Industry

Movistar Plus+ is set to make history at the Cannes Film Festival 2026, landing two original films in the Official Competition: The Beloved (El ser querido), directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, and La bola negra, from Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi.
The milestone selection is further reinforced by Bitter Christmas (Amarga Navidad), the latest feature from Pedro Almodóvar, which also competes in the Official Selection with significant participation from the platform.

The Beloved marks Sorogoyen’s return to Cannes, where the film will have its world premiere in Competition. Written by Isabel Peña and Sorogoyen, the film stars Javier Bardem and Victoria Luengo, and will compete for the Palme d’Or. “Taking part in the 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival feels like closing a circle. In 2022, Isabel Peña and I were there with 'As Bestas' (we have wonderful memories of those days), and we wanted to propose to the actor we admired most at the time—and admire even more now—that he join our next project. That was Javier Bardem. We explained that we only had a few lines written, a theme that interested us, and a specific universe. But above all, that we also had Victoria Luengo, the other actress for whom we wrote ‘The Beloved’ (El ser querido). Javier welcomed us at the Hotel Martínez, and that’s where the journey that has brought us here began. We can only say that we are just as grateful as we are excited to close the circle four years later in the same place where it all started. We will enjoy every minute the festival gives us, because we understand that this is our duty!” said Sorogoyen.
Produced by Movistar Plus+ in collaboration with Caballo Films and El Ser Querido AIE, and co-produced in France with Le Pacte, the film will be released theatrically in Spain on August 26 before its exclusive debut on the platform.

Also in Competition, La bola negra marks a new collaboration between Movistar Plus+ and the creative duo Calvo and Ambrossi, following the success of “La Mesías”. The film features a high-profile cast including Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close, alongside Guitarricadelafuente, Miguel Bernardeau, Lola Dueñas and others.
Produced by Movistar Plus+ and Suma Content Films, in co-production with El Deseo and Le Pacte, the film will be released in Spanish cinemas on October 2 before streaming exclusively on the platform.

Completing Movistar Plus+’s Cannes presence is Bitter Christmas, the latest feature from Almodóvar, produced by El Deseo with participation from RTVE and Movistar Plus+. Starring Bárbara Lennie and Leonardo Sbaraglia, the film weaves together two timelines, blending fiction and reality through the story of a filmmaker confronting creative crisis through autofiction.