HomeNews | Current NewsEspina, the main attraction in the Focus Guest Country session at the 29th Festival de Málaga

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13 March 2026

Espina, the main attraction in the Focus Guest Country session at the 29th Festival de Málaga

Panamanian filmmaker Daniel Poler has presented at the Cine Albéniz one of his most internationally acclaimed feature films

The section Focus Guest Country of the 29th Festival de Málaga began on Friday 13th March with the screening of the film Espina (Grudge) at the Albéniz Cinema. This is the first feature film by internationally acclaimed Panamanian filmmaker Daniel Poler, winner of 16 international awards.

Espina is based on one of the director’s most acclaimed documentaries, Tuesco, which brings to light the life of Jonathan, a young man with a disability who sets out on a journey from Mexico City to Panama to settle an old grudge. Inspired by true events, this irreverent and vibrant film stars Jonathan himself in a story of revenge, redemption and self-discovery.

The film's producer, Mariel García Spooner, said that the story is based on a short film widely distributed on YouTube and at festivals in Latin America and the USA. From there, Poler and actor Jonathan Benaim wrote the film in "a more fictionalised style", approaching the plot with a picaresque and comedic tone. Jonathan Benaim quit his job because his dream was to be an actor, so when he came across this role, he threw himself into it wholeheartedly: "I knew I didn't want to work in an office, and I wanted to look for opportunities in film so that I could pursue acting".

"I really empathised with Jonathan's story and I was very moved after the screening”. For the creative process we took references from different films such as Amelie," explained production and art designer Amine Ayoub.

Laurie Batista, the project's costume designer, said that her aim was "to highlight the importance of caregivers and the families they support, in this case the mother, a strong and courageous woman", as she considers them a very important part of the lives of people with disabilities.

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