Spanish filmmaker Marta Matute’s debut feature I Won’t Die For Love won the prizes for best Spanish film and best actress for newcomer Júlia Mascort as well as best supporting actor for Tomás del Estal at the 2026 Malaga Film Festival, which showcases Spanish and Latin American filmmaking.
I Won’t Die For Love follows a young girl caring for her mother with Alzheimer’s disease and draws on Matute’s own experience of looking after her parent from the age of 18. It is produced by Spain’s Solita Films, producer-distributor Elastica Films and Belgium’s Saga Film.
Joaquín del Paso’s The Garden We Dreamed took the prizes for best Latin American film, best director and best cinematography for Gökhan Tiryaki. Sold by m-appeal and produced by Mexico’s Amondo Cine and Cárcava Cine, the film is a drama about a Haitian family attempting to build a fragile refuge of tenderness and hope in a natural environment increasingly under threat, far from their homeland. It premiered in the Berlinale Panorama section last month.
Ian de la Rosa’s debut feature Iván & Hadoum won the special jury prize. Sold by Indie Sales, the film centres on a young man returning to his hometown and reconnecting with a childhood friend, forcing both to confront unresolved feelings, identity and the pull of their shared past. It is produced by Spain’s Avalon, Pecado Films and Vayolet, alongside Germany’s Port au Prince and Saga Film and the Teddy award of the 2026 Berlinale after premiering in Panorama.
Another key winner was Juan Pablo Sallato’s debut feature Red Hangar, which won the critics’ award, the audience award and best actor for Nicolás Zárate.
Sold internationally by Premium Films/MPM Premium and produced by Santiago-based Villano, the Chilean drama is set at the beginning of the Pinochet regime.
On the industry side, the festival’s MAFIZ market brought together nearly 900 professionals from 50 countries for presentations, co-production meetings and networking events.
Meanwhile, 27 feature, documentary and short projects were presented at the Málaga Festival Fund & Co-Production Event (MAFF), highlighting the festival’s growing importance as a Europe-Latin America co-production platform.
Malaga 2026
Best Spanish film
I Won’t Die For Love
Dir: Marta Matute
Best Latin American film
The Garden We Dreamed
Dir: Joaquín del Paso
Special Jury Prize
Iván & Hadoum
Dir: Ian de la Rosa
Best director
Joaquín del Paso for The Garden We Dreamed
Best actress
Júlia Mascort for I Won’t Die For Love
Special Mention
Ángeles Pradal for Ángeles
Best actor
Nicolás Zárate for Red Hangar
Special Mention:
Silver Chicón for Iván & Hadoum
Best supporting actress
María Magdalena Sanizo for The Condor’s Daughter
Best supporting actor
Tomás del Estal for I Won’t Die For Love
Best screenplay
Ian de la Rosa for Iván & Hadoum
Best original score
Cergio Prudencio, Marcelo Guerrero for The Condor’s Daughter
Best cinematography
Gökhan Tiryaki for The Garden We Dreamed
Best editing
Valeria Hernández, Sebastián Brahm for The Garden We Dreamed
Critics award
Red Hangar
Dir: Juan Pablo Sallato
Audience award
Red Hangar
Zonazine Awards
Best Spanish film
La Carn
Dir: Joan Porcel
Best Ibero-American film
Oca
Dir: Karla Badillo
Best director
Gwai Lou for We Are The Jungle
Silver Biznaga, best actress
Angela Sarafyan for Quase Deserto
Silver Biznaga, best actor
Lluís Garau for La Carn
Mafiz Awards - Málaga Work In Progress
Málaga festival prize (Spain)
Taranta
Dir: Samuel Nacar
Málaga festival prize (Ibero-America)
Pequeñas tragedias
Dir: Daniel Nolasco
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