Las Palmas International Film Festival Returns for 25th Anniversary Edition

The 25th Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival returns from April 23 to May 3, once again proving itself as a key destination for global cinema. Organizers have curated a program of 25 titles—ten features and fifteen shorts—that have already earned acclaim at major festivals like Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Sundance, cementing the city’s reputation as a hub for high-quality independent film.

This year’s feature film selection, themed As in a Mirror, explores themes of identity, family, and introspection. The lineup features a diverse range of international voices, including Songs of the Forgotten Trees, Lucky Lu, Remake, How to Divorce During the War, Lo demás es ruido, Bosque arriba en la montaña, Trial of Hein, 17, Nina Roza, and If I Go will They Miss me if I Go.

To make the festival more accessible, organizers have introduced a new ticketing strategy. Starting April 20, tickets for screenings at Cine Yelmo Las Arenas will be available for 4.50 euros, with four-session passes offered at 12 euros. Additionally, the opening gala and the Film Craft Workshops—featuring industry figures like Óliver Laxe, Javier Cámara, Laia Costa, Asier Etxeandia, Alberto Rodríguez, and Albert Serra—will be free to attend, though reservations are required through the Auditorio y Teatro Foundation website. To mark the festival’s 25th anniversary, anyone turning 25 this year can attend for free by verifying their age at the box office.

The festival’s short film program highlights experimental storytelling, covering topics as varied as artificial intelligence, robotics, grief, and the supernatural. The selection includes Chuuraa, Gone People, Citizen-Inmate, Heartbeat, Honey, My Love, So Sweet, the Locarno-winning Hyena, It Lives Under the Snow, Ofélia, Earworm, Prelude, Samba infinita, Scraps, Pobre de mí, and We Were Here. These films underscore the festival’s ongoing commitment to showcasing bold, new audiovisual languages.