It is city which, as well as being the setting for numerous films and series, has a wide range of possibilities for cinema aficionados, from themed festivals to films in their original version, as well as monographic series and major premieres.

This offer is led by the Malaga Festival, which has just celebrated its 25th edition. These are the main dates you can't miss out on.

Malaga Festival

With the aim of promoting and disseminating Spanish and Latin American cinema, every year the Malaga Festival showcases the best documentaries, short films and feature films. The festival also pays tribute to different personalities from the film industry and organises numerous series, exhibitions and parallel activities.

This event, which in 2023 will be held from 10th to 19th March, turns the capital of the Costa del Sol into a huge film set every year, where top actors and fans of the big screen come together. Because if there is one thing the Malaga Festival has, it is its open, interactive nature, where locals and visitors alike become the main stars of the great Spanish film festival.

The main stage of the festival is the Cervantes Theatre, where every night the red carpet is rolled out and the main Spanish artists parade before the attentive gaze of a devoted and loyal audience.

Albéniz Cinema

Just a few metres away, near the monumental Alcazaba and the Roman Theatre, is the Albéniz Cinema, where a large chunk of this film event takes place. Inaugurated in 1945, it offers a special focus on independent films and films in their original version all year round. Its cinemas host interesting film seasons with different themes, such as 'The Golden Age', a season that allows you to see classic films in their original format, or '8/21', another season with a selection of the most outstanding and influential films of the 21st century.

International film festivals

The Albéniz Cinema is also home to numerous film festivals held in the city. One of them is the Italian Film Festival, which takes place in May and has become an unmissable event for all lovers of cinema from the Bel Paese. This historicist-style building also hosts German Film Week, with screenings of films that show the public the latest films and German life, all of which are in their original version with Spanish subtitles.

In this cosmopolitan universe and with the intention of disseminating and promoting French-speaking culture, the Alliance Française of Malaga has been organising the French Film Festival since 1994, to share with the latest creations of French cinema with the public; screenings are always in their original version with Spanish subtitles. The festival, which will celebrate its 28th edition next October, will be held at the Albéniz Cinema and like in previous years, will host various activities at different cultural venues in the city, as well as at its own headquarters.

The University of Malaga Fantasy and Horror Film Festival

In the last quarter of the year, Fancine hits the Albéniz Cinema. It is one of the most important fantasy and horror film festivals held in Spain and is growing beyond its national borders, positioning itself as a benchmark for quality cinema within its genre. Over the course of a whole week, a wide range of parallel activities can be enjoyed at different cultural venues, such as concerts, exhibitions, conferences and, of course, plenty of film.

Open-air cinema: Malaga’s summer cinema

The Malaga Festival also organises other events such as “Cine Abierto” (Open-air cinema), the summer cinema which screens more than a hundred free films on beaches, in parks and other public spaces in the city.

Movie Score Málaga (MOSMA)

This series is also joined by the Movie Score Málaga (MOSMA), an international festival of audiovisual music that takes place in July, allowing visitors to enjoy concerts that commemorate musicals and soundtracks, as well as meetings and round tables with big composers.

Cinema in the museums

In addition to this wide range of films, there are other cinema-related initiatives that take place throughout the year, such as the different series organised by the capital's main museums as part of their most important exhibitions or as parallel activities at different events.