Published on March 22, 2026
The upcoming Sant Jordi celebration will introduce a new festival to the city of Barcelona: the First International Barcelona-Sant Jordi Film Festival, which will take place between April 21 and April 28 at the Cinemes Verdi in the Gràcia neighborhood.
Organized (Cinemes Verdi) and the Educacine Festival (DeCine21), this new event aims to become an essential meeting point for the Barcelona public. Much like the iconic Sant Jordi festival, the film festival is designed to be popular and accessible to audiences of all ages and tastes. The programming director is film critic José María Aresté.
In collaboration with the Centre d’Investigacions Film-Història, the BCN Film Festival-Sant Jordi will feature five sections: Official, which includes films related to the central theme of the event: Film-History-Literature; Cinema with Gràcia, showcasing a selection of comedies that pay tribute to the Gràcia neighborhood; Zone Open, which will present other types of films that do not fit the previous categories; Essentials, which will screen four cinematic masterpieces selected ’s patron for this year, historian and filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier; and Exhibition On Screen, featuring a selection of high-quality documentaries about great painters throughout history.
Among the 35 films to be showcased, the festival will kick off with the movie *Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer* , which will be introduced and leading actor Richard Gere on April 21. Other noteworthy titles include *Afterimage*, the last film master Andrzej Wajda, introduced Caparrós, Emeritus Professor at the University of Barcelona and founder of the Centre d’Investigacions Film-Història, who will lead a discussion afterward.
*Their Finest*, directed , will be presented on April 25, with a conversation led Alonso, a professor at the International University of La Rioja (UNIR) and a member of the Film-History Centre.
The historical film *Churchill*, featuring its director Jonathan Teplitzky, is set for its world premiere on April 26 and will be discussed Sánchez Barba, Deputy Director of the Film-History Centre and professor of Contemporary History at the University of Barcelona. Additionally, *Un sac de billes* (*A Bag of Marbles*) will be screened on April 27, followed by a conversation facilitated . Rafael de España, co-founder of the Film-History Centre.
The festival will conclude on April 28 with the premiere of *Patriots Day*, a film that focuses on the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, along with the presentation of awards for the festival.