Alpha, by Julia Ducournau, to open 58th edition of the SITGES - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia

The 58th SITGES - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia is rapidly taking shape with less than three months before it will be held, from October 9 to 19. We can finally announce a number of guest stars who will be attending, such as Hugo Stiglitz, Peter Chan and Gale Anne Hurd, as well as films like Alpha, Gaua, Arco, Silencio or The Ugly Stepsister. Get your notebooks ready and jot it all down to make sure you don't miss out on anything.

BARCELONA, July 16, 2025 - At the Fàbrica Moritz Barcelona, Ángel Sala and Mònica Garcia i Massagué, the Festival's Artistic Director and Director of the Foundation respectively, offered a first preview of the 58th edition of the benchmark fantastic film competition. 

Let’s begin the announcement of the first films with what will be the opening feature: Alpha, by Julia Ducournau. Both Raw (2017) and Titane (2022) by the French director made a huge impression in SITGES, so her third film couldn't be missing from this year's edition after its impactful run at the Cannes Film Festival. The screening will be attended by the French director and marks the third occasion that the Festival will be opening with a film directed by a woman (the first two were American Psycho (2000) by Mary Harron and Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon (2021) by Ana Lily Amirpour). 

After being presented in Berlin, Mother's Baby, a horrifying thriller about motherhood, will be arriving at Sitges2025. Meanwhile, Good Boy offers us a terrifying horror story told from a totally new point of view and Eye for an Eye constructs a fascinating horror universe with some of the most shocking images of the year. 

In the more lyrical realm, The Thing with Feathers, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, takes a verse by Emily Dickinson as its starting point to construct a story about loss, faith and the invisible presences that inhabit silences. Mike Flanagan adapts Stephen King in The Life of Chuck, a modern fable that tells the story of Charles Krantz’s life—played by Tom Hiddleston in his adult version—in reverse order, from his death back to his childhood in a haunted house. The Home turns a nursing home into a space where everyday life becomes twisted. We will also have samurai warriors as well with Tornado, a spectacular revenge film starring Tim Roth.  

There's also room for the unusual: Redux Redux is a meta-cinematic experience that pushes the limits of audiovisual language through repetition, rewriting and memory. Dolly proposes a twisted horror tale of kidnapped childhood and monstrous parenting, while Orang Ikan turns a lost island in the Pacific into a battlefield where the war between men is overshadowed by a relentless creature that’s stalking them. 

And because every good Sitges needs its dose of swords and sorcery, you can enjoy Deathstalker, a reimagining of the '80s cult classic of the same name, directed by Steven Kostanski and containing all the ingredients we love: barbarians, evil sorcerers and monsters. More poetic but just as epic is The Legend of Ochi, which transports us to a fantasy universe where the young protagonist sets out to explore an unknown world inhabited by amazing creatures. 

Japanese horror returns to Sitges with three projects that demonstrate this genre's validity and ability to re-invent itself. Exit 8 turns a subway ride into a first-class psychological nightmare inspired by the video game of the same name. New Group envelops viewers in a claustrophobic atmosphere where human tensions explode without warning and The Curse recovers the spirit of the traditional Taiwanese curse to take it to new heights of tension. Three films that confirm that J-Horror continues to be an endless source of nightmares. 

From Thailand comes A Useful Ghost, a poetic fantasy about loss where the specter of a loved one returns as a sort of Roomba robot vacuum. In a more lighthearted vein arrives Fucktoys, where a cursed young woman navigates the suburbs of Trashtown trying to raise a thousand dollars to break a curse. 

Other outstanding projects include Dead Lover, a gothic horror comedy with an unexpected protagonist: a gravedigger who finds herself trapped in an impossible romance. Touch Me, on the other hand, banks on a blend of sci-fi, polyamorous relationships with visitors from other planets and campy aesthetics. Mermaid offers a dark tale of marginality, which begins when an addict finds an injured mermaid off the coast of Florida. And The Ugly Stepsister reimagines the classic tale of Cinderella from a dark, feminist, sarcastic and very painful perspective. 

Spanish Genre Cinema Explores New Paths 

This year's Spanish production once again shines thanks to its overwhelming personality and its ability to explore the fantastic genre from unique perspectives. Gaua, the new piece by Paul Urkijo, immerses us in an ancestral darkness inspired by Basque folklore; in a hypnotic and terrifying journey to the roots of myth and nature. Also connected to this country, but from a feminine and radical point of view, The Virgin of the Quarry Lake by Laura Casabé, based on the literary work by Mariana Enriquez, offers a sensorial experience that promises to shake up the limits of reality. More contemporary and provocative, Silencio exalts the aesthetic and emotional universe of Eduardo Casanova, with a proposal that's as uncomfortable as it is hypnotic, which tears down taboos and questions our relationship with body, pain and beauty in a surprising story of queer vampires.  

Decorado banks on an existential critique loaded with sarcasm and with the unmistakable aesthetics of a director who is very well known at the Festival, Alberto Vázquez. Meanwhile, with his debut film Luger, Bruno Martín explores second chances through a violent and fast-paced thriller set in real time in a vast, labyrinthine industrial estate. 

Animation Takes Center Stage at Sitges2025 

This year, animation plays a major role at the Festival, with a selection that demonstrates the creative strength and versatility of this format to explore fantastic universes. Heart of Darkness offers a dazzling adaptation of Joseph Conrad's work, while The Great History of Western Philosophy delivers a journey through the momentous ideas of Western civilization that is as biting as it is brilliant.  

The Festival also presents daring projects that play with language and tone: Lesbian Space Princess blends science fiction and dissident identities with pop humor and punk spirit, and ChaO explores the limits of perception in a hypnotic experimental piece. The more emotional side arrives with Arco, a tender and hope-filled animated film that garnered an award at Annecy, and Another World, which deals with grief and affection using great visual delicacy. Another film that can be seen is ALL YOU NEED IS KILL, an explosive action and science fiction film with a Japanese signature that adapts the light novel of the same name (which was also adapted to live-action in Edge of Tomorrow). For those nostalgic for classic anime, Angel's Egg (1985) will offer a mystical and hypnotic experience, an authentic cult work by Mamoru Oshii, who continues to fascinate us all. Another piece to be revived on the big screen is Willy the Sparrow (1989), a Hungarian animation gem by József Gémes. 

Continuing in the classics section, Sitges2025 will be offering a unique opportunity with the retrospective dedicated to Italian animation director and cartoonist Bruno Bozzetto, known in Italy above all for the creation of his famous character Mr. Rossi (Signor Rossi). It will be possible to see works that cover his entire career, from the feature films The SuperVips (1968) and Allegro non troppo (1976) to short films such as Tapum! La storia delle armi (1958), Opera (1973), Rapsodeus (2011) or Cavallette (1991), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. 

Rediscovering and Vindicating Cult Classics 

The Sitges Film Festival has always been a place for the rediscovery and vindication of fantastic film classics. In this regard, we can find two documentaries that champion the genre filmmaking we love so much: Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror is an affectionate look at the cult film phenomenon and Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters tells us the story of the Hammer Films production company through the eyes of its actors, filmmakers and fans. 

Meanwhile, we will also get to rediscover several genre milestones, like Vera, un cuento cruel (1973), a classic Spanish film to be vindicated, starring Fernando Fernán Gómez and directed by Josefina Molina. Continuing in the field of classic domestic films, Atolladero (1995), a futuristic western by Óscar Aibar and Memoria (1976), a science-fiction film by Francisco Macián, both titles, thanks to an ambitious restoration by the Filmoteca de Catalunya, will be part of our "Catalunya Imaginaria" label. 

Seven Chances, the Festival's Critics' Week section, will screen Lo spettro (1963), a classic of Italian horror directed by Riccardo Freda, featuring Barbara Steele and Peter Baldwin as the leading couple, in a spectacular 4K restoration by Severin Films. Meanwhile, Jigoku (1960), Nobuo Nakagawa’s terrifying vision of hell, will also be presented in a 4K restoration sponsored by Toho Co. 

Finally, we will celebrate the fortieth anniversary of a cult film that perfectly combines horror and comedy, this year's leitmotiv: Re-Animator (1985). In this regard, there will be a special screening of the film with the stellar presence of actress Barbara Crampton, composer Richard Band and part of the crew. A unique opportunity to relive this classic with some of its legendary protagonists. In addition to Re-Animator, there will be a retrospective on the horror-comedy genre, with films to be announced at the next press conference. 

Brigadoon 

This year, the Brigadoon section will once again become, as tradition dictates, a meeting point for lovers of the most outsider movies. Classics to be rediscovered, obscure genre gems and a selection of documentaries that celebrate film lovers' passion and creative resistance make up a rich and uncomplicated program. 

As for fiction features, this year's lineup includes Clark Baker's Test Screening, a delightful love letter to genre movies set in a small town in Oregon; Gonzalo Otero's The Devil's Teardrop, which takes us to the Andes, where a group of documentary filmmakers ignore warnings about an ancient demonic spirit; Nathan Hertz's Thinestra, a disturbing dystopia about a miracle drug capable of giving you the body of your dreams; and Gabriel Carrer's Death Cycle, which offers an intense slasher thriller where a mysterious motorcycle killer turns the lives of a woman and an investigator obsessed with stopping him upside down. 

In the documentary section, Brigadoon welcomes Occupy Cannes, directed by Lily Hayes Kaufman, an unrepeatable journey behind the scenes at the Cannes Film Festival featuring Lloyd Kaufman, mythical creator of The Toxic Avenger and a key figure in cinematic counterculture. Jason Rutherford's Masters of the Grind, a visceral celebration of the most extreme, cheap and over-the-top moviemaking, and a tribute to directors who, with no money or permits, made history from the fringes. 

Awards and Guest Stars 

We already announced the Honorary Time Machine Award to Sean S. Cunningham and the attendance of the master of horror comedy Joe Dante at the Cannes Film Festival, but there are many other big names coming this year to Sitges. 

With a filmography that moves between the melodrama, historical and thriller genres, Peter Chan has established himself as one of the most versatile and influential figures in the Asian cinematic landscape. With an outstanding role as director, producer and screenwriter, Chan will receive the Grand Honorary Award at Sitges2025. 

Films such as Comrades: Almost a Love Story (1996), The Warlords (2007) or Wu Xia (2011) demonstrate his mastery of very varied registers, always with impeccable workmanship and a deeply humanistic gaze. As a producer, he has also been a crucial figure for many emerging and well-established talents in Chinese cinema. And so, Sitges honors a career that has broken cultural and industrial barriers, bringing a sophisticated and deeply emotional sensibility to genre filmmaking. 

Sitges will also be honoring one of the most influential producers in the horror and fantasy genres with the WomanInFan Award. From her production company Valhalla Entertainment, Gale Anne Hurd has been behind numerous iconic films, like the Terminator trilogy (1984, 1991, 2003), Aliens (1986), Alien Nation (1988), The Abyss (1989), The Relic (1997) and Armageddon (1998). 

Hurd is also an Executive Producer behind The Walking Dead universe, which has been a worldwide phenomenon since its first season. Recent hits such as The Walking Dead: Dead City (2023), The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (2023) and the miniseries The Ones Who Live (2024) are all a part of her legacy. She recently concluded the eleventh and final season of the main series, as well as the eighth and final season of Fear The Walking Dead, for AMC. Beyond the zombie world, her filmography also includes films such as Hellfest (2018, Lionsgate) and Mankiller (2017, PBS), an inspirational biopic about Wilma Mankiller, the first woman to be elected principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, as well as The YouTube Effect (2023), a documentary that shines a light on the spread of misinformation and the algorithms that manipulate public perception. 

We can also announce the recipient of the Méliès Career Award to be presented at this year's Festival. French actor Dominique Pinon will receive the award for his fundamental career in European fantastic genre over the last three decades. A close collaborator of Jean-Pierre Jeunet, he has been a key figure in emblematic films, including Delicatessen (1991), which won him the award for best actor at the Sitges Film Festival, The City of Lost Children (1995), Alien: Resurrection (1997) and Amélie (2001). 

Finally, Hugo Stiglitz will receive the Nosferatu Award at Sitges2025 in recognition of a legendary career in genre. With more than a hundred films, he has cemented his legacy as an emblematic face in the Mexican horror and fantastic genres in cult films like Night of 1,000 Cats (1972), Tintorera: Killer Shark (1977) or Nightmare City (1980). His unmistakable presence and his contribution to international cult movies have earned him the acknowledgment of people such as Quentin Tarantino, who paid tribute to him in Inglourious Basterds (2009). 

Jury Members for Sitges2025 

One of the conditio sine qua non of a good festival is to have a jury that's on a par with it. This year we couldn't be prouder of our jury. In the official selection we will have director, screenwriter and producer Peter Chan, Mary Harron, director of American Psycho (2000) on the film's 25th anniversary, special effects supervisor Laura Pedro, double Goya winner, director, producer and president of the Argentinean Film Academy Hernán Findling and Canadian director Jovanka Vuckovic. 

Sitges2025 Can Also be Read 

As has become customary in recent years, the Sitges Film Festival will be presenting two publications that will delight horror movie fans. The first of them, Horror Girls: United States & Canada, arrives under the WomanInFan label and invites us to travel through two key territories where the monstrous, the supernatural and the unsettling have been shaped by the female gaze. From the silent days of Lois Weber to the global phenomenon of The Walking Dead produced by Gale Anne Hurd, this collective essay plots out a tenebrous and fascinating map, celebrating the talent of women creators in the history of genre. 

The authors are Ángel Sala, Heidi Honeycutt, Shelagh Rowan-Legg, Amanda Reyes, Alexandra West and Paul Corupe all under the baton of Mònica García i Massagué. 

The second will be Risas y escalofríos (Laughter and Chills), a collective essay that deals with two motivations that, in principle, are antagonistic: fear and laughter, this year's leitmotiv. And yet, there they are, intertwined, defying aesthetic categories, contaminating genres and questioning our ways of perceiving. The confluence of horror and laughter has generated not only new ways of narrating, but also new ways of feeling and thinking. This journey includes the classics, campy excess, the gore carnival, lucid satire and rewrites of the ironic monster. 

The authors are Violeta Kovacsics, Lluís Rueda, Guillermo Triguero, Víctor Matellano y Gerard Casau, under the coordination of Jordi Sánchez-Navarro and Ángel Sala. 

Save the Dates: Passes & Packs Go On Sale and Beginning of Accreditation Requests 

We can now announce the starting date for the purchase of packs and passes for Sitges2025: it will be July 30th, so don't miss out! 

As for Industry accreditation, we will open the application period starting on Thursday, July 17th.  

For press, the application period will open on Friday, July 18. Stay tuned to our social networks for further information. 

Repsol Consolidates its Collaboration with Sitges as an Energy Partner 

For the second consecutive year, Repsol is a multi-energy partner with the goal of reducing the Festival's carbon footprint. The company will be contributing its technology to offer Sitges the solution that best suits its needs at all times. Among other measures, Repsol will supply 100% renewable fuels for the generators that will power the different venues of the film competition and will charge the organization's vehicles, as well as electric energy with guarantees of origin for the Festival's official fleet. In addition, used cooking oil will be collected from the on-site food trucks to produce renewable fuel, promoting a circular economy. New this year, Festival-goers will be able to purchase their packs, passes, as well as general admission tickets -as at the previous edition- via Waylet, Repsol's app. Likewise, the lighting will be backed up using solar energy and free recharging points for cell phones using photovoltaic energy will be made available to all Festival-goers. 

CUPRA and Cinema: a Commitment that Inspires the World from Barcelona 

For the third consecutive year, CUPRA reaffirms its role as the Festival's Automotive Partner, reinforcing its commitment to the world of film and its mission to continue inspiring the entire world from Barcelona. This collaboration not only celebrates the fantastic genre, but also encourages new generations through The Dream Makers, an initiative of the SEAT CUPRA Foundation that encompasses two competitions: the Short Film Contest, which produces short films by young filmmakers, and the Film Studies Contest, which awards full scholarships for training in audiovisual and film studies at the ESCAC. 

This year, during the Festival's opening gala, Señuelo, the short film by Martha Ayerbe, one of the winners of the Short Film Contest, will be presented. Developed under the mentorship of J. A. Bayona, a key figure in the project’s creative guidance, the short film represents the emerging talent that the Foundation and CUPRA promote through The Dream Makers. This project not only reflects the vision of a new generation of filmmakers but also reinforces CUPRA's commitment to film and artistic innovation. 

SGAE: 25th Anniversary of the Nova Autoria and Josefina Molina Awards 

This year, the SGAE Nova Autoria Awards are celebrating their 25th anniversary and cementing their position as an essential platform for emerging talent in Catalan filmmaking. Promoted by the Sociedad General de Autores y Editores (SGAE) and the SGAE Foundation, through the SGAE Territorial Council in Catalonia, along with the Sitges Film Festival, they present awards for the best projects by students from Catalan film schools and universities in the categories of directing, screenplay and original music. In addition, the selected short films are included in the Festival's official list of winners, offering tremendous visibility to new creative voices. At the 2024 edition, the jury formed by Jaume Balagueró, Aina Clotet and Francesc Gener awards to projects from the ESCAC, ECIB and La Casa del Cine. 

In addition, the SGAE Foundation and the Sitges Film Festival are promoting the 1st Josefina Molina Award for fantastic genre screenplays written by women, endowed with a 10,000-euro prize, aimed at making visible and promoting the talent of female screenwriters in a traditionally masculinized genre. This award is named after filmmaker Josefina Molina, a pioneer of the fantastic genre in Spain with her film Vera, un cuento cruel (1973), as a tribute to her career and her role as a benchmark in Spanish film. It is also part of the Woman in Fan program, dedicated to promoting the presence of women in genre filmmaking, and is born with a vocation of continuity and a firm commitment to greater creative equality. 

Yet Another Year of the Carnet Jove Jury 

The International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia, in collaboration with the Agència Catalana de la Juventut (Catalan Youth Agency) through the Carnet Jove, is once again convening a new edition of the Sitges Carnet Jove Jury. Made up of five young people -one of them serving as president-, the jury's mission is to present two awards: the Carnet Jove Jury Award for the best film in the Official Fantàstic Selection and the Sitges Documenta Award for the best documentary production. The objective of this initiative is to bring young audiences closer to the film industry and to promote the professionalization of critics, offering them the opportunity to participate as an official member of the jury during the Festival. This year's call for entries closed on July 2nd and is currently in the process of being decided. 

Support for the 58^th Edition 

This year the Festival's screenings will be held at the following venues in the official circuit: Meliá Sitges Auditorium, Tramuntana Room, Llevant Room (Brigadoon), Sitges Casino Prado movie theater, Escorxador - Cultural Center and Miramar Cultural Center 

Once again this year, the Festival is grateful for the commitment of all the cooperating institutions and companies: Moritz (main sponsor), Cupra (automotive partner), Repsol (multi-energy partner), CaixaBank (strategic partner), TV3, Catalunya Ràdio and 3CAT (official TV network and radio station), La Vanguardia (official newspaper), and Meliá Sitges (sponsor and official headquarters). 

The Festival confirms its agreements with AMC- Dark TV, Campari, China Madrid, Cinesa, Cobega-Coca Cola European Partners, Creu Roja, Dama Autores, Droom, Embotits Bundó, ESCAC, FNAC, Fotogramas, Frit Ravich, Fundació Japó, FX Animation, Grup Iguana, Grupo Prisa, Iberia, IES Joan Ramon Benaprès Escola Hostaleria, Montaz Media, Port d’Aiguadolç, Reial Cercle Artístic, Renfe, SGAE and SGAE Foundation, Transperfect Translations S.L., The Original Cha-Chá and Tresc. 

Sitges 2025 is organized thanks to the participation of the Sitges Town Hall, the Catalonian Generalitat Department of Culture’s Institut Català de les Empreses Culturals (Catalan Institute of Cultural Enterprises), the Casino Prado de Sitges and Escorxador – Centre Cultural theaters and receives financing from the Ministry of Culture’s Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales (Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts), the Barcelona Diputació (City Council), and the Carnet Jove - Departament de Benestar i Família (Department of Welfare and Family). 

List of Films 

A Useful Ghost – Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke (2025) 

ALL YOU NEED IS KILL – Kenichiro Akimoto (2025) 

Alpha – Julia Ducournau (2025) 

Another World – Tommy Kai Chung Ng (2025) 

Arco – Ugo Bienvenu (2025) 

ChaO – Yasuhiro Aoki (2025) 

Dead Lover – Grace Glowicki (2025) 

Deathstalker – Steven Kostanski (2025) 

Decorado – Alberto Vázquez (2025) 

Dolly – Rod Blackhurst (2025) 

Eye for an Eye – Colin Tilley (2025) 

Exit 8 – Genki Kawamura (2025) 

Fucktoys – Annapurna Sriram (2025) 

Gaua – Paul Urkijo (2025) 

Good Boy – Ben Leonberg (2025) 

Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters – Benjamin Field (2025) 

Heart of Darkness – Rogério Nunes (2025) 

The Ugly Stepsister – Emilie Blichfeldt (2025) 

The Virgin of the Quarry Lake – Laura Casabé (2025) 

Lesbian Space Princess – Emma Hough (2025) 

Luger – Bruno Martín (2025) 

Mermaid – Tyler Cornack (2025) 

Mother’s Baby – Johanna Moder (2025) 

New Group – Yuta Shimotsu (2025) 

Orang Ikan – Mike Wiluan (2024) 

Redux Redux – Kevin McManus & Matthew McManus (2025) 

Silencio – Eduardo Casanova (2025) 

Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror – Linus O’Brien (2025) 

The Curse – Kenichi Ugana (2025) 

The Great History of Western Philosophy – Aria Covamonas (2025) 

The Home – James DeMonaco (2025) 

The Legend of Ochi – Isaiah Saxon (2025) 

The Life of Chuck – Mike Flanagan (2024) 

The Thing with Feathers – Dylan Southern (2025) 

Tornado – John Maclean (2025) 

Touch Me – Addison Heimann (2025) 

Classics 

Angel’s Egg – Mamoru Oshii (1985) 

Atolladero – Óscar Aibar (1995) 

Jigoku – Nobuo Nakagawa (1960) 

The Ghost – Riccardo Freda (1963) 

Memoria – Francisco Macián (1976) 

Re-Animator – Stuart Gordon (1985) 

Vera, un cuento cruel – Josefina Molina (1973) 

Willy the Sparrow – József Gémes (1989) 

Bruno Bozzetto Retrospective 

Feature Films: 

Allegro non troppo – Bruno Bozzetto (1976) 

The SuperVips – Bruno Bozzetto (1968) 

Short Films: 

Alfa Omega – Bruno Bozzetto (1962) 

Baeus – Bruno Bozzetto (1987) 

Big Bang – Bruno Bozzetto (1967) 

Cavallette – Bruno Bozzetto (1990) 

Dancing – Bruno Bozzetto (1991) 

Ego – Bruno Bozzetto (1969) 

Opera – Bruno Bozzetto (1973) 

Piscina (La) – Bruno Bozzetto (1977) 

Point of View – Bruno Bozzetto (1998) 

Rapsodeus – Bruno Bozzetto (2011) 

Self Service – Bruno Bozzetto (1974) 

Tapum! La storia delle armi – Bruno Bozzetto (1958) 

Brigadoon 

Death Cycle – Gabriel Carrer (2025) 

Occupy Cannes – Lily Hayes Kaufman (2025) 

Masters of the Grind – Jason Rutherford (2025) 

Test Screening – Clark Baker (2025) 

The Devil’s Teardrop – Gonzalo Otero (2025) 

Thinestra – Nathan Hertz (2025)