The Spiritual Cinema Exhibition brings stories of faith, hope and overcoming throughout Catalonia

A teenager considering entering a convent, a father crossing the desert in search of his missing daughter, or a community attempting to rebuild after a tragedy. These are some of the stories proposed by the 23rd Spiritual Film Festival of Catalonia, which from November 15th to 30th invites the audience to look beyond the screen and reflect on issues such as faith, freedom, solidarity, and the meaning of life. With more than 150 screenings in dozens of Catalan municipalities, the event brings cinema back to theaters and cultural spaces across the country.

The program is organized around three cycles: Discernment and choice, about the decisions that mark our lives; The gaze of the victims, focused on the consequences of war, violence, and exclusion; and Towards wisdom, which explores different paths of personal and spiritual growth. Most of the screenings include presentations and discussions that invite the public to share impressions and reflections.

Stories that invite you to look beyond

Among the featured films in this edition are Los domingos, by Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, which narrates the family conflict triggered by a seventeen-year-old girl's decision to enter a cloistered convent. Also Sirat, by Oliver Laxe, which proposes a physical and spiritual journey through the Moroccan desert, and La veu de Hind, by Kaouther Ben Hania, which reconstructs the desperate plea for help of a girl trapped in the midst of the Gaza conflict.

The programming also includes Rondallas, by Daniel Sánchez Arévalo, a story about grief and the strength of a community trying to rebuild itself after a tragedy, and Vermiglio, by Maura Delpero, set in the Italian Alps during the final months of the Second World War. Documentary cinema also plays a prominent role, with Catalan productions such as Hospital de campanya, by Jordi Roigé, about the sheltering of homeless people at the Santa Anna parish in Barcelona, and Natura Sagrada, by Joan Salicrú, which explores the relationship between spirituality, nature, and the landscape.

Another of the featured proposals is the retrospective dedicated to filmmaker Roberto Rossellini at the Filmoteca de Catalunya. The series recovers works such as Rome, Open City, Stromboli, and Germany, Year Zero, films that address human dignity, the consequences of war, and the search for the meaning of life.

An exhibition that reaches the whole territory

In Barcelona and in municipalities such as Terrassa, Sabadell, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Granollers, Mataró and l'Hospitalet de Llobregat, the Festival offers an extensive program. In addition, the Catalan capital will also host the official opening of the event on November 15th at the Cinemes Verdi, with the preview of the documentary Meditar, by Sara G. Cortijo.

In Central Catalonia, Vic and Manresa will screen Vermiglio, a story about family ties, traditions and the passage of time. Both sessions will include presentations that will help delve into the themes raised by the film.

In the Girona regions, spiritual cinema will reach nine municipalities, including Girona, Figueres, Blanes, Salt, Olot and Sant Feliu de Guíxols. The programming combines titles such as Los domingos, Rondallas and Sirat with documentary proposals. This is the case of Abu Bakr de Tortosa, dedicated to the figure of the 12th-century Andalusian sage, which will be screened in Llagostera and Sant Feliu de Guíxols. In Llagostera, the session will be accompanied by a musical performance by Pedro Burruezo and a debate with the audience.

In the Lleida regions, the event will have a presence in Lleida, Penelles and Ivars d'Urgell, with films such as Los domingos, Rondallas, Sirat and the documentary Hospital de campanya. The Festival also extends to the Terres de l'Ebre, with screenings in Deltebre, Tortosa, Amposta and Bot. In these municipalities, one will be able to see proposals such as Vermiglio, Sirat and Arizmendiarrieta. Arrasateko Miraria, as well as Hospital de campanya, which will be screened in Deltebre, Tortosa and Amposta.

In the Penedès, Vilafranca del Penedès and Llorenç del Penedès will host three sessions dedicated to documentary production. Hospital de campanya can be seen in both municipalities, while Llorenç del Penedès will also screen Natura sagrada, a look at the spiritual dimension of different landscapes in Catalonia.

Finally, in the Camp de Tarragona, the CaixaForum Tarragona will offer two films: Los domingos, on November 23rd, and Rondallas, on the 30th. Both screenings will include presentations that will invite reflection on the themes addressed on screen.

Cinema also from home

The Festival can also be followed from home via FilminCAT, with an online program of 39 titles. Furthermore, as every year, the event is committed to educational activities in penitentiary and juvenile justice centers, thus expanding the scope of the initiative beyond the screening rooms.

The Festival is organized by the Directorate General for Religious Affairs of the Department of Justice and Democratic Quality of the Government of Catalonia, with the aim of highlighting spirituality through cinema, fostering interreligious dialogue, and contributing to social cohesion.

Check all films, dates, times, and screening venues in the complete program of the 23rd Spiritual Cinema Festival of Catalonia.