LANZAROTE CINEMA | ‘Bitter Christmas’: this is what Lanzarote looks like in the trailer for Pedro Almodóvar’s new film
The island of Lanzarote once again places itself on the map of international cinema with the filming of Bitter Christmas, the new film by Pedro Almodóvar, whose theatrical release is scheduled for March 20, 2026.
The feature film, starring Bárbara Lennie, Leonardo Sbaraglia and Aitana Sánchez-Gijónwas filmed between early June and mid-August in different locations in Madrid and Lanzaroteconsolidating the island’s appeal as a film setting.
The preview of the film in the teaser trailer that was released last Thursday, December 18, by the hand of Warner Bros Spain, allows you to identify emblematic enclaves of Lanzarote such as The Geria and the beach The Gulfwhere the Charco de Los Clicos is located, both located in the municipality of Yaiza. These locations, linked to the volcanic landscape and the natural heritage of the island, reinforce the presence of Lanzarote as a natural setting, a line in which institutions such as the Lanzarote Film Commission, dependent on Lanzarote Town Council.
A scene from ‘Bitter Christmas’ in El Golfo, in the municipality of Yaiza / @warnerbrosspain
It is about the Pedro Almodóvar’s second film with scenes filmed in Lanzarotesince part of The broken hugs (2009), starring Penélopez Cruz and Lluís Homar, It was also recorded on the island in places such as Charco de Los Clicos beach, Mirador del Río, Famara beach and the roundabout next to the César Manrique Foundation, in Tahiche. The choice of these settings joins a long list of national and international productions that have found a unique environment on the island for filming films and series.
A cast with regular faces and new additions
The distribution of Bitter Christmas combina regular performers in Almodóvar’s films with new additions. Bárbara Lennie, protagonist of the film, already worked with the director in The skin I live in (2011). Leonardo Sbaraglia was part of the cast of Pain and Glory (2019), while Aitana Sánchez-Gijón and Milena Smit participated in Parallel Mothers (2021). Also repeat Victoria Luengowhich appeared in The next room.
Together with them they join Patrick Criado y Quim Gutierrezwhich are incorporated for the first time into Almodóvar’s cinematographic universe, although the latter already collaborated with El Deseo in the series Passing lies. Furthermore, it appears again Rossy de Palmaone of the actresses most identified with the director’s filmography.
A story marked by grief and flight
According to the synopsis provided by the production company, the plot revolves around Elsaan advertising director played by Bárbara Lennie, who loses her mother during a long December weekend. Unable to face the grief, he takes refuge in work as a form of escape forward, until a panic attack forces her to stop.
Your partner, Bonifaciobecomes a fundamental support, although Elsa decides to travel to Lanzarote accompanied by her friend Patricia, while he remains in Madrid. In parallel, the film tells the story of the screenwriter and film director Raul Duran (Leonardo Sbaraglia), intertwining both stories and blurring the boundaries between reality and fiction.
Expectation before a highly anticipated premiere
With a premiere date already confirmed and a first trailer that highlights the prominence of Lanzarote, Bitter Christmas It is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated releases in Spanish cinema in 2026.
The film once again places the island in the cultural and audiovisual focus, reinforcing its external projection as a territory linked to artistic and cinematographic creation.
Bitter Christmas supposes the Pedro Almodóvar’s return to filming in Spanish after The next rooma film with which the director from La Mancha obtained the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival last year.
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