The Sitges Film Festival 2026, dedicated to fantastic cinema, has announced some of its highlights for the 59th edition, taking place from October 8th to 18th. The lineup will include new works from directors such as Nicolas Winding, Hanna Bergholm, Léa Mysius, and Yeon Sang-ho, among others.
A central theme of the festival will be the 50th anniversary of two iconic films: ‘Carrie’, directed by Brian De Palma and based on the novel by Stephen King, and ‘¿Quién puede matar a un niño?’ (Who Can Kill a Child?), a Spanish cinema classic by Narciso Ibáñez Serrador. Both films will be featured on the poster and presented in new 4K restorations. Additionally, the first episode of the new television adaptation of ‘Carrie’ will be screened.
Other genre classics such as ‘Scanners’ by David Cronenberd, ‘The Devils’ by Ken Russell, ‘Tesis’ (Thesis) by Alejandro Aménabar, ‘Cannibal Holocaust’ by Ruggero Deodato, and ‘King Kong’ by John Guillermin will also be shown in remastered versions.
Female representation will play a significant role, with films like ‘Nightborn’ by Hanna Bergholm, exploring folk horror surrounding motherhood, and ‘The birthday party’ by Léa Mysius. Also screening will be ‘Her private hell’ by Nicolas Winding and ‘Drag’, the debut feature from Raviv (Ricky) Ullman and Grec Yagolnitzer.
Asian fantastic cinema will also have a strong presence with films such as ‘Colony’ by South Korean director Yeon Sang-ho, ‘Ghost in the cell’ by Joko Anwar, and ‘The mouths’ by Japanese horror master Takashi Shimizu. Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa will present his foray into samurai cinema with ‘Kokurojo: The samurai and the prisoner’.
The festival received nearly 3,800 submissions, a record reflecting the vitality of global fantastic cinema. The program will be rounded out with national and international productions, classic film revivals, and a tribute to Spanish cinema. Furthermore, specialized publications such as ‘Horror girls Amèrica Llatina’ and ‘La mente indómita. Poderes psíquicos, paranoia y cine fantástico’ will be presented.
The El Retiro venue will not be available for screenings due to ongoing renovation work, but the festival will maintain its main base in Sitges.
