The 2026 HSBC Spanish & Latin American Film Festival has today revealed a first tantalising taste of its 29th edition, including an award-winning drama, a rom-com starring one of the most well-known Latin American actors, a historical epic, salsa documentary, and more.

Set against the backdrop of a corporate crisis, NOTHING BETWEEN US (Nada entre los dos) is an intimate and charming love story starring Gael García Bernal and Natalia Oreiro, from Argentina and Uruguay. In the first time the two popular actors have appeared on screen together, they star as colleagues on conference at a beach resort in Mexico faced with the fragile balance between personal freedom and social expectations.

The Festival Centrepiece is the highly awarded Spanish box office hit SUNDAYS (Los domingos), from writer/director Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, which won the Golden Shell (Best Film) at the 2025 San Sebastián Film Festival, in addition to five Goya Awards and five Feroz Awards. The quietly spellbinding drama explores a family in crisis after their 17-year-old daughter defies expectations and declares that she is choosing the life of a cloistered nun.

From award-winning director Alejandro Amenábar, comes the epic historical adventure THE CAPTIVE (El cautivo), the Festival Special Presentation. The ambitious and thrilling drama starring Julio Peña (Through My Window) and Alessandro Borghi (The Eight Mountains) follows a young Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, who finds an unexpected refuge in the art of storytelling while imprisoned in 16th Century Algiers.

LA SALSA VIVE is a vivid documentary, from Colombia and the USA via Havana, that tells the story of two cities bound by the rhythm of salsa. From New York City, where the genre was born in the 1970s, to Cali, Colombia, the self-proclaimed “world capital of salsa” where it thrives with unmatched passion. The evolution of the genre is an illuminating journey of cultural heritage, music and dance, much like the global 1990s hit The Buena Vista Social Club.

Brazilian film ISABEL, direct from the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival, is an intoxicating drama imbued with wine. It follows talented sommelier Isabel (Marina Person, who also co-wrote the script) in São Paulo’s fine-dining scene who dreams of opening her own wine bar away from her controlling boss. However, she must balance following her passion with the realities of opening a business.

In a feel-good origins tale inspired by true events, ANOTHER LEAGUE (Pioneras: solo querían jugar) tells the story of a group of girls in the early 1970s who decide to play football in a country that does not see a place for them in the sport. Through the many challenges they face, they meet an ambitious promotor who is determined to change the story of women’s football in Spain.

For families and schools, there is the charming family comedy and Spanish box office hit MY AMAZING GRANDMA (Abuela Tremenda). Contrasting overprotective parents with the wild and carefree energy of a mischievous grandmother, three generations of women experience hilarious disasters at a rural farm. And fun is guaranteed in BEAR CLAW CAMP (Campamento Garra de Oso) in which two nine-year-olds race against time to save their summer camp, combining live action and animation for an exciting adventure about the power of friendship and teamwork.

The 2026 HSBC Spanish & Latin American Film Festival takes place nationally from 10 June to 12 July (dates vary) in Melbourne, Ballarat, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Brisbane, Sydney, Byron Bay and Ballina. The full programme will be announced, and tickets go on sale in mid-May at spanishfilmfestival.com.

2026 HSBC Spanish & Latin American Film Festival
Canberra 10 June – 5 July: Palace Electric Cinema
Adelaide 10 June – 5 July: Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas and Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas
Brisbane 11 June – 5 July: Palace James Street and Palace Barracks
Perth 11 June – 1 July: Palace Raine Square, Luna Leederville and Luna on SX
Melbourne 12 June – 5 July: The Astor Theatre, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Church St,
Palace Penny Lane, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, Palace Balwyn and Pentridge Cinema
Ballarat 12 June – 5 July: Palace Regent Cinema
Sydney 18 June – 12 July: Palace Norton Street, Palace Moore Park and Palace Central
Byron Bay/Ballina 18 June – 12 July: Palace Byron Bay, Ballina Fair Cinemas
www.spanishfilmfestival.com

First on stage is the celebration of Willie Nelson’s 90th Birthday with LONG STORY SHORT: WILLIE NELSON 90; a two-hour concert film featuring his most memorable performances plus a star-studded list of performances including Neil Young, Sheryl Crow, Tom Jones and many more.
Screening 10 & 11 June

This 90-year celebration is followed by the 10-year anniversary of Korea’s greatest music exports – BTS. Follow along as two of the band members forge solo careers in J-HOPE IN THE BOX and SUGA: ROAD TO D-DAY.
Both documentaries will be screening 17 & 18 June

The next act up is the Grateful Dead’s annual concert, GRATEFUL DEAD MEET UP AT THE MOVIES 2023. This year the band takes you back to Chicago’s Soldier Field in June 1991. On a Saturday night in front of 60 000 fans, the Dead played one of the greatest shows of the era with some of their biggest hits.
Screening for one night only on 22 June

Next on the playlist is the celebration of the 80th anniversary of its original Broadway premiere with a one-off screening of OKLAHOMA! STARRING HIGH JACKMAN. Recorded during its record breaking 1998 run on London’s West End, this is your chance to experience the magic of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s iconic musical on the big screen.
Screening 16 July

Round out this musical feast with a finale from the King of Waltz with ANDRÉ RIEU’S MAASTRICHT CONCERT: LOVE IS ALL AROUND. From his beautiful hometown, the annual event is a musical feast covering classics, popular sing-alongs and waltzes. André teams up with surprise guests including the Gospel Choir for a party of music, dance and love.
Screening 26 & 27 August

Music at the Movies
10 June – 27 August 2023
Dendy Cinemas
www.dendy.com.au/

The Lumen Room – located on the ground level of Metro Arts – has remained an iconic independent cinema, having screened movies regularly since 1980.

Kristian Fletcher has presented movie events in Brisbane for over nineteen years and hosted screenings at Metro Arts since 2004.

“See these cult classic movies with an audience, the way they were meant to be experienced,” Fletcher said.

“This could be the final chance to see a movie at Metro Arts”.

UPCOMING PROGRAM

1990s MOVIE MARATHON – Friday 22 November
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (1990) – screening 5.30pm
Four teenage mutant ninja turtles emerge from the shadows to protect New York City from a gang of criminal ninjas.
SCREAM (1996) – screening 7.15pm
A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a new killer, who targets the girl and her friends by using horror films as part of a deadly game.
PULP FICTION (1994) – screening 9.15pm
25th Anniversary Screening with pre-movie costume comp & twist contest!
The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster & his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.

HEATHERS 30TH ANNIVERSARY SCREENING – Friday 6 December 9.45pm
In order to get out of the snobby clique that is destroying her good-girl reputation, an intelligent teen teams up with a dark sociopath in a plot to kill the cool kids.
Winona Ryder and Christian Slater star in this 80s cult classic!

JUDY GARLAND SPECIAL – Saturday 21 December 1pm
MEET ME IN ST LOUIS
Matinee screening of the 1944 musical starring Judy Garland
In the year leading up to the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, the four Smith daughters learn lessons of life and love, even as they prepare for a reluctant move to New York.

BEETLEJUICE – Saturday 21 December 3.15pm
Matinee screening of Tim Burton’s 1988 cult movie classic!
The spirits of a deceased couple are harassed by an unbearable family that has moved into their home, and hire a malicious spirit to drive them out.

TRASH MOVIE DOUBLE FEATURE – Saturday 21 December
Back to back screenings of the contemporary trash movies
BIRDEMIC (2010) – screening 5pm
A horde of mutated birds descends upon the quiet town of Half Moon Bay, California. With the death toll rising, Two citizens manage to fight back, but will they survive Birdemic?
Tommy Wiseau’s THE ROOM (2003) – screening 6.45pm
Dubbed the ‘Citizen Kane of bad movies’, don’t miss Tommy Wiseau’s so-bad-it’s-good film in all its glory; a piece of cinema so awful that it has become a cult phenomenon!
Audiences around the world have embraced Wiseau’s film, dressing up as their favourite characters, throwing plastic spoons at the screen and yelling insulting comments about the quality of the film.
THE ROOM is a truly unforgettable film with glaring plot holes, strange editing and a bizarre lead performance from Wiseau himself.
Set in San Francisco, THE ROOM tells of a love triangle involving Johnny, his friend Mark, and Johnny’s fiancée Lisa – who is sleeping with both men!

Final movie program at Metro Arts cinema
Lumen Room (ground floor)
Metro Arts, 109 Edward St Brisbane City
TICKETS – One movie $12.00 | Two movies $16.00 | Day Pass $20.00 + booking fee
Bookings www.kristianfletcher.com

It brings together classic films (Sergei Parajanov The Colour of Pomegranates 1969; Peter Weir The Truman Show 1998), artist-focused documentaries and films (Matthew Akers Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present 2012; Tsai Ming-liang Your Face 2018) and new releases (Jayden Stevens A Family 2019; Yang Sun and S Leo Chiang Our Time Machine 2019).

Staged Directions
25 October 2019 – 16 November 2019
GOMA – Brisbane
www.qagoma.qld.gov.au

THE WALL and TOMMY are perfect examples of movies which influenced the rise of the music video. Both movies are filmed as one extended music video and based on hit concept albums.

The program commences with a Pink Floyd double feature:

Alan Parker’s movie adaptation of Pink Floyd’s 1979 album THE WALL sees Bob Geldof as a troubled rock star who descends into madness in the midst of physical and social isolation. The sounds of the album are set to extravagant visuals and animations.

Considered quite ambitious at the time, THE WALL ended up as one of the best selling albums of all time and produced the hit Another Brick In the Wall.

As a bonus treat following THE WALL, experience the visuals of the original Wizard of Oz movie (1939) synchronised with Pink Floyd’s best-selling 1973 album Dark Side of the Moon.

Partly inspired by the deteriorating health of founding member Syd Barrett, the album used advanced recording techniques at the time, including multitrack recording, tape loops, and analogue synthesizers. The record helped to propel Pink Floyd to international fame, bringing wealth and recognition to all four of its members. The album spawned the hit song Money

In the early 90s, fans realised if you played Wizard of Oz with Dark Side of the Moonlots of interesting elements match up.

The program ends with late night screening of The Who’s TOMMY

The Who’s TOMMY album of 1969 progressed the band beyond the standard three minute pop single format. First released as a double album, TOMMY is a rock opera that tells the story of a deaf, dumb and blind boy who becomes a master pinball player and cult leader.

Ken Russell brought the album to the big screen in 1975 with musical cameos by Elton John, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton, Keith Moon, Jack Nicholson and more! Ann-Margret received an Oscar nomination for her performance as Tommy’s mother.TOMMY features some of the most outrageous scenes ever captured on film!

Stay for one, two or all three!

SCREENING PROGRAM (FRIDAY 5 JULY)

Pink Floyd’s THE WALL (1982) – 7.15pm
The 1982 motion picture based on Pink Floyd’s 1979 double album

DARK SIDE OF THE RAINBOW – 9pm
The Wizard of Oz synchronised with Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon album (approx 45 min)

The Who’s TOMMY – 9.45pm
The 1975 motion picture based on The Who’s 1969 concept album

“See these cult classics with an audience, the way they were meant to be experienced, in surround sound” Fletcher said.

The Lumen Room – located on the ground level of Metro Arts – has remained an iconic independent cinema, having screened movies regularly since 1980.

Kristian Fletcher has presented movie events in Brisbane for over eighteen years and hosted screenings at Metro Arts since 2004.

CULT ROCK MOVIE NIGHT
Screenings of The Wall, Dark Side of the Rainbow and Tommy back to back
Friday 5 July from 7.15pm
Metro Arts, 109 Edward St Brisbane City
TICKETS – One movie $12.00 | Two movies $16.00 | Day Pass $20.00 + booking fee
www.kristianfletcher.com

Born into the luxuriance of Milanese aristocracy, Visconti would nevertheless begin his career by crafting deeply sympathetic portrayals of the downtrodden in early neorealist classics. His work would adopt a newfound resplendence with the vividly envisioned costume drama Senso 1954 – a milieu to which he would repeatedly return, most celebratedly in his Palme d’Or winning masterpiece The Leopard 1963. Endlessly dynamic, his later output grew more openly lurid and psychosexual, with the decadent ‘German Trilogy’ finding acclaim and controversy in equal measure.

Drawing heavy inspiration from opera and literature – including directly adapting works by major literary figures such as Fyodor Dostoevsky, Albert Camus and Thomas Mann – Visconti crafted a singular cinematic style that rejects easy categorisation. A master of both visual extravagance and quietly rich character studies, his films remain vital and highly influential portraits of society, class, and the vagaries of power.

This program presents a near-complete retrospective of the director’s feature films. It showcases a collection of imported archival 35mm prints and digital restorations, with highlights including Visconti’s rarely-seen adaptation of Camus’ The Stranger 1967 and a newly struck 35mm print of the four-hour director’s cut of historical epic Ludwig 1973. It also includes two anthology films to which Visconti contributed: Boccaccio ’70 1962 and Le Streghe (The Witches) 1967, both of which will be presented in full, alongside episodes directed by such masters of Italian cinema as Federico Fellini, Vittorio De Sica, and Pier Paolo Pasolini.

The Innocent and the Damned: The films of Luchino Visconti
31 May – 30 June 2019
GOMA – Brisbane
www.qagoma.qld.gov.au

From the sublime to the outrageous, ‘Beauty in the B Grade’ celebrates the ‘B’ movie at its height from the 1930s to the 1960s. Produced quickly, with a fraction of the budget of an ‘A’ feature film, ‘B’ pictures mirrored popular genres of the time, and screened before the highly publicised ‘A’ film in double features at movie theatres in the 1930s and 1940s. With the rising popularity of television in the 1950s — and with a delight in tales of haunted houses, mystical arts, scientific hubris and oversized monsters — the ‘B’ picture found a new home on late-night television and at drive-in theatres in the 1960s.

‘B’ films are now synonymous with lurid plots and low-budget scares, but early classification of what constituted an ‘A’ or ‘B’ picture was often ambiguous. ‘B’ pictures offered directors an opportunity to show studio executives their abilities to respond to limited film budgets with innovative and experimental ideas. ‘Beauty in the B Grade’ brings together a selection of films by some well-known Hollywood directors who made the ‘B’ picture their own — James Whale (The Old Dark House 1932), Jacques Tourneur (I Walked with a Zombie 1943), William Castle (The Tingler 1959) and Roger Corman (The Little Shop of Horrors 1960).

Beauty in the B Grade
03 May 2019 – 29 May 2019
GOMA, Brisbane
www.qagoma.qld.gov.au

The Sisters Brothers (Les Freres Sisters), Jacques Audiard’s western starring Joaquin Phoenix and John C. Reilly, has received nine nominations, including for Best Director. The film has already enjoyed a number of international accolades including winning the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival last year and screened at the launch of the 2019 Alliance Française French Film Festival just two weeks ago.

The Alliance Française French Film Festival’s Opening Night film, Pierre Salvadori’scomedy The Trouble With You (En Liberté!) also received nine nominations whilst French actor-turned-director Gilles Lellouche’s Sink or Swim (Le Grand Bain) about a men’s synchronized swimming team received 10 nominations.

Among the other big-name nominees are fan-favourite, Audrey Tautou, in the best supporting actress category for her role in The Trouble with You and Vanessa Paradis & Johnny Depp’s daughter, Lily-Rose Depp, who is up for an award in the best new actress category for her role in Louis Garrel’s A Faithful Man (L’homme Fidele).

Brisbane film-lovers will have the chance to see six of the seven ‘Best Film’ nominees at the Alliance Française French Film Festival – The Trouble With You, The Sisters Brothers, Sink or Swim, Memoir of War (La douleur), Guy and In Safe Hands (Pupille).

The 44th Cesar Awards ceremony will take place this Friday February 22 (Saturday morning Brisbane time) at the Salle Pleyel in Paris and will be hosted by French actor Kad Merad. Legendary American actor, Robert Redford will receive this year’s honorary Cesar award and British actress Kristin Scott Thomas will preside over the ceremony as honorary president.

The Alliance Française French Film Festival is on from March 14 to April 14 at the Palace Barracks and Palace James Street

The full programme and complete list of ticket prices is available at: www.affrenchfilmfestival.org.

Tickets can be purchased via the Festival website or at participating cinema locations.

National dates and venues for the 2019 Alliance Française French Film Festival are:
SYDNEY: 5 March – 10 April, Palace Norton Street, Palace Verona, Chauvel Cinema, Palace Central & Hayden Orpheum Cremorne
MELBOURNE: 6 March – 10 April, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, Kino Cinemas & The Astor Theatre
CANBERRA: 7 March – 10 April, Palace Electric Cinema
PERTH: 13 March – 10 April, Palace Raine Square, Cinema Paradiso, Luna on SX, Windsor Cinema & Camelot Outdoor Cinema
BRISBANE: 14 March – 14 April, Palace Barracks & Palace James Street
HOBART: 14 – 23 March, State Cinema
ADELAIDE: 21 March – 18 April, Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas
AVOCA BEACH: 22 – 27 March, Avoca Beach Picture Theatre
PARRAMATTA: 28 – 31 March, Riverside Theatres Parramatta
BYRON BAY: 4 – 17 April Palace Byron Bay
www.affrenchfilmfestival.org

Movie lovers can make the most of these offers while enjoying fresh February releases like On the Basis of Sex, the historical recount of US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s fight against discrimination, or Valentine’s Day release and Oscar-contender If Beale Street Could Talk.

Book your tickets online at dendy.com.au or visit the Dendy Cinemas Portside box office. Terms and conditions apply – visit the dendy website for more information.

There’s more to love at Dendy.
www.dendy.com.au

The festival has released a sneak peek of the lineup, confirming some of this year’s most anticipated Russian films. Sobibor and Selfie, the latest two films by Russian actor, Konstantin Khabensky, have been confirmed, as well as The Last Warrior, a captivating new fantasy film, Ice, a figure skating melodrama, Night Shift, a raucous comedy about male strippers, and Coach, Danila Kozlovsky’s directorial debut. Kozlovsky cleverly aligned Coach to release just before this year’s FIFA World Cup in Russia.

“Russian Resurrection is thrilled to be celebrating our 15-year anniversary this year and is looking forward to showcasing the best of Russian cinema with audiences across Australia and New Zealand in November. We have already locked in a wonderful selection of new Russian films and will be announcing more in coming weeks,” said Festival Director Nicholas Maksymow.

Following the success of the World Cup this year, the festival will be screening the popular new sports drama Coach. Directed by Danila Kozlovsky, who also plays the main role, Coach tells the story of a professional soccer player who, after being forced to leave the national team, takes on the job of coaching a small-town provincial team. The cast also includes Irina Gorbacheva, notable for Arrhythmia, one of the most popular films from last year’s program.
Selfie is a 2018 Russian thriller directed by Nikolay Khomeriki, and starring Konstantin Khabensky and Feodor Bondarchuk. The film follows popular writer and TV presenter, Vladimir Bogdanov, who has a look alike that takes over his life. This psychological thriller is not just about identity theft, but about something deeper – the doppelgänger tragedy, and how our online personas take up most of our lives.

2018 marks the 75th anniversary of the Sobibor extermination camp mass breakout – the most successful attempt in any World War II camp. New Russian historical drama Sobibor is dedicated to these events. The film is the highly anticipated directorial debut of Konstantin Khabensky. He stars alongside leading Russian and Hollywood actors.

On a much lighter note, Max loses his job at the factory and he takes up the obscure job of a male stripper in order to feed his family. The Kremlin can eat its heart out in this hilarious comedy, Night Shift.

Ice was a huge success at the Russian box office  earlier  this year. The film follows Nadya, an aspirational figure skater. Her hard work,  faith, and perseverance pay off, but, just when her dreams are about to come true, the ice  cracks  beneath her. In order to survive, Nadya must dream-the-dream again and work harder than ever.

New fantasy film The Last Warrior will take audiences to the land of Belogorie, where Russian fairy tale characters, magic, and enchanted sword fights are part of everyday life! Channelling classic fantasy stories like Harry Potter and the Chronicles of Narnia, this film is a must see for lovers of fantasy – both young and old.

Directed by Lera Surkova, new drama Pagans will also screen at this November. Based on the play by Anna Yablonskaya, the film is set inside the confines of an apartment and a drama is played out between family members, mixed with a hidden blind faith in a miracle, following a visit of a devout grandmother. Among this family madness, a tragic love story of a teenage girl unfolds.

Don’t miss this year’s Resurrection! Tickets on sale soon.

Russian Resurrection Film Festival 2018 
Sydney: 01 to 11 November
Brisbane: 07 to 14 November
Melbourne: 09 to 18 November 2018
Canberra: 13 to 18 November 2018
Perth: 15 to 21 November
www.facebook.com/RussianResurrectionFilmFest