The director of the Palau de la Música de València, Vicente Llimerá, alongside Sara Mansanet, the director of the mostra, announced the official section of the 41st mostra de valència-cinema del mediterrani, scheduled from 3 to 15 November. This section will showcase twelve feature films that portray a Mediterranean confronted with inequalities, social transformations, and identity conflicts through various genres, including fiction, documentary, comedy, drama, and thriller.
The films, hailing from several Mediterranean countries such as Turkey, Croatia, Serbia, Italy, Algeria, France, Palestine, Egypt, and Greece, will compete for the Golden Palm, which comes with a prize of €30,000 for the winning production, along with an additional €15,000 for distribution in Spain. The festival will also award the Silver Palm - Special Jury Prize, valued at €20,000.
Llimerá expressed that integrating the mostra is a responsibility for the Palau, aiming to contribute to the festival's growth as a space for cinema and community engagement. He stated, "The mostra has its own personality that we want to nurture and promote, as well as discover new creators and share stories that help us better understand the increasingly complex world around us." He also highlighted the significance of three valencian productions competing for the Golden Palm, noting their dialogues with stories from other Mediterranean countries.
Mansanet clarified that all twelve feature films in this prestigious section are premieres in Spain, including three world premieres from the selected valencian productions, which she believes represent the current state of valencian cinema. She noted that this edition is characterised by emerging talent, distinct valencian perspectives, new narratives, uncomfortable realities, and a rise in female authorship, with 58% of the selected films directed by women.
In response to journalists' questions, Mansanet revealed that this 41st edition will feature 155 screenings out of the 700 submissions received, aiming for a diverse representation of Mediterranean countries. The themes reflect the current year, as filmmakers share their lived experiences, addressing issues such as the housing crisis and generational conflicts in countries like Algeria and Egypt, where urban and rural life starkly contrasts, particularly for young women.
Valencian productions in focus
Among the competing films are three valencian productions that challenge narrative conventions with their unique themes. Els dies clars is the debut feature by Sandra Ferrús, produced by Suica Films and filmed entirely in Valencian, set in València and the Ribera Alta region. The film explores mental health and family strain due to a lack of institutional support, featuring a cast led by Ferrús, Sergi Torrecilla, Pilar Martínez, and Toni Misó. This dramedy aims to break stigmas through the intense experiences of Vicent, a young man diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Directors Toni Agustí and María S. Torregrosa return to the festival with La gran fiesta del cine, a film shot in a single day and based on actor improvisation, structured as a 90-minute continuous shot in real-time. Produced by Hanoi Producciones and starring Valencian actresses Marta Belenguer, Lorena López, and Amparo Fernández, the film delves into the behind-the-scenes dynamics and tensions of the film industry.
Completing the trio is the documentary Calle de los Ángeles, produced by Limbus Filmak with support from the Institut Valencià de Cultura and À Punt, directed by Silvia Rey Canudo. Drawing from her decade-long experience living in the iconic El Cabanyal neighbourhood in València, Rey Canudo constructs a sharp satire on the housing crisis and real estate speculation.
Emerging talent and female authorship
Alongside the Valencian entries, the official section features new voices and films recognised by major international festivals. The stories vying for the Golden Palm explore present-day tensions, from precariousness to family conflicts, showcasing the vitality and diversity of Mediterranean cinema. Emerging talent is prominently featured, including Italian director Alberto Palmiero, whose debut Keep Me in Mind portrays the challenges of a generation marked by job uncertainty and won the Best First Feature Award at the Festa del Cinema di Roma.
Palestinian-Syrian filmmaker Abdallah Al-Khatib presents Chronicles from the Siege, a survival story set during wartime that premiered at the Berlinale, where it received the GWFF Best First Feature Award. Also featured is A Turkish Case, a political thriller by Franco-Turkish director Hüseyin Aydin Gürsoy, exploring the contradictions of identity faced by a Parisian lawyer.
The official section also includes a strong selection of international female perspectives that challenge social pressures and explore personal autonomy through four acclaimed feature films. Turkish director Banu Sivaci's Hear the Yellow, which premiered at the Berlinale, won four awards at the Taormina Film Festival, while Greek filmmaker Mary Bouli's At No Cost questions the ethical dilemmas of the fertility industry and received top honours at the Thessaloniki Film Festival.
French director Lila Pinell's Shana explores daily survival and sisterhood, having been recognised as the best international film at the Buenos Aires International Film Festival, and Egyptian director Ashgan El-Hamus presents Al Baraneya, a rural portrait of a pregnant young woman facing her family's struggles against a landowner's power.
The selection also includes two distinct films addressing family conflicts and power dynamics. Croatian director Igor Jelinović's satirical Honey Bunny, which premiered in Rotterdam, depicts the bitter dispute between two sisters over a holiday home, while Egyptian director Mohamed Siam's My Father's Scent is a tense thriller exploring the emotional reckoning between a father and son during a forced night together.
The 41st mostra de valència-cinema del mediterrani is organised by the Palau de la Música de València with support from the Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales (ICAA), DAMA, Fundación SGAE, the Programme for the Internationalisation of Spanish Culture (PICE), and collaboration from La Filmoteca del IVC, València Film Office, Veles e Vents, València Music City, FIAPF, with À Punt Mèdia as the official media partner.
