work to support female victims of violence, helping them in the process of rebuilding their lives.
Festivals: Selected for Marrakech and Carcassonne.
– Presentation and discussion led by Dr. Ana Martínez Virto and a representative from the Institut Français.
Tuesday, Nov. 3, 8:00 PM
#2. Qui brille au combat (Mi hermana Bertille)
Joséphine Japy (France)
Drama, 100'. France, 2025
Bertille lives with a severe, ambiguously diagnosed disability. Her health keeps the family in a fragile daily balance, defined by constant uncertainty.
Festivals: Selected for Cannes.
– Presentation and discussion with Norma Alhambra, President of the Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Association of Madrid, and a representative of the Institut Français.
5. Latin American Female Directors / Casa de América
Sala de cine Iberia. Casa de América. Plaza de Cibeles, s/n
Free admission, subject to capacity (60 seats). Tickets will be available at the Information Point box office one hour before the start of the events. www.casamerica.es
Thursday, Nov. 5, 6:00 PM
#1. El deshielo
Manuela Martelli (Chile)
Drama, 108’. Chile, Spain, United States, Mexico, 2026
Chile, 1992. While staying at her grandparents’ remote hotel near a ski resort in the Andes, 9-year-old Inés strikes up a friendship with Hanna, a 15-year-old German skier. When Hanna disappears without a trace, the search for her brings hidden truths to light.
Festivals: Selected for Cannes, Hamptons, Zurich, and San Sebastián.
6. Sala Equis: Best Off
Sala Equis. Calle Duque de Alba, nº 4
Admission: €8. Online / Box office. www.salaequis.es
A selection of the best films that have been screened at Sala Equis since the beginning of its collaboration with the festival.
Sunday, Nov. 1, 5:30 PM
#1. Estiu 1993 (Verano 1993)
Carla Simón (Spain)
Drama, 99'. Spain, 2017
Frida, a six-year-old girl, faces the first summer of her life with her new adoptive family following the death of her parents. Far from her familiar surroundings—deep in the countryside—she must adapt to her new life.
Festivals: 38 awards and 59 nominations.
Sunday, Nov. 1, 7:30 PM
#2. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Céline Sciamma (France)
Drama, 122'. France, 2019. LGTBIQ+
On an isolated island in Brittany in the late 18th century, a painter is commissioned to create a wedding portrait of a young woman.
Festivals: 59 awards and 155 nominations.
Monday, Nov. 2, 7:30 PM
#3. Lullaby (Cinco Lobitos)
Alauda Ruiz de Azúa (Spain)
Drama, 104'. Spain, 2022
Amaia has just become a mother and realizes she isn’t quite sure how to go about it. What Amaia doesn’t yet know is that, while she is now a mother, she will never stop being a daughter.
Festivals: 32 awards and 40 nominations.
Monday, Nov. 2, 10:00 PM
#4. Aftersun
Charlotte Wells (United Kingdom)
Drama, 102’. United Kingdom, 2022
Sophie reflects on the joy and melancholy of a vacation she took with her father twenty years earlier. Memories—whether real or imagined—fill the gaps as she attempts to reconcile the father she knew with the man she did not.
Festivals: 98 awards and 182 nominations.
Thursday, Nov. 5, 7:30 PM
#5. Past Lives (Vidas pasadas)
Celine Song (South Korea, Canada)
Drama, 106’. United States, 2023
Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are separated after Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea. Twenty years later, they reunite to confront love and destiny.
Festivals: 83 awards and 240 nominations.
II. FILMIN
FESTIVAL CHANNEL ON FILMIN
Oct. 27 – Nov. 8, 2026
The Films By Women Madrid Festival reaches all across Spain via our dedicated space in the “Festival Library” on FILMIN, allowing you to enjoy our programming from the comfort of your own home. A selection of 105 feature-length films—spanning fiction, documentary, and animation—directed by Spanish and international women filmmakers will be available online. This includes 10 films from the current edition, alongside 95 titles that have been screened in various sections of the festival throughout its 9 editions.
You can view the list of titles available from the 9th edition (2026) here.
