The Festival further consolidates Bilbao as one of the major meeting points for genre cinema both locally and nationally.

The 32nd edition of the Bilbao Fantasy Film Festival – FANT, held from May 8 to 16, has come to a close, consolidating the excellent moment the festival is currently experiencing and reaffirming its role as one of the leading events for fantasy cinema both in Bilbao and across Spain.

This edition was marked by a significant increase in audience numbers. Nearly 10,700 people took part in the various programmed activities, representing an increase of close to 20% compared to last year. This figure confirms the increasingly strong connection between the festival and the people of Bilbao, as well as the growing interest in fantasy and horror cinema in all its forms.

This audience response was also reflected in the high occupancy levels at the festival venues. Full houses were recorded at the opening gala at Teatro Campos, during the screening session featuring the ten selected short films from the Panorama FANT Section, and at the screening of “The Wonder”, directed by Laura Guerricaechevarría.

Attendance was also close to full capacity at the International Short Films session in the Official Section and at the screening of “Hokum”, by Damian McCarthy. Throughout these days, FANT once again transformed Bilbao into a meeting point for filmmakers, actors, industry professionals, and audiences. The 2026 edition stood out for the diversity and openness of its cinematic proposals, seeking to expand the traditional boundaries of the genre. The program included everything from psychological horror and social fantasy to science fiction, folk horror, supernatural thrillers, animation, fantasy documentaries, and hybrid productions.

This diversity of perspectives, styles, and cinematographies was one of the aspects most highly valued by both audiences and specialized critics, strengthening the identity of a festival that understands fantasy cinema as a broad, contemporary, and constantly evolving territory.

One of the major successes of this edition was the introduction of the new section “Out of Frame”, an initiative created to give visibility to essential professionals within film production who often remain outside the media spotlight. The excellent reception of this proposal, both from audiences and participating professionals, confirms the growing interest in learning more about the creative and technical processes that make fantasy cinema possible.

FANT 2026 also reinforced its commitment to the visibility of women creators, with a notable presence of female directors, screenwriters, and audiovisual professionals both in competition and in parallel sections and special activities.

Among them were Basque filmmaker Bea Lema, winner of the Jury Award for Best Basque Short Film for “The Body of Christ”; Laura Barquin, co-director of “Azpian”; Laura Guerricaechevarría, director of “The Wonder”; and Ana Graciani, whose feature film “The Open Window” won the Audience Award in the Official Section. Their participation, together with that of many other creators, reflects the remarkable creative moment currently being experienced by fantasy cinema made by women.

In the same spirit, initiatives such as the exhibition by Nerea Torrijos helped highlight the fundamental role played by many professionals in the sector whose work is essential to cinematic creation. The exhibition, installed at the Abando Municipal Center and open until May 29, became one of the most visited parallel spaces of this edition. Since opening on May 4, it has recorded more than 3,100 visits, extending the festival experience beyond movie theaters and bringing audiences closer to the visual and artistic universe of one of the most acclaimed professionals in Spanish audiovisual production.

With this 32nd edition, the Bilbao Fantasy Film Festival – FANT reaffirms its commitment to an open, diverse, and constantly evolving fantasy cinema scene, consolidating Bilbao as one of the major meeting points for the genre.