The film “The House in the Tree” opens the 32nd edition of the Festival, which continues to bet on a diverse program including Basque, national, and international cinema.

Teatro Campos Elíseos, Azkuna Zentroa, Golem Alhóndiga cinemas, and Sala BBK are the Festival’s main venues and will host screenings and activities related to FANT.

Director, musician, and writer Eugenio Mira will receive the Fantasy Star Award; Bilbao-based audiovisual composer Aránzazu Calleja will be honored with the FANT Honor Award; while director, screenwriter, and actor Bruno Martín will receive the FANTrobia Award.

The Festival continues its commitment to supporting works by local filmmakers and in the Basque language with FANT LABURREAN – EUSKAL FILMAK and the award for the best project for producing a short film in Basque.

Days before the official opening, FANT launches the new FUERA DE PLANO section, featuring screenings, presentations, and exhibitions linked to the film industry.

The Bilbao Fantasy Film Festival – FANT, organized by Bilbao City Council, officially begins its 32nd edition on May 8. From that date until the 16th, audiences will enjoy a diverse program of Basque, national, and international cinema.

The full Festival program was presented this morning at a press conference attended by Gonzalo Olabarria (Councillor for Culture and Governance), Amaia Domingo (FANT Director), and Eugenio Puerto (Head of Programming). As Olabarria noted, “Bilbao will once again become a major cinematic stage. FANT has placed our city on the international map of fantasy and horror cinema—genres with a loyal, passionate, and ever-growing audience.”

FANT Bilbao will open on Friday, May 8, at Teatro Campos Elíseos with the screening of “The House in the Tree”, directed by Luis Calderón. Shot in various locations across Bizkaia and supported by the Bilbao Bizkaia Film Commission, the film premieres in theaters the same day. It offers an auteur slasher with a strong visual and emotional identity, starring Sandra Escacena, Claudio Portalo, Kandido Uranga, Mala Rodríguez, Apolonia Lapiedra, Ai-xing Cobos, Asier Hernández, and Inge Ugarte. Later, at 10:30 PM, the 10 short films from FANT LABURREAN – EUSKAL FILMAK (Official Section) will be screened.

The closing film for the 2026 edition will be “Reflection in a Dead Diamond”, a co-production between Belgium, Luxembourg, France, and Italy directed by Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani. It will be shown on Saturday, May 16, at Sala BBK during the closing ceremony.

OFFICIAL SECTION 2026

The Official Competition Section showcases a diverse program in terms of fantasy subgenres and countries of origin. The 19 selected feature films will be screened at the Azkuna Zentroa-Alhóndiga Bilbao auditorium and Screen 1 of Golem Alhóndiga cinemas.

This year’s lineup includes: “All You Need Is Kill” (Kenichiro Akimoto, Japan, 2025); “Buffet Libre” (Zoe Berriatúa, Spain, 2026); “Buzzheart” (Dennis Iliadis, Greece–USA, 2024); “Camp” (Avalon Fast, Canada, 2025); “Cielo” (Alberto Sciamma, UK–Bolivia, 2025); “Cuántica Rave” (Paco L. Campano, Spain, 2025); “Hokum” (Damian McCarthy, Ireland–USA, 2026); “Juego Maldito” (Carlos Marín, Mexico, 2025); “The Ice Tower” (Lucile Hadzihalilovic, France–Germany, 2025); “The Open Window” (Ana Graciani, Spain, 2026); “Los Bobos” (Basovih Marinaro & Sofía Jallinsky, Argentina, 2026); “Mārama” (Taratoa Stappard, New Zealand, 2025); “Meat Kills” (Martijn Smits, Netherlands, 2025); “Rabios@” (Luis María Fernández, Spain, 2026); “Redux Redux” (Kevin & Matthew McManus, USA, 2025); “Suffocation” (Louis Chan & Stone Chang, Taiwan, 2026); “UAP” (Mason Howard, USA, 2026); “Wasteman” (Cal McMau, UK, 2025); and “Duan Quiang” (Chuanlin Sun, China, 2026).

These films will compete for the FANT 2026 awards for Best Feature Film (Jury and Audience), Best Screenplay, and Most Innovative Direction.

SHORT FILMS IN THE OFFICIAL SECTION

The Official Section will present 29 short films: ten Basque shorts and nine international ones. Another ten international shorts will compete in the Panorama Fantastic in Short section. FANT continues its strong commitment to short films, a hallmark of the Festival since its early editions. Awards include the Audience Award for Best Short Film, Jury Awards for Best International Short and Best Basque Short, and Best Short Film in the Panorama section. FANT LABURREAN – EUSKAL FILMAK again highlights local talent with selected Basque short films, screened on May 8 at Teatro Campos Elíseos. International short films in competition will be screened on May 9 at Azkuna Zentroa. The PANORAMA FANTASTIC IN SHORT section (May 9, Golem Alhóndiga Screen 2) will feature 10 short films.

FANT SUPPORTS PROJECTS FOR BASQUE-LANGUAGE SHORT FILMS AND FEMALE SCREENWRITERS

The Festival promotes audiovisual creation, especially in Basque, aligned with Bilbao’s Cultural Strategic Plan. Selected projects compete for the FANT–EITB Award (€5,000) to produce a short film. FANT also supports female creators through collaboration with GIDOI (Basque Screenwriters Association), presenting the III Short Film Screenplay Competition for Women. A new Industry Day titled “Women Screenwriters, Cinema Moving Forward” will feature filmmaker Tamara García Iglesias, musician Amancay Gaztañaga, and Aránzazu Calleja.

MÉLIÈS FEDERATION

FANT strengthens its European presence as a Competitive Member of the Méliès International Festivals Federation (MIFF). The Official Section jury will award the Méliès Silver for Best European Fantastic Short Film. The festival will also screen “Don’t Be Afraid” (Mats Udd), winner of the Méliès Gold 2025.

OTHER SECTIONS

Panorama Fantastic: 8 feature films

FANT Izarrak: classic and cult fantasy films

Órbita FANT: 2 films

DOKUFANT: documentary perspective on fantasy cinema

AWARDS

FANT Honor Award: Aránzazu Calleja

Fantasy Star Award: Eugenio Mira F

ANTrobia Award: Bruno Martín

JURY AND AWARDS CEREMONY

The jury will determine the winners, announced on May 15. Award-winning films will be screened on May 17 at Sala BBK.

FUERA DE PLANO SECTION Includes exhibitions, film previews, and book presentations before the Festival begins.

TICKETS

Tickets cost €5 (€4 with discounts). Screenings at Golem Alhóndiga Screen 2 are free until full capacity. Tickets available from April 22. If you want, I can also give you a shorter summary or a more polished press-release style version.