Atresmedia Brings Four Films and Two Series to the 2026 San Sebastián Film Festival

Atresmedia Cine is heading to the 2026 San Sebastián Film Festival with four films across four different sections — and two television series in tow.

The lineup, confirmed by Variety on 8 September 2026, puts Atresmedia across nearly every corner of the festival. El mal padre, directed by Roberto Bueso and starring Eduard Fernández, lands in the Official Selection — the festival's main competition. La Bola Negra screens in Perlak, a section dedicated to standout films that have premiered elsewhere. Karateka plays at the Velodrome, the festival's large-format venue. And Inurri Itsuak / The Blind Ants, directed by Igor Legarreta, opens Zinemira, the section devoted to Basque cinema.

Atresmedia also brings two series to the festival: Sira and Trazos ocultos. Sira is a continuation of El tiempo entre costuras, the hit Spanish drama about a seamstress turned spy, and is based on the novel by María Dueñas. It will stream on Atresplayer, Atresmedia's own platform. Both series were announced for the festival in a July 2026 press release from Atresmedia.

Jaime Ortiz de Artiñano, managing director of Atresmedia Cine, called San Sebastián "one of the great international showcases" for the company's cinema and the starting point for many of its campaigns, according to Variety.

The films reflect a strategy that spans established franchises, large-scale productions, and auteur cinema. Torrente Presidente sits in the franchise column. Karateka and La Bola Negra are the big productions. El mal padre rounds out the slate as a focused, character-driven piece.

The partnerships behind the films tell their own story about how Spanish cinema is financed now. La Bola Negra is a Movistar Plus+ Original — meaning the telecom operator's streaming service commissioned it. Atresmedia Cine has acquired the free-to-air rights, so the film will eventually be available on broadcast television. Netflix is involved in the production of Karateka.

For El mal padre, Atresmedia released the trailer and poster on 2 September 2026, ahead of the film's world premiere in the Official Section, as confirmed by an Atresmedia press release. The film runs 92 minutes and screens in Spanish with English subtitles, per the festival programme.

Inurri Itsuak / The Blind Ants, known in Spanish as Las ciegas hormigas, runs 48 minutes and screens in both Spanish and Basque with Spanish subtitles and English electronic subtitles, according to the festival's programme page. The festival confirmed both El mal padre and The Blind Ants in its official selection announcements on 28 August 2026.

For audiences, the festival is a first look at titles that will travel — to streaming platforms, to broadcast slots, and to international markets — in the months that follow.