Bitter Christmas
| Bitter Christmas | |
|---|---|
Teaser poster | |
| Spanish | Amarga Navidad |
| Directed by | Pedro Almodóvar |
| Produced by | Agustín Almodóvar[1] |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Pau Esteve Birba |
| Edited by | Teresa Font |
| Music by | Alberto Iglesias[1] |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date |
|
| Country | Spain |
| Language | Spanish |
Bitter Christmas (Spanish: Amarga Navidad) is an upcoming Spanish comedy film directed by Pedro Almodóvar. It stars Bárbara Lennie and Leonardo Sbaraglia alongside Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Victoria Luengo, Patrick Criado, Milena Smit, and Quim Gutiérrez.
The film will be theatrically released in Spain on 20 March 2026 by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Premise
After her mother dies in December, advertising director Elsa immerses herself in work to cope. When a panic attack forces her to take a break, she decides to travel to Lanzarote with her friend Patricia while her partner Bonifacio stays in Madrid.[2]
Cast
Production
In an interview to IndieWire published in October 2024, Almodóvar pitched Bitter Christmas as "a tragic comedy about gender".[6] In May 2025, Victoria Luengo and Patrick Criado were reported to have been cast.[7] Filming began on 9 June 2025,[8] with Pau Esteve Birba serving as cinematographer.[9] Additional cast members including Bárbara Lennie, Quim Gutiérrez, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Milena Smit, and Aitana Sánchez-Gijón were subsequently reported.[4] The film is an El Deseo production and it had the collaboration of Movistar Plus+.[4] Shooting wrapped on 12 August 2025 in Lanzarote.[5] Shooting locations also included Madrid.[5] Teresa Font took over film editing during post-production.[1]
Release
Warner Bros. Pictures is scheduled to release the film in Spanish theatres on 30 March 2026.[10][11][12] It will later be released on streamer Movistar Plus+.[11]
Curzon acquired distribution rights for the United Kingdom and Ireland.[13] In August 2025, Sony Pictures Classics, Almodóvar's recurring North American distributor, acquired distribution rights to the film in that territory.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d McGowan, Andrew (26 August 2025). "Sony Pictures Classics Acquires North American Rights to Pedro Almodóvar's 'Bitter Christmas'". Variety. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- ^ Rebolledo, Matías G. (10 June 2025). "Pedro Almodóvar rueda 'Amarga Navidad' junto a Bárbara Lennie, Victoria Luengo y Patrick Criado". Kinótico (in Spanish).
- ^ a b Belinchón, Gregorio (10 June 2025). "Bárbara Lennie, Victoria Luengo y Patrick Criado protagonizan 'Amarga Navidad', el nuevo filme de Pedro Almodóvar". El País.
- ^ a b c d e f g Silvestre, Juan (10 June 2025). "'Amarga Navidad': cuándo se estrena, reparto, sinopsis y tráiler de la nueva película de Pedro Almodóvar". Fotogramas.
- ^ a b c d e Meseguer, Astrid. "Almodóvar finaliza el rodaje de 'Amarga Navidad' entre besos, abrazos y ramos de flores". La Vanguardia.
- ^ Thompson, Anne (3 October 2024). "'The Room Next Door': How Pedro Almodóvar Wrangled Formal Spanish Into His First English-Language Feature". IndieWire.
- ^ "Pedro Almodóvar: desvelamos los primeros nombres (y más datos) de la nueva película que va a empezar a rodar". ¡Hola!. 7 May 2025.
- ^ "Pedro Almodóvar comenzó el rodaje de su nueva película, «Amarga Navidad»". GPS Audiovisual. 9 June 2025.
- ^ "Comienza el rodaje de 'Amarga Navidad', la nueva película de Pedro Almodóvar". Camera & Light Mag. 10 June 2025.
- ^ Lang, Jamie (10 June 2026). "Pedro Almodóvar's Next Film 'Bitter Christmas' Unveiled by Movistar Plus+". Variety.
- ^ a b Bergeson, Samantha (10 June 2025). "Pedro Almodóvar's Next Movie 'Bitter Christmas' Set for Spanish Theaters and Streamer Movistar Plus+". IndieWire.
- ^ "Calendario de estrenos | 20 de octubre". Warner Bros. (in Spanish). 20 October 2025. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
- ^ Tabbara, Mona (11 June 2025). "Pedro Almodóvar's 'Bitter Christmas' sells to UK-Ireland". ScreenDaily.