Here’s a lock for Cannes 2026.
Sony Pictures Classics has picked up Pedro Almodóvar’s latest film, “Bitter Christmas,” which recently wrapped production. A release date has yet to be set up, but the Spanish master could very well be eyeing the Croisette.
This continues the long-running partnership between Almodóvar and SPC, which previously released his last four films, “The Room Next Door” (2024), “Strange Way of Life” (2023), “Parallel Mothers” (2021), and “Pain and Glory” (2019).
“Bitter Christmas” is a Spanish-language drama about a work-obsessed woman who goes on holiday after her mother’s death, traveling to Lanzarote with a friend. On the island, their experiences mirror the story of a screenwriter and a film director, blurring the lines between life and art in the signature Almodóvar style.
The director’s 24th feature stars Victoria Luengo (“The Room Next Door”) and Patrick Criado (“Riot Police”). Notably, “Bitter Christmas” will be not be shot in English, marking a return to form for Almodóvar after his recent foray into U.S. projects, including the Venice-winning “The Room Next Door.”
Speaking of, despite receiving generally positive, but not overwhelmingly enthusiastic, reviews, “The Room Next Door” surprised many by taking home the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival last year. Personally, I really liked the film. It was far from a disappointment—a melancholic meditation on death, starring Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton.
Almodóvar has had a storied filmmaking career since his 1980 debut, “Pepi, Luci, Bom.” His most notable works include “Talk to Her,” “Bad Education,” “The Skin I Live In,” “Pain and Glory,” “Broken Embraces,” and “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.”