There are few summer traditions as deeply rooted in Barcelona as spreading out a towel on the sand when the sun starts to let up, opening a nice cold can, and letting the sea breeze carry you away. Add to that ritual a giant screen and a selection of films that have triumphed at the world’s top festivals, and the plan borders on perfection. It’s the magic of movie nights in July and August along the city’s waterfront—an event that’s already part of Barcelona’s summer DNA and is returning with a special twist to celebrate a milestone.
The Cinema Lliure a la Platja film series is celebrating its fifteenth anniversary by setting up its screen from July 6 to August 10. Screenings will begin, as always, at sunset, between 9:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., offering a completely free cultural alternative featuring films in their original language. Although the festival was born on the iconic Sant Sebastià beach in Barceloneta, its success over the past fifteen years has led it to expand along the entire Catalan coast, establishing an offering that combines nightlife with arthouse cinema that often doesn’t find a place in commercial theaters.
Audience voting and new additions along the coast
One of the most special events in the Catalan capital will take place on Sunday, August 2, with the traditional “La tria” screening. On this day, the spotlight shifts directly to the audience, who will have the opportunity to vote on which film they want to see screened on the sand at Sant Sebastià. In keeping with the series’ commitment to the environment, the organizers have also scheduled a beach cleanup on the same beach on Thursday, July 23, just before the day’s film screening begins, to raise awareness about the need to care for our marine environment.
Beyond Barcelona’s borders, the festival is expanding its traveling spirit by bringing its twenty screenings to five other Catalan towns: Sitges, Tarragona, Palamós, Tossa de Mar, and the newcomer Arenys de Mar, which kicks off on July 25 at Picòrdia Beach. Each feature film will be preceded by a carefully curated selection of short films from the veteran FILMETS festival in Badalona and the Nou Talent competition, a platform that seeks to give visibility to emerging directors from film schools in Catalonia and Mallorca. A golden opportunity to discover new cinematic perspectives with your feet in the sand and the sound of the waves in the background.
Dates and films at Sant Sebastià Beach (Barcelona)
In Barcelona, the big screen will light up for four consecutive Thursdays at the Barceloneta beach. Barcelona audiences will be able to enjoy such powerful films as ‘Molt lluny,’ the acclaimed and subversive film starring Mario Casas that won two Silver Biznagas at the Málaga Film Festival, or ‘Romería, ‘ the highly anticipated third installment of Oscar-winning filmmaker Carla Simón’s family memoir. In addition, this season’s lineup includes international gems such as the Oscar-nominated ‘Little Amélie’ and films that invite reflection on identity and the margins through surprising genres like the queer western ‘La misteriosa mirada del flamenco’.
In the Catalan capital, the undisputed meeting spot will once again be the Barceloneta beach, where the screen will light up for four consecutive Thursdays and an extra Sunday:
- Thursday, July 16: ‘Molt lluny’ (the arthouse drama starring Mario Casas).
- Thursday, July 23: ‘La llum de l’Aisha’ (a family-friendly animated film that will be preceded by a collective beach cleanup).
- Thursday, July 30: ‘Romería’ (the highly anticipated new film by Oscar-winning director Carla Simón).
- Sunday, August 2: “La tria” (a special screening where the audience will project the film that won the popular vote).
- Thursday, August 6: ‘The Mysterious Look of Flamenco’ (a surprising queer western).
Full schedule along the rest of the Catalan coast
For those who take advantage of the hot months to take a getaway or get a change of scenery on the weekends, the festival has spread its films across five other beaches, following the same schedule as the sun goes down:
Tarragona (La Móra Beach)
- Monday, July 6: ‘Romería’
- Monday, July 20: ‘La llum de l’Aisha’
- Monday, August 3: ‘The Left-Handed Girl’
Tarragona (Playa de l’Arrabassada)
- Monday, July 13: ‘Molt lluny’
- Monday, July 27: ‘Little Amélie’
- Monday, August 10: ‘The Mysterious Gaze of Flamenco’
Sitges (Platja de la Fragata)
- Wednesday, July 8: ‘Molt lluny’
- Wednesday, July 15: ‘La llum de l’Aisha’
- Wednesday, July 22: ‘Romería’
- Wednesday, July 29: ‘Little Amélie’
Tossa de Mar (Platja Gran)
- Tuesday, July 7: ‘Romería’
- Tuesday, July 21: ‘La llum de l’Aisha’
Palamós (Platja de Sant Esteve La Fosca)
- Sunday, July 12: ‘La llum de l’Aisha’
- Sunday, July 26: ‘The Left-Handed Girl’
Arenys de Mar (Platja de la Picòrdia)
- Saturday, July 25: ‘Romería’ (the town making its debut this year as a new addition to the circuit).
As the icing on the cake, it’s worth noting that each of these movie nights will always kick off a few minutes before the feature film with a curated selection of short films from the FILMETS festival in Badalona and the Nou Talent competition, designed to give a voice to emerging directors from film schools in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands.
