Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival 2017

The Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival (ESFF) has grown and this year - its fourth! - showcases the best of Spanish and Latin American cinema across three great Scottish venues: the Filmhouse in Edinburgh; the GFT in Glasgow; and the Macrobert Arts Centre in Stirling.

The School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC) is delighted that so many of our staff and students are involved in the fourth ESFF, from Marian A. Aréchaga and Patricia Rueda, who teach in Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies, to Film Studies MSc students, Dumitrita Pacicovschi and Nina Halton.

It was Marian, who curates ESFF, that first identified a gap in Edinburgh’s film calendar back in 2013, with French and Italian Film Festivals already established in the city.

Seeking to cater for Edinburgh’s large and vibrant Hispanic community, and growing interest around Hispanic culture, she set out to establish a festival covering a wide range of films for everyone, from the ‘first-timers’ and ‘foodies’ to the ‘fanatics’!

Opening film

The opening screening of this year’s Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival will be ‘100 meters’, the 2016 film based on the incredible true story of a Spanish man with multiple sclerosis (MS) who challenged himself to finish an Iron-Man Challenge.

Screening in support of the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic at the University of Edinburgh, the film will be introduced by Director, Marcel Barrena, who will also take part in a Q&A.

Marcel Barrena is the winner of several awards for his work, which includes his debut, ‘Cuatro Estaciones’, and the acclaimed documentary, ‘Little World’.

Highly acclaimed world-wide, ‘100 meters’ was nominated for 11 Gaudí Awards - including Best Picture - with wins for Best Supporting Actress (Alexandra Jiménez) and Best Supporting Actor (Karra Elejalde).

Programme and trailer

The 2017 Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival presents a total of 15 feature films and 13 short films.

Highlights include the Scottish premiere of 'Happy 140' (directed by Gracia Querejeta), and the coveted Goya prize winners 'Smoke and Mirrors' (directed by Alberto Rodríguez) and '1898, Our Last Men in the Philippines' (directed by Salvador Calvo).

Browse and download the full ESFF programme as a pdf

Are you interested in Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies?

Founded in 1919, LLC has one of the best-established departments in the UK, offering a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, including teaching and supervision in Basque, Catalan, Latin American, Portuguese and Spanish studies.

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