Spring brings an exciting energy back to the city. The sun is warmer, the days are longer and grass is greener. Although you may feel the desire to shake off that winter slumber and reacquaint yourself with an active outdoor schedule, consider taking a few hours to sit back and relax while enjoying some of the most cutting-edge cinema from around the world. Barcelona boasts a wide variety of renowned film festivals each spring, and 2022 appears to be one of the most promising editions to date. You'll discover festivals dedicated to fashion docs, films inspired by literature and history, astounding cinematic works from the African Continent and films that explore the LGBTQ+ experience. From premieres to classics, from established directors to up-and-coming artists and independent productions, each festival brings to Barcelona an in-depth look at places, ideas and themes that we might not otherwise have the opportunity to explore.
Film still from Yvan Attal's "Les choses humaines" (The Accusation, France, 2021), image courtesy of BCN Film Fest.
BCN Film Fest
April 21-29, 2022
Film, history and literature, oh my! The Barcelona International Film Festival, or BCN Film Fest, boasts the highest quality films, with a goal to unite lovers of cinema, history and literature with a selection of more than 60 international films. In line with this criteria, featured films shown at Cines Verdi are often adaptations of literary works, productions related to historical events or biopics about well-known figures. This year’s festival opens with the world premiere of Marc Crehuet's comedy Espejo, espejo and over nine days includes screenings of Yvan Attal's Les choses humaines (The Accusation, France, 2021), Oliver Stone's documentary JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass (USA, 2021), Matti Geschonneck's historical drama Die Wannseekonferenz (La conferencia, Germany, 2022) as well as a selection of classics like Bernardo Bertolucci's The Dreamers (UK, Italy, France, 2003), The Sheltering Sky (UK, Italy, 1990) and The Last Emperor (UK, China, Italy, France, 1987). Every year the festival highlights the films of another country and this year China takes the stage with eight films from different periods and genres that show the union between Chinese literature and cinema.
Most of the movie screenings are in original language with subtitles and will take place at Cinemes Verdi. Institut Français, CaixaForum and Casa Seat in Barcelona are also participating venues. bcnfilmfest.com
Film still from Jakrawal Nilthamrong's "Anatomy of Time" (Thailand, 2021).
D'A Film Festival
April 28-May 8, 2022
Each spring, the D’A Film Festival offers an extensive review of current world cinema, screening an international panorama of the finest films in contemporary cinema. Featuring emerging talents alongside internationally established directors, the festival claims to be one of the Mediterranean’s best events of the spring. The large-scale event spreads across ten locations in Barcelona and includes supplemental events such as panel discussions, workshops, musical performances and professional development. The program includes Max Walker-Silverman's poignant love story A Love Song (USA, 2022), Terence Davis' Benediction (UK, 2021) which explores the turbulent life of First World War poet, Siegfried Sassoon and Jakrawal Nilthamrong's second feature-length film, the moving drama Anatomy of Time (Thailand, 2021).
Participating venues include CCCB, Cine Renoir, Filmoteca de Catalunya, Zumzeig, Aribau Cinema and Filmin. Most showings take place in original language with subtitles in either Catalan or Spanish, see the official website for details. dafilmfestival.com
Film still from Hauke Wendler's Monobloc (Germany, 2020).
International Architecture Film Festival Barcelona (BARQ)
May 10-15, 2022
Founded last year by Nihao Films, BARQ Festival is the only film festival in Spain to focus on architecture and interior design. Dedicated to analyzing and deepening the relationship between architecture and the seventh art, the festival offers an extensive program that includes a selection of documentary films and various parallel activities—talks, debates, workshops, conferences—to bring to viewers new perspectives on the creative processes behind architectural practice.
Showcasing a selection of the most recent productions in the field, the festival brings current issues of contemporary architectural practice to the public. Through films inspired by architecture from a social perspective, BARQ creates a space for critical reflection on our cities and the spaces we inhabit. The program features several short films and seven feature-length films, including Hauke Wendler's Monobloc (Germany, 2020) which presents the story of a worldwide successful design and opens our eyes to the contradictions, virtues and flaws that one object can represent, all depending on where you come from.
Most films are screened at Cinemes Girona in original version with Spanish subtitles, see website for details: barqfestival.com
"Le Me Be Me" movie poster (Dan Crane, Katie Taber, USA, 2021).
Moritz Feed Dog
May 12-15, 2022
A festival exclusively dedicated to fashion documentaries, Moritz Feed Dog offers some of the most niche content of this spring season. Featuring works about Pierre Cardin, Karl Lagerfeld, Martin Margiela and everything in between, this is an event for fashion gurus and documentary fans alike. The festival strikes a balance between the glamor and hedonism surrounding fashion with themes that aim to reflect the other side of the coin. It explores aspects related to identity, gender, equality and how these concepts are treated both in fashion and in society.
This year's festival opens with Sadie Frost's Quant (UK, 2021) which tells the story of 1960s fashion icon, Mary Quant. Ten years before The Beatles conquered the planet, Mary Quant opened her first store on King's Road, sniffing out the youthful revolution that was about to sweep the world. A modern woman, advanced for her time, she was an entrepreneur in a world of men and a leading stylist of the decade who brought together feminism, the pill and swinging London. Other films on the program include Discount Workers, a startling exposé on the fashion industry's exploitative supply chain and labor conditions (Ammar Aziz & Christopher Patz, Germany, Pakistan, 2020) and Let Me Be Me, a coming-of-age story about an isolated, autistic boy who is fascinated by fabric and becomes a fashion designer (Dan Crane, Katie Taber, USA, 2021).
Hosted at Cinemes Aribau Multicines, the festival offers a wide range of ticket packages varying from single tickets to six-show passes. Almost all films are shown in their original version with subtitles in either Spanish or Catalan. moritz.feeddog.org
Image courtesy of DOCS Barcelona.
DOCS Barcelona
May 18-29, 2022
Now entering its 24th season, DocsBarcelona is a festival dedicated to documentary film. Each year, an international programing committee selects films for three different categories: Panorama, Latitude and What the Doc! These three groupings highlight the newest international documentaries, most daring and innovative documentaries and documentaries from the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America. The festival is dedicated to bringing professional talent and productions closer to the audience through conferences and activities such as its Q&A sessions with directors and industry experts.
This year's festival opens with Daniel Roher's Navalny (USA, 2022), a portrait of Aleksei Navalny, Putin's main opponent, who in 2020 was poisoned in Siberia. Covering a wide range of topics from around the world, the program includes A Thousand Fires (France, Switzerland, Netherlands and Palestinian Territories, 2021), Saeed Taji Farouky's emotional picture of a Burmese family that extracts oil by hand to survive; Gorki Glasser-Müller's Children of the Enemy (Sweden, Denmark and Qatar, 2021) which tells the story of Patricio Gálvez's odyssey to rescue his seven orphaned grandchildren trapped in Syria; and Susanne Regina Meures' Girl Gang (Switzerland, 2022), a contemporary fairy tale about fame and the world of influencers. In total 43 productions from every continent will be screened in theaters and on Filmin. All films are shown in original version with subtitles in Catalan and English. docsbarcelona.com
Image courtesy of Wallay!
WALLAY!
May 18-30, 2022
Barcelona's African Film Festival is a unique and original journey to the diversity and creativity of the African continent narrated through its cinematographic language and its cultural expressions. Created in 2018, Wallay! offers viewers the opportunity see original independent films which would not otherwise reach Catalunya. In addition to enjoying the best African cinematography, Wallay! organizes round-table discussions, workshops, debates and many other activities parallel to the screenings. Films will be shown at Filmoteca de Catalunya and the Institut Français. This year's schedule has not yet been released, but check out the festival website for the details soon to be announced: festivalwallay.com
FIRE!!
June 9-19, 2022
Celebrating another year with pride, the FIRE!! Film Festival showcases the best LGBTQ+ films from across the world. Organized by Casal Lambda de Barcelona since 1995, it was the first LGBTQ+ film festival in Spain. The festival aims to deal with diversity through a carefully curated selection of feature-length films, shorts and documentaries. For nearly two weeks, the Institut Français will host a wide range of films featuring stories and testimonies from individuals, creators who break down barriers, fight for human rights and help—through love—to build a fairer and freer world. While this year's program has yet to be announced, the festival's past editions hint that this year's FIRE!! will close the spring film festival season with a bang. mostrafire.com
Updated May 10, 2022.