The Cine Escuela programme, initiated by the Ministry of Culture, is set to bring over 100,000 secondary school students to cinemas across Spain during the 2026/2027 academic year. This initiative will be implemented by twelve non-profit organisations in more than 500 educational centres nationwide, with a total budget of €2.88 million.
The first screenings are scheduled to begin next week and will take place in all autonomous communities, as well as the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla. A selection of 15 films from various eras and genres has been chosen to introduce students to the language of cinema and audiovisual storytelling.
Objectives of the programme
The Cine Escuela programme aims to foster a cultural habit among young audiences by encouraging cinema attendance and promoting early education in cinematic language. Additionally, it addresses issues of inclusion and accessibility, making cultural experiences available to populations that may not typically have access due to social, economic, or geographical barriers. The initiative also seeks to increase attendance during morning hours, which generally see lower turnout.
Implementation and educational approach
The selected organisations will serve as a bridge between educational centres and cinemas, accompanying students to screenings and providing necessary educational materials. To ensure that the viewing experience is educationally significant, each cinema outing will be preceded by an introductory educational session and followed by a reflective classroom discussion.
The Ministry of Culture and the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA) have collaborated with an advisory committee of specialists in education, audiovisual literacy, and cinema to select the films and establish criteria for the development of educational guides. These guides will be available in all official languages of Spain for use in classrooms.
Selected films for 2026/2027
The list of films for the upcoming academic year includes:
- 20,000 especies de abejas, Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren (2023)
- Estiu 1993 (Verano 1993), Carla Simón (2017)
- El Camino, Ana Mariscal (1964)
- El verdugo, Luis García Berlanga (1963)
- Robot Dreams, Pablo Berger (2023)
- Libertad, Clara Roquet (2021)
- Buñuel en el laberinto de las tortugas, Salvador Simó (2018)
- La lengua de las mariposas, José Luis Cuerda (1999)
- Maixabel, Icíar Bollaín (2021)
- El Bola, Achero Mañas (2000)
- Tódalas mulleres que coñezo (Todas las mujeres que conozco), Xiana do Teixeiro (2018)
- Billy Elliot, Stephen Daldry (2000)
- Los 400 golpes, François Truffaut (1959)
- Los espigadores y la espigadora, Agnes Varda (2000)
- El espíritu de la colmena, Víctor Erice (1973)
Previous editions
In the 2025/2026 academic year, a pilot phase of the Cine Escuela programme reached 1,300 students from 16 centres in 15 municipalities across Madrid, Castilla y León, Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, the Valencian Community, and Galicia, involving 10 cinemas. The previous year, a trial run was conducted in educational centres in Madrid, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, and Córdoba.
For the development of the Cine Escuela project, the ICAA collaborated with the National Centre for Cinema and Animated Images (CNC) of France, which has 30 years of experience in education and cinema through programmes like École et Cinéma. Other similar initiatives in Portugal were also taken into account.
