This year's edition marked the start of an intense romance between the film competition and genre films directed by women, as evidenced by films that included The Babadook, Goodnight Mommy, Honeymoon, and A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. Antonio Banderas' visit, during which he received the Grand Honorary Award, caused a huge buzz at the Festival, which also welcomed other big-name guests including Roland Emmerich, Dick Miller, Franco Nero, María Kosty, and Annabelle Wallis. At a pre-Festival event held at the Aribau movie theatre in Barcelona, Rob Zombie received the Grand Honorary Award, while his wife and muse, actress Sheri Moon Zombie, took home an Honorary María Award. And the Festival launched its collaboration with Blood Window with a special section dedicated to promoting Latin American fantastic genre films.
