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

The 2026 Cannes Film Festival features three Spanish films in competition for the Palme d'Or, marking the strongest representation of Spanish cinema in the festival's history. The selected films are Pedro Almodóvar's 'Autofiction', Rodrigo Sorogoyen's 'L'être aimé', and Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi's 'La Bola Negra'. Almodóvar, a veteran with seven previous selections, has never won the Palme d'Or but has received other awards. Sorogoyen enters official competition for the first time after presenting 'As bestas' in a parallel section in 2022. Calvo and Ambrossi, known as 'Los Javis', make their competition debut with only their second film. The last time three Spanish films were selected was in the early 1950s, before the Palme d'Or existed. Last year, two Spanish films—'Sirat' by Oliver Laxe and 'Romeria' by Carla Simón—were in competition. The films benefit from high budgets (€5-12 million) and international success of TV series like 'La Mesias' and 'Los Anos nuevos'. Producer María Zamora emphasizes that financing enables talent to shine. Festival delegate Thierry Frémaux noted a 'certain movement in Spanish cinema'.