Fiesta time is near!

The HSBC Spanish Film Festival presented by Palace at the Palace Cinema, Byron Bay is on 21 June – 10 July with a fiesta of films awaiting. The curated line-up, the festival’s largest yet, features films from Spain and Latin America.

The delicious taste of this festival content will be headed by the centrepiece  The Teacher Who Promised The Sea  (El Maestro que Prometió el Mar), winner of  the Audience Prize at the 2024 Gaudí Awards. This acclaimed drama features Enric Auquer and Laia Costa, and tells the true story of Antoni Benaiges, a teacher who brought progressive teaching methods to a small village in 1930s Burgos. “This film is a thing of beauty.” El Diario

The Cine Latino selection includes A Ravaging Wind  (El viento que arrasa), a quietly powerful coming-of-age drama that explores a young woman’s path to change her fate. This Argentinian gem is from acclaimed writer/director Paula Hernandez.  And from Mexico comes Upon Open Sky  (A cielo abierto), a searing, morally thorny tale is set in early 1990s Mexico, about three siblings who embark on a  journey of revenge.from a screenplay by legendary Mexican scriptwriter Guillermo Arriaga.  The Movie Teller (La Contadora de Películas) is a moving tribute to cinema and the magical power of storytelling, the star-studded new film from multi award-winning director Lone Scherfig  follows a young woman’s coming-of-age in the rugged heart of Chile’s Atacama Desert in 1966.