This morning, the ninth edition of the international children's film festival cinema miúdo was announced, set to occur from 12 to 15 November at the Casa da Cultura in Bertamiráns, a town in the province of La Coruña, Galicia. The festival will showcase more than 70 short films, alongside two special retrospectives and workshops focused on film and science.
Organised by the Concello de Ames in collaboration with the Diputación de La Coruña, the festival aims to engage young audiences with the world of cinema. Tickets for the event will be available for €3 through the electronic ticketing system starting on 2 November.
Notably, a screening on Saturday at 17:00 (Buxainas 3) will feature specific subtitles for individuals with hearing disabilities. Blas García, the mayor and councillor for culture, emphasised the festival's growth, stating, “We are now in the ninth edition of this festival, which each year includes new activities. Last year, nearly 2,000 people participated in various festival activities, and we hope to surpass that number this year.”
Beatriz Martínez, the councillor for education and youth, encouraged all children in Ames to attend the festival, highlighting the importance of culture in education. She remarked, “Education is not just about studying maths, science or physics, but also about having culture. The more culture we have, the better people we become and the more capable we are of thinking for ourselves. So come to cinema miúdo, because cinema is culture.”
Festival director Juan de Castro described this year's edition as “a festival made for you, to enjoy films and animations that you cannot see elsewhere.” He noted that this year will feature more premieres in Spain and Galicia than ever before, including films that have not been screened anywhere else in the country.
The festival will present over 70 short films, with 36 competing in two categories: Axóuxeres (for children under seven) and Buxainas (for those over seven). An additional 17 films will be showcased in a special section for schoolchildren. The programme will include over thirty premieres in Galicia and Spain, reinforcing the festival's international character and its focus on innovative audiovisual proposals for children.
This year's theme will centre on science, aiming to introduce scientific thinking to children from various perspectives, while also highlighting the role of women in the field. The festival will explore science fiction as a cinematic genre through two special sessions featuring contemporary and classic short films that focus on space travel, robots, and science.
As in previous years, the festival will offer two workshops on the mornings of Saturday and Sunday, designed to foster creativity and curiosity about how the world works through audiovisual language. Detailed information about the workshops and special sessions will be released in the coming weeks.
Following the success of the 2025 edition, which attracted nearly 2,000 participants, this year's festival is poised to build on that momentum. Access to screenings will be through a single ticket, available on the Concello de Ames electronic ticketing portal from 2 November and in person at the Casa da Cultura during the festival days. A maximum of 300 tickets will be sold at €3 each, with a limit of four tickets per person. To purchase tickets online, residents will need to click on the informational banner that will be displayed on the website during the sales period.
