La Nueva Ola – Spanish and Latin American Film Festival
Great Ibero-American cinema arrives in Rome at the Cinema Barberini
About La Nueva Ola
A window into Ibero-American cinema in the heart of Rome
La Nueva Ola – Spanish and Latin American Film Festival is Italy's leading film festival dedicated to the cinematic output of Spain and Latin America. Every year in early May, the festival transforms the Cinema Barberini, a historic theater on Piazza Barberini in the center of Rome, into a meeting point for audiences, filmmakers, and cinephiles. The event takes place in the Municipality of Rome, within the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, in the Lazio region.
Created to introduce Italian audiences to works often unseen in our country, the festival has built a distinct identity over the years: showcasing, through the eyes of its directors, the vitality and variety of two constantly evolving cinematic worlds. All films are screened in their original version with Italian subtitles.
Festival sections
The program is organized into established sections that guide the viewer through different genres, styles, and eras:
- La Nueva Ola del Cine Español – the competition dedicated to new Spanish works previously unreleased in Italy;
- La Nueva Ola Latinoamericana – the competition reserved for Latin American cinema;
- Perlas – a non-competitive section featuring the most significant titles of the season;
- Clásicos – a tribute to great films of the past, often in restored prints;
- Cortos – the space dedicated to short-format stories.
The two competitive sections vie for the Urban Vision Group Audience Award, assigned based on the preferences of the theater audience.
Guests, meetings, and premieres
One of the hallmarks of La Nueva Ola is the presence of directors and actors in the theater, who accompany the screenings and engage in dialogue with the audience. Over the years, the festival has hosted some of the most prominent names in contemporary Ibero-American cinema, offering premieres, retrospectives, and special event screenings designed to celebrate anniversaries and rediscoveries.
A touring festival
The touring vocation is part of the event's identity: after the Roman leg, the festival continues in numerous Italian cities, bringing its selection to an ever-wider audience. This widespread reach makes La Nueva Ola not just a capital city event, but a true national cultural project dedicated to the promotion of Spanish-language cinema.
Why attend
For film enthusiasts, La Nueva Ola represents a rare opportunity to see films on the big screen that rarely reach Italian theaters. The setting of the Cinema Barberini, just a few steps from Bernini's famous Triton Fountain, adds charm to an experience that combines discovery, meeting, and a passion for the seventh art.
La Nueva Ola — edition 2026
La Nueva Ola 2026 – 19th Edition
The nineteenth edition of the festival was held from May 6 to 10, 2026, at the Cinema Barberini in Rome. The program confirmed its structure with the La Nueva Ola del Cine Español and La Nueva Ola Latinoamericana sections (competing for the Urban Vision Group Audience Award), alongside the non-competitive Perlas, Clásicos, and Cortos sections.
The festival opened with Sorda by Eva Libertad, a breakout debut work of the Spanish season presented by the director, while the closing was entrusted to Flores para Antonio by Elena Molina and Isaki Lacuesta. Among the most anticipated moments were the tribute to Julio Medem with Lucía y el sexo on its 25th anniversary and the special screening of ¿Quién puede matar a un niño? fifty years after its release.
There were numerous guests in the theater, including Julio Medem, Eva Libertad, Gerard Oms, Isabel Aimé González-Sola, José Mari Goenaga, Jonás Trueba, and Klaudia Reynicke. After Rome, the festival continued its touring circuit, reaching Genoa, Naples, Messina, Capalbio, Brescia, and other Italian cities.
Programme La Nueva Ola 2026
Sections
- La Nueva Ola del Cine Español – Spanish cinema competition (including titles like Maspalomas, La Casa).
- La Nueva Ola Latinoamericana – Latin American competition (including titles like Las corrientes, Cuerpo celeste, Runa simi).
- Perlas – the most significant titles of the season.
- Clásicos – tribute to Julio Medem with Lucía y el sexo (25th anniversary).
- Cortos – short films in competition.
Events
Opening film: Sorda by Eva Libertad (May 6). Closing film: Flores para Antonio by Elena Molina and Isaki Lacuesta (May 10). Special screening of ¿Quién puede matar a un niño? for its 50th anniversary.
Highlights La Nueva Ola 2026
- 19th edition at Cinema Barberini in Rome, May 6-10, 2026.
- Guests: Julio Medem, Eva Libertad, Jonás Trueba, José Mari Goenaga, Gerard Oms, Klaudia Reynicke.
- Opening with Sorda, closing with Flores para Antonio.
- Tribute to Julio Medem for the 25th anniversary of Lucía y el sexo.
- All films in original language with Italian subtitles.
Prices La Nueva Ola 2026
Practical information — La Nueva Ola
How to get there
The Cinema Barberini is located at Piazza Barberini 24/26, in the historic center of Rome. The theater is served by the Barberini metro station (Line A) and numerous bus lines. Those arriving by train can easily reach the square from Termini station via Metro A or on foot in about fifteen minutes.
Tickets
Tickets can be purchased online through the Cinema Barberini presale system (multisala.barberini.18tickets.it) and at the theater box office. The complete day-by-day program is available on the official festival website and the cinema's dedicated page.
Information
Phone: +39 06 4041 9403 – Email: [email protected]. All screenings are in the original language with Italian subtitles.
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Where does it take place — La Nueva Ola
Cinema Barberini
Piazza Barberini 24/26, 00187 Roma