Three Spanish Films Compete for Palme d'Or at 2026 Cannes

The 79th Cannes Film Festival marks a historic milestone for Spanish cinema: for the first time, three Spanish films will compete for the Palme d'Or in the Official Selection. Thierry Frémaux, the festival's general delegate, announced the selection of Pedro Almodóvar's 'Amarga Navidad', Rodrigo Sorogoyen's 'El ser querido', and Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi's 'La bola negra'. This achievement follows a turbulent history between Spain and Cannes, including the 1961 scandal over Luis Buñuel's 'Viridiana', which won the Palme d'Or but was banned in Spain until 1977. In 2023, Víctor Erice's 'Cerrar los ojos' was screened out of competition, prompting his public protest. The 2025 edition was also historic, with Carla Simón's 'Romería' and Oliver Laxe's 'Sirat' (which won the Jury Prize) in competition. Laxe's film later earned an Oscar nomination. The first Spanish film at Cannes was Luis García Berlanga's 'Bienvenido, Mister Marshall' in 1953, which sparked controversy over an anti-American flag scene, leading to censorship.