The Tudela opera prima film festival will celebrate its 26th edition from 23 to 31 October at the Moncayo cinema, showcasing emerging Spanish cinema and new talents. The event, organised by EPEL Tudela-Cultura and the Muskaria film club, will honour filmmaker David Trueba and his debut film, La buena vida (1996), during a ceremony scheduled for Thursday, 29 October, at 19:45. Trueba will be joined by actors Fernando Ramallo and Vicky Peña at the event.
The festival's programme was unveiled at a press conference attended by Verónica Gormedino, president of EPEL Tudela-Cultura and councillor for culture; festival director Luis Alegre; and Rudi Ortiz, president of the Muskaria film club. José Ángel Andrés, president of Fundación CAN, and Javier Apecechea, operations director of Sofidel, were also present as sponsors.
During the presentation, Gormedino emphasised the commitment of the Tudela City Council to the festival and the promotion of emerging Spanish cinema, as well as the efforts of the Muskaria film club and festival management. She announced an increase of €1,000 in the prizes for the two main awards: the Ciudad de Tudela Prize for Best Film, now worth €7,000, and the Best Direction Award, which has been renamed the Alfonso Verdoy Prize in memory of a key figure associated with the festival who passed away last year, now valued at €4,000.
Rudi Ortiz highlighted the record number of films submitted, which necessitated significant work by the selection committee to choose the seven finalists. Luis Alegre noted that the opera prima festival has established itself as a reference point in the Spanish film landscape, particularly for those beginning their careers in cinema. He also remarked on the diversity of the selected works and their social sensitivity.
This year, the festival received 58 feature films for the official section, an increase of 14 from the previous edition and 38 more than in 2024. The seven selected films will be judged by a jury comprising filmmakers Mikel Gurrea and Belén Funes; actresses Victoria Luengo, Laia Costa, and Ana Gracia, the latter also a drama teacher; historian and essayist Felipe Cabrerizo; film journalist Javier Zurro from elDiario.es; and actor, screenwriter, and comedian Joaquín Reyes.
The tribute to David Trueba will take place on Thursday, 29 October, at 19:45, featuring a screening of La buena vida. The filmmaker will attend alongside Ramallo and Peña. The festival will maintain its main awards while enhancing the financial support for the two most significant prizes: the Ciudad de Tudela Prize for Best Film, awarded by public vote and shared equally between the producer and director, and the Alfonso Verdoy Prize for Best Direction, awarded by the jury. Other awards include the Special Jury Prize of €2,000 for a novice category, the Juventud Tudela-Cultura Prize of €1,000 awarded by local students for the best film, and the Equality Prize of €1,000, also determined by the Municipal Council for Equality of the Tudela City Council, for a film promoting gender equality.
The festival will also continue its morning sessions for educational centres in Tudela and Ribaforada, with approximately 1,500 students from secondary education and the final years of compulsory secondary education participating. Students will vote for the Juventud Prize after watching the competing films, following a similar system to that used for the public award.
The programme will kick off with several cultural events before the official inauguration: on Monday, 19 October, a concert by Alma Voluta titled Esto suena de cine will take place, with tickets priced at €3.50; on Tuesday, 20 October, there will be screenings of short films from the Opera2 competition and Clean Living, with free entry by invitation; on Wednesday, 21 October, the festival will be presented alongside a screening of the short film El relevo by David Mendizábal and Bárbara Fernández, also with free entry by invitation; and on Thursday, 22 October, a screening of the European debut film El coro de Praga will be held, with tickets priced at €6.
Tickets for paid events can be purchased through the website cinemoncayo.es and at the Moncayo cinema box office. Invitations for free sessions must be collected at the box office. The short film competition Opera2 is in its ninth edition and has received 20 submissions, with each of its three awards worth €400. The winning short films will be screened during the awards gala on Saturday, 31 October.
