For the seventh consecutive edition, the Valladolid International Film Festival (Seminci), the Sitges Film Festival, Seville Film Festival and Festival de Málaga - united under the ProFestivales21 coordinating body and in collaboration with the FILMIN platform - are once again fostering film education for young audiences through the online channel Ventana Cinéfila. The initiative, aimed at schools, offers a selection of recently produced international films, bringing cinema into the classroom and helping to cultivate new audiences. Schools can register between 15 September and 27 November to take part in this new edition.

The project offers students the chance to discover a line-up of feature films and short films selected and agreed upon by programmers from five of Spain's most important festivals. The selection process considers not only cinematic quality but also thematic and aesthetic balance, as well as suitability for students of different ages. The activity will take place from 15 October to 30 November.

Each school will also receive a comprehensive educational guide for every title, enabling teachers to enrich classroom discussions before and after screenings, as well as to explore various subjects in depth through a cross-curricular approach. Screenings will feature a recorded introduction by the programmers, offering key insights into the films and highlighting the value of each title.

Since its launch in 2020, Ventana Cinéfila has screened 45 feature films and 70 short films - spanning both animation and live-action - covering diverse themes and topics relevant to current social issues. In 2025, the programme reached 319,587 students across primary and secondary education (ESO and Bachillerato), with the participation of 900 schools in Andalusia, Castile and León and Catalonia, and 1,727 registered teachers.

Titles selected for Ventana Cinéfila
This year’s Ventana Cinéfila programme includes six feature films and three short-film programmes aimed at students of various ages. The films explore issues such as personal growth, imagination, the search for one’s own path, relationships with others and social realities shaping the contemporary world.

Many of the feature films in this edition explore the themes of growing up and finding one’s own path through widely varying situations. Holy Cow (French title: Vingt Dieux), by Louise Courvoisier, follows a young man who, following his father’s death, must take on new responsibilities and look after his younger sister; whilst Un futuro brillante (A Bright Future), by Lucía Garibaldi, uses science fiction to examine the expectations placed on young people and their right to choose their own futures
Taking a very different approach, Benito Zambrano’s El salto (Jumping the Fence) explores migration and borders through the story of Ibrahim, who attempts to return to Spain - and the life he had built in Madrid - after being deported to his native Guinea. The film invites viewers to engage with this reality through the personal stories lying behind the images and statistics typically seen in the media.

Curiosity and discovery take centre stage in the animated films ¡Hola, Frida!, by Karine Vézina and André Kadi, and Mary Anning, by Marcel Barelli. The first explores Frida Kahlo’s childhood and her ability to transform adversity through creativity; the second film explores the life of a pioneering palaeontologist, tracing her journey from her earliest discoveries to her enduring passion for fossils. Joining the line-up is Ghost Cat Anzu, by Yôko Kuno y Nobuhiro Yamashita - an adventure blending humour and Japanese folklore as a young girl seeks to reunite with her late mother.

The selection of short films aimed at younger audiences (ages 5+) employs various animation techniques to tell stories centred on imagination, cooperation, trust and overcoming prejudice. The protagonists face unknown worlds, pursue dreams, conquer fears and discover new ways of relating to those around them.

The programme designed for students aged 10 and up addresses themes such as identity, friendship, violence, responsibility and the expectations others place upon them. Through diverse stories, the films also invite viewers to question first impressions and reflect on how we form our perceptions of others.

Meanwhile, the selection of short films for students aged 13 and older explores more complex, contemporary realities - such as the consequences of war, sexual violence, the barriers associated with deafness and the influence of social media and specific models of success on young people's aspirations. Collectively, they encourage looking beyond the obvious and considering the personal and social circumstances that shape the protagonists' decisions.
 
Feature films

• ¡Hola, Frida!, by Karine Vézina and André Kadi (Canada, France, 2025)
• Mary Anning, by Marcel Barelli (Switzerland, Belgium, 2025)
• Ghost Cat Anzu, by Yôko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita (Japan, 2024)
• El salto (Jumping the Fence), by Benito Zambrano (Spain, 2024)
• Holy Cow (Vingt Dieux), by Louise Courvoisier (France, 2024)
• Un futuro brillante (A Bright Future), by Lucía Garibaldi (Uruguay, Argentina, Germany, 2025)

 
Short Films (Ages 5+)

• Le petit et le géant, by Isabela Costa (Brazil, France, 2025)
• Estela, donde nadie llegó jamás, by Manuel Sicilia Morales (Spain, 2024)
• Bobel’s Kitchen, by Fiona Rolland (Belgium, 2024)
• Filante, by Marion Jamult (France, 2024)
• Operación Frankenstein, by José María Fernández de Vega (Spain, 2022)

 
Short Films (Ages 10+)

• Nens, by Anna Martí Domingo (Spain, 2024)
• Éiru, by Giovanna Ferrari (Ireland, 2025)
• Gilbert, by Alejandro Salueña García, Arturo Local Ruiz and Jordi Jiménez Xiberta (Spain, 2024)
• Cafuné, by Carlos F. de Vigo and Lorena Ares (Spain, 2023)
• La fuerza, by Cristina Martín Barcelona and María José Martín Barcelona (Spain, 2024)
• Los Danubios, by Jaume Claret Muxart (Spain, 2023)

 
Short Films (Ages 13+)

• In Her Arms, by Roman Volosevych (Ukraine, 2025)
• Mercy (Nade), by Hedda Mjøen (Norway, 2025)
• Sorda, by Nuria Muñoz and Eva Libertad (Spain, 2021)
• +10K, by Gala Hernández López (Spain, France, 2025)