Espacio Femenino - Film Festival

The female gaze on the big screen

Espacio Femenino is the film festival dedicated to the female universe that brings the Cantieri Culturali alla Zisa to life every summer in the Zisa district of Palermo. Promoted by the Instituto Cervantes of Palermo in collaboration with Filmtopia, the event brings the best of Spanish and Latin American cinema directed by or starring women to Palermo, with a special focus on emerging voices and new generations of female directors.

A festival hosted at the Institut français

Screenings are held at the Institut français Palermo, located within the Cantieri Culturali alla Zisa on Via Paolo Gili, one of the city's most vibrant cultural hubs—a former factory repurposed into the heart of the Palermitan art scene. The collaboration between Spanish and French cultural institutions in the Sicilian capital makes Espacio Femenino a truly international event, capable of weaving together different languages, perspectives, and cinematic traditions.

Films in original language and free admission

All screenings are in the original language with subtitles and start at 9:00 PM, with free admission subject to availability. The weekly schedule, running between June and July, accompanies the Palermitan public throughout the start of summer with a regular appointment dedicated to auteur cinema.

Themes that change every year

Each edition of Espacio Femenino is built around a central theme. From Mujeres rurales—women in rural areas and their role as custodians of local culture and memory—to the theme of adolescence and the construction of identity, told through the eyes of Spanish and Latin American directors and actresses. The festival successfully combines artistic value with social reflection, offering the public recent works that are often difficult to see elsewhere in Italy.

An event for Palermo and Sicily

Part of the rich cultural calendar of the Municipality of Palermo, the province of Palermo, and the heart of Sicily, Espacio Femenino appeals to cinema enthusiasts, language students, the Spanish-speaking community, and anyone looking for quality programming away from commercial circuits. A small but significant festival that brings Iberian and Latin American cinema, with a keen eye on women's stories and rights, to the city for free.